Kansas City is one of the premier art cities in the nation and offers more than 80 art galleries and over 40 museums. Plus, the community is home to the Kansas City Symphony, the Lyric Opera, the Kansas City Ballet, and dozens of other arts and cultural organizations. Here’s just a sampling of the area’s other attractions:

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
The museum is the cornerstone of Kansas City's art community and features one of the Western World's finest collections of Asian art. It also has more Henry Moore sculptures than any place this side of the Atlantic. The museum is constructing what is destined to become its newest work of art: a $200 million expansion designed by internationally acclaimed architect Steven Holl.

The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art
This museum boasts a growing permanent collection of modern and contemporary art and presents 10–12 special exhibitions each year.

The Arabia Steamboat Museum
The museum features one of the largest collections of pre-Civil War goods in the country. The showcased steamboat originally sank to the bottom of the Missouri River in 1856. Over a century later, a portion of the ship and the majority of its 200 tons of cargo were recovered.

The American Jazz Museum
As the mother of swing and the nurturer of Bebop, Kansas City proudly hosts the American Jazz Museum. The museum reflects the city’s dynamic musical heritage and pays tribute to America's top jazz musicians.

The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
The newly renovated museum remembers the often-forgotten stories of legendary athletes who, from 1920-1955, played in over 30 franchise communities and built a groundbreaking baseball league in the midst of segregation.

Kansas City Zoo
The story of the Kansas City Zoo is as rich and colorful as that of Kansas City itself. Today, in its 95th year, the Zoo is in the midst of a renaissance with new leadership, a new management structure and a new master plan for its long-term future. The board of directors, staff and volunteers of the Kansas City Zoo are not only working to improve the Zoo’s status as a leading visitor attraction in Kansas City, but also to fulfill the institution’s vision “…to always be known as one of the best zoos in the nation.”

Beginning in January 2004, the Zoo began an ambitious new master planning process to plot the course of the Zoo’s next 20 years. On April 6, 2004, voters overwhelmingly approved a $30 million bond package to fund five strategic zoo improvements, including repairs; renovations; and development of new exhibits, including bringing back polar bears to the zoo in a new modern exhibit space complete with underwater viewing.

Union Station
Union Station is a Kansas City historical landmark built in 1914. As a working train station, the complex included ticketing facilities, a waiting room that could hold 10,000 people, restaurants, shops, railroad offices, encompasses 850,000 square feet and originally featured 900 rooms. After voter approval of a bi-state tax totally $118 million the Station was beautifully restored in 1999. The complex is filled with restaurants, shops, theaters, traveling exhibits, special events and a science center called Science City.

The University of Missouri—Kansas City
The University of Missouri –Kansas City, which is home to the Missouri Repertory Theater, is the state of Missouri’s designated campus for the performing arts.