NEIGHBORHOOD
Downtown date ideas
There are 49 connected dates in Downtown on Explore KC Together. They run from about $0 to $497 for two, and most cost $60 or less.
More about dates here
The moods that come up most are relaxed, playful and romantic. 21 are alcohol-free, and 7 are mostly outdoors. Places that show up in more than one date here: Union Station Kansas City, Fritz's Railroad Restaurant and Kansas City Public Library (Central Library).
All 63 places, as a list
Eat
1587 Prime, Banksia Bistro (Downtown), Mildred’s (Baltimore), Akoya Omakase, Blue Sushi Sake Grill (Power & Light), The Majestic Restaurant and Jazz Club, Pizza Bar, Guy Fieri's Dive & Taco Joint, The Yard Milkshake Bar, Insomnia Cookies (Power & Light), 801 Chophouse, Palm Tree KC, Bristol Seafood + Steak + Social, Besos y Abrazos, County Road Ice House, HomeGrown, Meshuggah Bagels, Hemma Hemma Dinette, The American Reserve, Pierpont's at Union Station, Jack Stack Barbecue (Freight House), Fritz's Railroad Restaurant, Chip's Chocolate Factory
Drink
The Brass Monkey Lounge, Zoo Bar, VOO Lounge, The Peanut, Kohinoor, Tinsel & 'Tinis at Union Station
Coffee
Spokes Café (Main St), PH Coffee, Artifact Coffee & Goods
Art and fun
The College Basketball Experience, Museum of BBQ, Kansas City Public Library (Central Library), Union Station Kansas City, The Midland, National WWI Museum and Memorial, Hallmark Visitors Center, The Museum of Kansas City, Money Museum (Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City), The Phoenix Jazz Club, Lonnie's Reno Club, T-Mobile Center, Folly Theater, Kansas City Public Library, Central Branch, Pawn and Pint, Crown Center Ice Terrace, SEA LIFE Kansas City Aquarium, Best of Kansas City (Crown Center), European Accents (Crown Center), Holiday Reflections at Union Station, Chiefs Watch Party at KC Live!, Holiday Swing Market at Union Station, Hallmark Christmas Experience, KC Wheel, Mayor's Christmas Tree Lighting at Crown Center
Outdoors
Cliff Drive Scenic Byway, Garment District Place, Power & Light District, Liberty's Beacon light show (Liberty Memorial North Lawn), The Scout Overlook (Penn Valley Park), Lewis and Clark Point (Case Park)
Basketball & Banksia
Try the basketball exhibits, then head to Main Street for an Australian-influenced meal.
Memorial Hill & Union Station
Explore the WWI Museum galleries, take in the memorial grounds, then choose an attraction at Union Station.
Breakfast & the Library District
Breakfast at Mildred’s, then time to browse the Central Library at your own pace.
Free Hallmark, Then the Train Station
Start with Hallmark’s free galleries, then wander Union Station for whatever you want to add.
Barbecue Museum & Hallmark Stories
Learn how meat becomes barbecue, then wander Hallmark’s free galleries next door at Crown Center.
Northeast Coffee & a Free Museum
A relaxed afternoon in Historic Northeast: coffee in Pendleton Heights, then free exhibits in historic Corinthian Hall.
Free Gold Bars, Then the Skyline
Lift a real gold bar at the Federal Reserve’s free Money Museum, then climb toward the skyline view at the WWI Memorial.
Cliff Drive Walk & Neighborhood Coffee
Start with coffee in Pendleton Heights, then walk the car-free Cliff Drive along the wooded bluffs.
Downtown Sushi & a Nightcap
Omakase or a lively sushi bar downtown, then a story-driven cocktail or a classic dive.
Downtown Jazz Night, Your Way
Dinner with live jazz, then a late set at a downtown club. Both stops rotate by date and hours.
Jazz Supper Club & a Nightcap
Dinner and a show inside the Ambassador Hotel, then a nightcap at a speakeasy-style lounge. The nightcap rotates by date.
Arena Night & Dinner
Dinner downtown, then a concert or game at the arena. The dinner rotates by date.
Downtown Theatre Night
Dinner, then a show in one of downtown's historic halls. The show rotates by what is on.
Wings at The Peanut, Then the Community Bookshelf
Cheap wings and cold beer, a downtown dive bar since 1933, then a walk to the book-spine parking garage.
The Community Bookshelf, Then Coffee
A free, only-in-KC photo stop, giant book spines across the library's parking garage, then coffee nearby.
Artifact Coffee, Then the Community Bookshelf
Coffee in the Garment District from a shop that also sells local makers' goods, then a free photo stop.
Community Bookshelf & Board Games
Take a quick look at downtown's giant book spines, then settle in with a board game from a library of more than 1,000 titles.
Power & Light on a Budget
Cheap pizza or tacos in Power & Light, a free lap of the lit-up district, then a shared milkshake or warm cookies.
Union Station & the Liberty Memorial Light Show
A cheap dinner, a walk through Union Station's Grand Hall, then the free light show on the Liberty Memorial tower.
