Learn about different jazz styles, rhythms, instruments and musicians – including Kansas City native Charlie Parker – at this interactive museum, at the heart of the city's 1920s African American neighborhood. It's part of the Museums at 18th & Vine complex. There are live performances many weekend evenings.
American Jazz Museum
Kansas City
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
7.5 MILES
See the simple life Harry (1884–1972) and Bess (1885–1982) lived in this basic but charming wood house. It's furnished with their original belongings and…
1.44 MILES
Enter this impressive modern museum on a glass walkway over a field of red poppies, the symbol of remembrance of WWI. Through detailed and engaging…
3.33 MILES
Giant badminton shuttlecocks (the building represents the net) surround this encyclopedic museum, which has standout European painting, photography and…
0.01 MILES
This comprehensive museum covers the lesser-known history of African American teams, such as the KC Monarchs and New York Black Yankees, that flourished…
1.29 MILES
Opened in 1914, KC's Union Station is a sublime example of the magnificent architecture that once was the hallmark of American train stations. Today it…
3.06 MILES
A hidden-in-plain-sight park with an important history: Kaw Point is where the Kansas River flows into the Missouri River. Lewis and Clark stopped here in…
3.75 MILES
Built in the 1920s, this posh commercial district (centered on Broadway and 47th St) boasts finely detailed, sumptuous Spanish architecture. It’s rich…
-
Truman Presidential Museum & Library
7.65 MILES
There are thousands of objects, including the famous 'The Buck Stops Here!' sign, from the man who led the US through one of its most tumultuous eras…
Nearby Kansas City attractions
1. Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
0.01 MILES
This comprehensive museum covers the lesser-known history of African American teams, such as the KC Monarchs and New York Black Yankees, that flourished…
2. College Basketball Experience
1.02 MILES
Really a gussied-up basketball hall of fame, this interactive (and entirely overstimulating) exhibition lets you try free throws or pretend you're an…
1.29 MILES
Opened in 1914, KC's Union Station is a sublime example of the magnificent architecture that once was the hallmark of American train stations. Today it…
1.44 MILES
Enter this impressive modern museum on a glass walkway over a field of red poppies, the symbol of remembrance of WWI. Through detailed and engaging…
1.59 MILES
In River Market, this museum displays 200 tons of salvaged 'treasure' from a riverboat that sank in 1856 (one of hundreds claimed by the Missouri River).
3.06 MILES
A hidden-in-plain-sight park with an important history: Kaw Point is where the Kansas River flows into the Missouri River. Lewis and Clark stopped here in…
7. Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art
3.33 MILES
Near the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and Country Club Plaza, this museum is small and edgy with rotating exhibitions. The cafe is excellent.
8. Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
3.33 MILES
Giant badminton shuttlecocks (the building represents the net) surround this encyclopedic museum, which has standout European painting, photography and…