Getting Around Kansas City
Planes, trains and automobiles are fun and exciting reminders for young and old alike that life is not just about the destination but the journey. Here in Kansas City, you’ll find more ways to get from point A to B than you could imagine, from stagecoach to streetcar, carriage to helicopter, trolley to train ride. Don’t believe me? Find out for yourself!
Carriages
If you thought carriage rides were only reserved for fairy princesses or British royalty, think again! Both KC Carriages and Elite Carriages provide elegant horse-drawn carriage rides within the Country Club Plaza district, fitting for any guest of any age. Visitors can take in exquisite art and beautiful Spanish architecture, all from a unique vantage point that’s easy on the hoofers (let the horses do the trotting while you simply sit back and enjoy the ride!). Carriage rides are customizable and can accommodate an exclusive, romantic ride for two or a large family affair. Guests can expect their journey to last roughly 20-30 minutes. Reservations are recommended, and remember to check the weekly forecast first. Safety comes first, and in the event of excessive heat or inclement weather, operation will halt accordingly.
Streetcars
Prepare to board the newest form of public transit in Kansas City, slated to open spring of 2016: the KC Streetcar. With a fleet of four electric fixed-rail streetcars running a 2.2-mile route that includes downtown KC, Union Station/Crown Center and the City Market, patrons can travel throughout the heart of the city with ease. And best of all, it’s free! With more than 16 stops, KC streetcars provide access to many popular metropolitan locations, all while offering free wi-fi (and the middle car provides accessibility for bikes, wheelchairs and strollers).
Trolleys
Though now considered a novelty, trolleys were once the primary mode of urban transportation at the turn of the 20th century. Three local trolley services boast a nostalgic air while providing a vibrant link to our community’s fascinating past. Departing from Union Station, KC Fun Tours provides guided 75-minute tours to inform and educate tourists and local enthusiasts alike about Kansas City’s rich history. Covering 17 famous landmarks, the tour shows visitors all the city has to offer from the comfort of an air-conditioned cab complete with brass rails and a bell. In historic Independence, MO, the Truman Trolley ventures along a course that includes Vaile Mansion, Mormon heritage sites and the National Frontier Trails Museum. Visitors can hop a ride outside of Clinton’s Soda Fountain, a place famous for its sodas and old-fashioned phosphates, as well as for the trolley’s namesake, President Harry S. Truman, who as a boy worked there and made them! Guests 6 years old and up can ride the trolley indefinitely throughout the day for a mere dollar (guests under 6 are free) and circle around some of Independence’s most iconic landmarks. In Leavenworth, two 30-seat trolleys, endearingly named Trolley Tyme 2 and 3, take visitors on hour-long tours of the First City of Kansas. Weekly departures begin April 16 at the C.W. Parker Carousel Museum, yet another Leavenworth attraction worth visiting!
Trains
Trains are perhaps the most beloved mode of transportation of all time. A symbol of great ingenuity and strength, both diesels and steamies still hold a valuable place for both personal travel and the transport of consumer goods. Train lovers can hop aboard miniature and specialty trains at the National Agricultural Center & Hall of Fame in Bonner Springs, KS, or the KC Zoo, Worlds of Fun and KC Northern Railroad (all three within Kansas City, MO). Meanwhile, the Belton, Grandview and Kansas City Railroad and the Midland Railway operate fleets of excursion lines throughout Kansas’ and Missouri’s historic railway systems. Check out exclusive rides such as an Easter Egg Hunt ride, the ever popular Day Out with Thomas event or even enjoy a five-course dinner aboard the 1940s Kansas Belle Dinner Train. And don’t forget, Amtrak offers rides from Union Station to Independence, MO, for only $8!
Wagon Rides
Yee haw! Get ready for a rip roarin’, rootin’ tootin’ ride perfect for all the cowboys in your crew! Mahaffie Farmstead in Olathe and Pioneer Trails Adventures in Independence offer stagecoach rides that are both educational and entertaining. Mahaffie’s stagecoach rides encircle the farmstead and complement monthly special events, such as blacksmith and cookstove demonstrations. Pioneer Trails Adventures’ owner Ralph Goldsmith’s desire to provide an authentic experience ultimately led him to hand-making covered wagons himself. Taking note that mules were the animal of choice for most westward expeditions during the mid-1800s, Pioneer Trails Adventures exclusively hitches teams of mules to their wagons to ensure guests enjoy a bona fide cowboy adventure. Multiple tour options range from 15 to 95 minutes, and groups of 15 or more can reserve a chuck wagon complete with dinner entertainment provided by Pick & Hammer, a dulcimer and guitar duo!
Freelance writer Lauren Greenlee is mom to three young train-loving fanatics. She has read The Little Engine That Could roughly 3,600 times throughout her parenting career (a conservative estimate) and surprised her brood with two visits to the Day Out with Thomas event at Midland Railway.