The National WWI Museum and Memorial: A Kansas City Must-See

The National WWI Museum and Memorial (100 W. 26th St., Kansas City, MO, 816.888.8100).

More than 60 years ago, my grandfather proposed to my grandmother at Liberty Memorial, and more than 20 years ago my husband proposed to me at the same spot. We make it a tradition to revisit every year and take photos, and we especially love to go to the top of the tower for spectacular views of the city.

Within the museum walls below, however, lies one of the best historic sites in the Midwest, The National WWI Museum and Memorial. With tremendous state-of-the-art exhibits telling the story of World War I and, more importantly, the soldiers and civilians of the era—their sacrifices, their journeys—this is one of Kansas City’s most important attractions.

This year, the museum celebrates its most extensive renovation since its opening in 2006. The Lower Level of the museum will reopened to the public on Friday, May 19, featuring the Bergman Family Gallery and Open Storage Center – approximately 4,000 square feet of storage and a 190-foot display of window cases displaying objects and artifacts otherwise unavailable to visitors.

The museum is home to thousands of artifacts and at any given time less than 10% of those artifacts are on display. With this expansion, visitors will be able to see more of the museum collection. The lower level displays will change periodically. Currently, the displays featured hats, helmets, weapons, medical supplies, military gear, and even games and recreation items that would have been used by soldiers.

The Lower Level also features an updated R.A. Long Learning Center, Ellis Gallery and Edward Jones Research Center, as well as additional spaces for small groups and students to learn about the collection and the impact of WWI.

Currently, the Ellis Gallery features a display showcasing handwritten and drawn letters to soldier Walter Myers from his father John Ross Myers. This correspondence is truly a work of art:

One of the most interesting displays on the lower level featured photography showing Land of Battles, locations of WWI battlefields shown 100 years later. Many of the locations still showed signs of the war that took place there a century ago.

After touring the lower level, we explored the museum itself. A visit begins with a short 15-minute film explaining the war. Don't skip the film, it is useful to set the stage for what you'll see in the exhibits.

Realizing that World War I is a complex era of history for anyone to grasp, but especially the youngest visitors, the museum provides a free family gallery guide booklet for children. The guidebook includes a map of the galleries, games, puzzles, question and answer sections for various exhibits, and a scavenger hunt to complete throughout the galleries. The guidebook is wonderful and helped my children appreciate learning about the artifacts and exhibits throughout the museum. When my girls were stumped finding items on the scavenger hunt, volunteer docents eagerly assisted them and shared even more history while the girls listened. We appreciated the generosity of these volunteers who so patiently and enthusiastically share their love of history with young learners. On our visit, we learned about German spiked helmets, the American Red Cross, the role of women during the war, and the differences between the various militaries. Hands-on exhibits throughout, including large-screen technology allowing visitors to design propaganda, explore World War I-era Kansas City, and learn more about the period, helped shape our girls’ perspective of history. The life-size trenches are one of the most memorable displays.

In addition to many exhibits, including interactive displays and touch screens, the museum features a film showing on the Kemper Horizon Theater, a detailed film explaining the impacts of the war and America's involvement.

The museum takes a full afternoon to explore, and they do offer a café for a snack break, as well as trips to the top of the tower (an elevator ride followed by climbing several dozen stairs to the top) for photos.

The beautiful 360-degree view of Kansas City from the top of the Liberty Memorial is a definite highlight of a visit to the museum.

Tips For Your Trip:

• Plan to spend at least half a day visiting the museum. You can easily spend an entire day. 
• There is a cafe for lunch, or you may eat a picnic outside (save tickets for re-entry).
• Consider reading about World War I before your visit so your children are acquainted the history.
• Bring notebooks. My daughters took notes throughout the museum. This kept them engaged and they remember more from their visit.
• Participate in the family scavenger hunt. These resources engaged my children and they learned so much more thanks to the booklet and time spent with docents.
• Be sure to participate in the interactive aspects of the museum. Especially take time to talk and discuss the questions that are asked of visitors throughout the museum. These thought-provoking displays will spark conversation.
• Remember that everyone who played a part in shaping our history is a person - they make mistakes. The Truman Library  & Museum does not shy away from telling both the good and the bad - and the complex. These things will be good talking points for your family.

2023 Events:

• Memorial Day Weekend at the Museum
• Stars and Stripes Picnic
• The Great Car Show
• Great Balloon Glow