Time Travel
Did you know you can experience more than four thousand years of human history, right here in Kansas City? From mummies to movies, you can travel through time in no time!
PREHISTORIC LIFE
Go back even further into Earth’s history when visiting the Museum at Prairiefire or the University of Kansas Natural History Museum. At the Museum at Prairiefire, you can discover how birds descend from dinosaurs while viewing full-scale dinosaur skeletons and fossils. You can also learn how hundreds of millions of years ago, Kansas City was on the paleoequator! To view more dinosaur fossils and even a paleo garden, be sure to check out the KU Natural History Museum in Lawrence, KS.
THE ANCIENT WORLD
At the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, you can get an up-close view of ancient history. From Egyptian mummies to Greek gods and the power of the Roman Empire, the Ancient Galleries offer so much to see. You can also see artwork from the first few hundred years of Christianity, the wonders of the Middle Ages and masterpieces of 18thcentury European artists. Another way to immerse yourself in the ancient world is by attending an exhibit at Union Station. Stonehenge is on exhibit through Sept. 29, and Genghis Khan: Bringing the Legend to Life opens Oct. 24. The Museum at Prairiefire also has a current 360 VR experience about Stonehenge!
19TH-CENTURY LIFE
Kansas City was founded in 1838, so naturally, our city has a plethora of 19th-century historic sites. In Independence, MO, on the Pioneer Trails Adventures, you can take a horse-drawn wagon tour through the same streets as early pioneer settlers, Frank and Jesse James, Civil War generals, and Wild Bill Hickok! The National Frontier Trails Museum is also a must-see in Independence. There, you can trace the history of the trails out west and discover what life was like for the pioneers. While in Independence, also check out the Bingham-Waggoner Estate, the Vaile Mansion, the 1827 Log Courthouse, and the 1859 Jail.
One of the most fascinating museums in Kansas City is the Arabia Steamboat Museum in the River Market. It has the most extensive pre-Civil War-era artifacts in the world! The Steamboat Arabia sank in the Missouri River in 1856 with 200 tons of cargo. The wreck, 130 years later, was excavated from a farmer’s field and all of the artifacts put on display, where you can view Travel in TimeArabia Steamboat Museumthem today.
Another fun place to explore history is the Shoal Creek Living History Museum. Throughout the year, they have live reenactments of various 19th-century decades on select weekends. My favorite historical museum in Kansas City will always be the John Wornall House Museum near Loose Park. A portion of the Battle of Westport took place on the property, and the home, built in 1858, was even commandeered as a military hospital. Each summer, they host an excellent history camp for kids, and their Halloween and Christmas programs are also a delight.
Step back in time with these other educational historical sites from the days of the Wild West: Frontier Army Museum in Leavenworth, KS; Shawnee Indian Mission in Fairway, KS; Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop & Farm in Olathe, KS; Wakarusa Valley Heritage Museum in Lawrence, KS; Missouri Town 1855 in Lee’s Summit; Liberty Jail Museum; Alexander Majors House in Kansas City, MO; and Grinter Place Museum in Kansas City, KS.
20TH-CENTURY PROGRESS
By the turn of the 20th century, Kansas City was booming. Today, you can visit many historic sites dedicated to preserving what life was like during the two world wars and beyond. The National World War I Museum in downtown Kansas City is one of the top-ranked museums in the nation. There, you can immerse yourself in what it was like for the soldiers in the trenches of Europe, or for the families they left behind, and you can pause at the field of poppies to remember those who did not return home. And be sure to take in the spectacular view of our city at the top of the Monument Tower.
At Shawnee Town 1929, visitors can participate in what everyday life was like between the world wars. Every summer, different themed events take place— and the kids can get hands-on experience feeding chickens, maintaining a garden, washing laundry the old-fashioned way and traveling to town for supplies!
At the Truman Home in Independence, MO, you can find out how our 33rd president and his family lived at the turn of the century and through the end of World War II.
Get a sense of how Kansas Citians celebrated life after the end of the war with optimism and innovation at the 1950s All-Electric House in the Johnson County Museum inside the new Arts and Heritage Center.
Experience a drive-in movie at the Boulevard (Kansas City) or Twin (Independence) drive-ins, or a classic diner burger at Dagwood Cafe on Southwest Boulevard or Johnny Ray’s in Lee’s Summit, MO. Or feel like a teenager again at the 1980s-themed Retro-Cade in Leavenworth, KS, or Arcade Alley in Lee’s Summit.
This is just a small sampling of places where you can travel back in time in Kansas City. So get out there and explore!
Margaret Bristow is a Kansas City native with a passion for local history.