Kansas City's Wild West Heritage

Kansas City is no longer the cow town it once was, but it holds its cowboy heritage dear, with many local traditions. Most notable is the American Royal, which hosts rodeos, agricultural competitions and education through programs and the American Royal Museum. The American Royal also hosts the world’s largest barbecue contest, an appropriate event for Kansas City, the barbecue capital of the nation.

Horse lovers will enjoy a pony party or fall outing at Faulkner’s Ranch, where you can celebrate a special event or pick a pumpkin. At the National Frontier Trails Museum in Independence, you can load a wagon bound for Oregon and learn about the Westward Expansion. For a truly historic experience, take a wagon tour with Pioneer Trails Adventures.

Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop & Farm in Johnson County brings 1850s farming to life with tours and programs all year, including stagecoach rides, family programs and a working blacksmith shop. Learn firsthand about life in the 1850s on a tour of the John Wornall House Museum or the Alexander Majors House, home of the founder of the Pony Express. Missouri Town 1855 presents life in a small Missouri village in the 1850s through fun events, including their annual fall festival and Christmas celebration.

Horse lovers will enjoy a day trip to Boonville, just over an hour from Kansas City, for a tour of Warm Springs Ranch, a state-of the art Clydesdale breeding facility and home of the world famous Budweiser Clydesdales.