Inside Scoop: Tammy Williams

Tammy Williams is an archivist and the social media manager on staff at the Truman Presidential Library.

GP: Favorite place to visit with kids?

Tammy: The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. It's free, so you can spend as long or as short a time as you want. If the kids are getting antsy, you don't feel like you have to stay a certain amount of time to get your money's worth. They have kid-friendly tour brochures that you can look at, artifacts that are enhanced with further descriptions on their iPod app, and it can serve as inspiration for kids and their creative pursuits when they get home.

GP: Favorite "only in KC" restaurant?

Tammy: Just about any barbecue restaurant! From the well-known places to the little hole-in-the-wall joints, they are all unique, and uniquely Kansas City. 

GP: Favorite autumn tradition?

Tammy: The Louisburg Cider Mill and Ciderfest—hot apple cider, apple cider doughnuts, the corn maze. It just screams fall!

GP: Favorite winter tradition in KC?

Tammy: Christmas in the Park at Longview. The light displays are always neat, and if you get there right at dusk, the traffic isn't too bad. Even so, you just fill a few thermoses with hot cocoa, pop some popcorn, get on your comfy clothes and listen to Christmas tunes in the car while you drive through!

GP: Must-see KC attraction for out-of-town guests?

Tammy: The World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial. It is the ONLY World War I museum in the nation, and there is so much to see and read and learn about in their exhibits. And the view of Kansas City from the courtyard is truly amazing. 

GP: Best-kept secret in KC?

Tammy: Hi-Boy onion rings. 

GP: Best date-night destination?

Tammy: The Kansas City Culinary Center. It's an opportunity to learn about different cuisines and cooking techniques. They give you recipes you can take home with you, and you get some great food and great drinks. 

GP: Favorite Kansas City museum and why?

Tammy: Obviously, I have to say the Truman Library! Not that many places hold the distinction of being the hometown of a president, and Truman is very much a product of his upbringing in Kansas City and Independence. So much of what is going on in the world today can be traced back to Truman's time in office, and we have a nationally-recognized museum that explains, in an unvarnished way, both the positives and the negatives of his administration and his life and times.

GP: Best place to hear live music in KC?

Tammy: The Blue Room in the American Jazz Museum.

GP Best fill in the blank?

Pizza: Minsky's

Ice cream: Murray's

Barbecue: Rosedale

Museum: I've listed a lot of museums here, but another favorite is the National Museum of Toys and Miniatures. 

GP: One best we left our list but should have included?

Tammy: You left off the best hot chocolate in KC, which is at Christopher Elbow! The peanut butter hot chocolate is the best. They serve it in fairly small cups, so you must savor it!