Union Station, the Streetcar & a Milkshake
A walk through Union Station's Grand Hall, a free streetcar ride up Main, and a milkshake to split at the other end.
Skyline Photo Hop: River, Bluff and The Scout
Three free views in one evening: the river from the Town of Kansas Bridge, the Quality Hill bluff, and the skyline from The Scout.
Power & Light Dinner, Then a Show at the Midland
Sushi and small plates around the corner, then a concert or comedy night in the Midland's 1927 movie palace.
Bistro Dinner, Then a Show at the Folly
Dinner at Banksia on Main, then a show in the Folly Theater, a restored 1900 burlesque house, with a nightcap on the block if you want one.
Jazz Brunch at The Phoenix, Then the Central Library
Sunday brunch with live jazz at The Phoenix, then a short walk to the Central Library and the giant book spines of the Community Bookshelf.
Prime Steak, Then a Rooftop Nightcap
Dinner at 801 Chophouse, then a drink on the rooftop at Palm Tree KC, both on 14th Street in Power & Light.
Dinner in Union Station, Then a Skyline View
Fine dining at Pierpont's in Union Station's historic building, then the city lit up from The Scout overlook.
Two Downtown Cocktail Lounges
Latin-inspired cocktails at Kohinoor on McGee Street, then a quieter round at the VOO Lounge in the Muehlebach Hotel.
Bagels, the Library & a Bluff View
Bagels with house schmears, the Central Library's giant book spines, then the view from the Quality Hill bluff.
Train-Delivered Burgers, Fudge & Local Finds
Burgers that arrive by overhead train at Fritz's, fudge made in front of you at Chip's, then a browse for Kansas City-made gifts.
Aquarium Afternoon & Train Burgers
Walk through the underwater tunnel at SEA LIFE, then lunch or an early dinner at Fritz's, where the burgers come by train.
Hotel Dinner, Then a Free Streetcar Ride
Seasonal American cooking at The American Reserve in the Ambassador Hotel, then a free ride on the streetcar to see downtown lit up.
Freight House Barbecue Lunch & Union Station
Kansas City barbecue in the historic Freight House, then an afternoon at Union Station while its attractions are open.
The KC Wheel, Then Town Topic
A private, climate-controlled gondola over Crown Center and the skyline, then burgers and a shake at the 24-hour counter.
Shoot Hoops at the College Basketball Experience, Then Sushi
Hands-on basketball exhibits at the College Basketball Experience, then a sushi dinner in Power & Light.
Latin Tapas, Then Kohinoor Cocktails
Small plates and tacos at Besos y Abrazos, then Latin-inspired cocktails downtown.
Steak at 1587 Prime & a Piano-Bar Nightcap
A steakhouse dinner at 1587 Prime, then a nightcap with piano at the VOO Lounge in the Muehlebach.
Board Games & Late-Night Cookies
Pick a game off the shelf at Pawn & Pint, then walk to a warm cookie from Insomnia Cookies, open late every night.
Ballgame & Burnt Ends
Barbecue, then a Royals game under the lights. The barbecue rotates by date.
Lunchtime Concert in the Garment District
A free lunchtime concert in a downtown pocket park, then coffee or a bakery stop nearby. The coffee rotates by date.
Skate at Crown Center, Then Town Topic
Loop the outdoor rink under the Crown Center lights, then warm up with burgers at the 24-hour counter.
Holiday Reflections, Then Dinner at Pierpont's
Walk through Union Station's holiday village and the model trains, then stay in the building for dinner at Pierpont's.
Holiday Reflections, Then Town Topic
Union Station's holiday village and the model trains, then burgers and a shake at the 24-hour counter a few minutes away.
Skate at Crown Center, Then Fudge at Chip's
An hour on the outdoor rink, then a slice of fudge from Chip's inside Crown Center.
Sushi, Then the Chiefs Watch Party at KC Live!
Dinner at Blue Sushi, then a night Chiefs game on the 40-foot screen at KC Live! with the whole city.
The Holiday Swing Market, Then Holiday Reflections
Browse the Strawberry Swing's holiday market of local makers at Union Station, then walk through the holiday village and the model trains in the same building.
The Hallmark Christmas Experience, Then Skating
Crown Center Square's free Hallmark Christmas market, light shows and performances, then an hour on the Crown Center ice.
Dinner at Pierpont's, Then Tinsel & 'Tinis
Dinner inside Union Station, then the holiday village after dark: Union Station's adults-only holiday cocktail night, four December nights only.
Fritz's, Then the Hallmark Christmas Market and Light Show
Burgers delivered by toy train at Fritz's, then the free Hallmark Christmas market and the 6 PM light show on Crown Center Square.
Fritz's, Then the Crown Center Tree Lighting
Burgers delivered by toy train at Fritz's, then the Mayor's Christmas Tree Lighting with a choir and fireworks, then the free Hallmark Christmas market and light show on the same square.