When I tell people I’m from Kansas I often get the response “I’ve never been.” or “I drove through once.” To which I would typically laugh and follow up with a comment about not missing much. I’ll admit I moved away years ago in pursuit of more adventure and culture, but I found both and a new mindset during my most recent stay.

This Christmas I spent a week in Kansas City bouncing back and forth across the Missouri/Kansas border. I am originally from Topeka, Kansas’ capital, which is an hour away. Since then life has brought my mom and sister to Kansas City, Kansas (known to locals as KCK). This gave me a reason this holiday season to re-explore the border town, finding myself drawn to the Missouri side (Known to locals as KCMO). Growing up I played soccer on the weekends in KC and would frequent for family vacations, an occasional concert, and baseball games at Kauffman Stadium but it looked different this time around. I found that this charming city had evolved in recent years and I was so pleasantly blown away by all of the new hotels, restaurants, art and design it has to offer.

KC will always hold a special place in my heart for a lot of reasons but more recently for the new memories and discoveries I made there this year with my family. If you ever find yourself driving through or lucky enough to visit, my hope for this guide is it opens your eyes like mine were to a whole new outlook on The City of Fountains.