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We offer holidays to the four corners of the globe. If you want specialist advise please phone our travel team and we will be happy to help.
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- Destinations
- North America
- United States of America
- Missouri
- Kansas City
Kansas City
Straddling the Missouri River and the state line dividing Kansas
and Missouri, Kansas City is famous for its stockyards, jazz,
barbecues and juicy steak. It is vibrant and diverse, a distinctly
American city with a European flavour. It has Parisian tree-lined
boulevards, parks, Spanish-style architecture, and hundreds of
fountains reminiscent of Rome that are incorporated into the design
of nearly every commercial building, giving it its nickname 'The
City of Fountains'. Almost all points of interest to visitors are
on the Missouri side of the city, while a sprawl of dreary suburbs
occupies the section in the state of Kansas.
Established as a fur trading post in 1821, Kansas City served as
a convenient point of departure for pioneer wagon trains heading
west over the Santa Fe, Oregon and California Trails. Railroads and
the construction of the Hannibal Bridge across the Missouri River
established the city as a bustling business community and one of
the world's leading cattle centres. Today the city is the nation's
barbecue capital with more than 60 restaurants offering grilled
specialities. After World War I Kansas City became the focus of
jazz, where musicians like Charlie Parker and Duke Ellington played
in the nightclubs of the 18th and Vine District.
For family entertainment the adjacent theme parks of the Worlds
of Fun and Oceans of Fun, with hundreds of rides, live
entertainment and water attractions are popular, while the
Moorish-style architecture and dazzling fountains of the Country
Club Plaza is home to America's first shopping centre and has a
host of retail stores, fine dining and nightlife. Riverboat casinos
are a popular diversion, and the restored downtown waterfront
district hosts the colourful River Market with merchants offering a
wide variety of produce and gifts.
The city's frontier history can be explored in Liberty where the
Jesse James Bank Museum is the site of the country's first daylight
bank robbery, or in St Joseph, the birthplace of the historic Pony
Express that tells the story of its riders who were recruited to
'face death daily'. More modern history can be traced in
Independence, associated with the 33rd US president, Harry
Truman.
Information & Facts
Climate
Due to the location of Kansas City, which lies at the confluence
of the Missouri River and the Kansas River, the climate is a humid
continental one. Experiencing extremes of hot and cold, summer
weather in Kansas City can be very humid, with moist air riding up
from the Gulf of Mexico. July and August are the hottest months
when temperatures can reach as high as 100F (38C). During the
winter months from November to February, the days can be anything
from mild to bitterly cold. Located in 'Tornado Alley', Kansas City
has had many severe outbreaks of tornados as well as ice storms.
During the winter months, Kansas City and its outlying areas are
also subject to flooding and travellers should visit either during
spring or autumn when temperatures and weather conditions are more
bearable.
Language
English is the most common language but Spanish is often
spoken in south-western states.
Money
The US Dollar (USD) is the unit of currency and is divided into
100 cents. Only major banks exchange foreign currency. ATMs are
widespread and credit cards and travellers cheques are widely
accepted. Travellers cheques should be taken in US Dollars to avoid
hassles. Banking hours are Monday to Friday 9am to 3pm.