That’s why I’m taking you to my native KC to revisit some of my favorite hot spots and the coolest hotels in Kansas City that are oozing with local appeal. There’s also a slew of new developments transforming the city’s hospitality options. Kansas City is on a roll and not just thanks to the new streetcar systems zipping passengers for free up and down Main Street. The town is trending in the “most artsy” category and you’ll see why when you stroll past some of the city’s famous fountains on Country Club Plaza, listen to live jazz at The Blue Room or explore the works of emerging artists in the Crossroads Arts District.

Kansas City recently made the list of National Geographic Traveler’s “Best Small Cities for 2018”. It’s only a matter of time before the rest of the world catches on. For a city of its size, “The Paris of the Plains” oozes culture, whether you’re perusing the art collection at the top-rated Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art or listening to a performance by the Kansas City Symphony under the swooping roof of the state-of-the-art Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Seizing upon the opportunity to expand their Kansas City-style barbecue beyond the borders of Kansas City, Fiorellas Jack Stack Barbecue began shipping their barbecue nationwide in 2000. A fifth location opened in Lees Summit, Missouri early spring 2015. Yes, barbecue brisket and KC strip steaks are a staple on local menus, but the cosmopolitan city is anything but unsophisticated. In October 2006, they opened a fourth restaurant on The Country Club Plaza.

Most people assume it’s nothing more than a podunk cow town in Kansas. Kansas City defies expectations in every way.

Jack stack country club plaza menu