24 Hours in Kansas City

Last month, I got to make a quick trip up to Kansas City to visit my friend Claire (we met at summer orientation before our freshman year of college!) and we had such a blast! She runs an amazing food Instagram, @kcplates, and so we enjoyed some delicious meals and got to visit some fun spots around KC.

Kansas City is one of my favorite cities! I love the young, energetic vibe in juxtaposition with the history of the city. I know some on the coasts consider all midwest cities to be flyover territory, but KC really is a gem! I'll share what we did, as well as some other spots and activities on my list for my next visit to serve as a sort of guide if you end up there for a weekend!

Claire and I got to go on a tour of Convivial Production, an amazing small business that makes the most beautiful ceramic pieces. Their studio is in an old building in the West Bottoms, and I love how that area is being restored. We got to learn about their entire process, and then shop some samples and seconds. I came home with 3 pieces, but have many more on my list! PS, they also have a gorgeous Instagram.

Since we were already in the West Bottoms, we walked around for a bit, popping into stores and splitting this crazy good doughnut from Doughnut Lounge's truck.

We grabbed a late lunch at Rockhill Grille in the Crossroads Arts District, and the decor and food were equally great! This would be a gorgeous happy hour stop. 

In the afternoon, instead of the usual site-seeing (I'll give some recommendations at the end of the post!) we photographed a bunch of blog content (Claire is a saint!) including this post from last month. This was photographed at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, which you must at least drive by if you're in town. It's stunning!

In the evening we walked around The Plaza, which is a gorgeous district with shopping and restaurants! My favorite time to visit is before Christmas, because there are Christmas lights on every building, and it's beautiful! Definitely stop in the Anthro there (glasses linked here!), as well as the Urban Outfitters, West Elm, H&M and Forever 21 (among others!).

I have no pictures to document, but we picked up Boru Ramen and at at Claire's adorable house while watching a movie! It was the perfect way to wind down after a busy day.

The next morning we stopped into Monarch Coffee, which is a gorgeous coffee shop (super Instagram-able)! I had their chai latte and it's one of the best I've ever had.

We rounded up my quick 24-hour visit with brunch at The Oliver, which happens to be on The Plaza! We split the fried chicken bennie and the daybreaker omelette, and thoroughly enjoyed both dishes (as well as the mimosas!).

Other things to do + see + eat in KC (some I've been to, and some are on my list for next time)...

Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Kansas City Ballet
Dear Society Shop
Tyler Kingston Shop 
Easy Tiger Co.
Made in KC
River Market neighborhood
Kansas City Taco Company
Julep Cocktail Club
Goat Hill Coffee & Soda
West Bottoms antique stores 
Boulevard Brewing Company Tour + hang at their Beer Hall 
John's Greenhouse (the most eclectic greenhouse, but the prices are fantastic)

I hope you enjoyed this post, and that you can reference it if you're ever looking for things to do in KC! And don't forget to check out @kcplates for restaurant recommendations!

-------

First outfit: sweater  |  jeans  |  loafers  |  hat  |  backpack
Second outfit: similar sweater  |  jeans  |  ankle boots