Kansas City, Missouri, the site of the 2023 ICCFA Annual Convention & Exposition, has a lot more to offer than just BBQ, fountains, and jazz! Check out this list of 10 fascinating museums attendees can explore in the KC area!
- National Frontier Trails Museum
- “The National Frontier Trails Museum is the only museum in the nation devoted to the three great western routes: the Santa Fe, Oregon and California Trails. Located in Independence, MO, the principal “jumping off” point for all three trails, the museum highlights the unique features of each trail and their dramatic impact on American history.”
- National WWI Museum and Memorial
- “The National WWI Museum and Memorial is the only American museum solely dedicated to preserving the objects, history and personal experiences of a war whose impact still echoes in the world today. The National WWI Museum holds the most diverse collection of World War I objects and documents in the world and is the second-oldest public museum dedicated to preserving the objects, history and personal experiences of the war.”
- Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
- “Part of the Museums on 18th & Vine complex, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM) recreates the look, sounds and feel of the game’s storied past. Video presentations and memorabilia in the 10,000 square-foot multimedia exhibit chronicle the history and heroes of the leagues from their origin after the Civil War to their demise in the 1960s.”
- American Jazz Museum
- “The sights and sounds of a uniquely American art form come alive at the American Jazz Museum. The Museum includes interactive exhibits and educational programs as well as the Blue Room, a working jazz club, and the Gem Theater, a modern 500-seat performing arts center. Located in the 18th & Vine Historic Jazz District in Kansas City, this is the place where jazz masters such as Charlie Parker, Count Basie, Big Joe Turner, and hundreds of others defined the sounds of the 1920s, 30s, and 40s.”
- The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures
- “The museum exhibits the art of the imagination through the world’s largest collection of fine-scale miniatures and one of the nation’s largest collections of historic toys.”
- The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art
- “The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art invites all people to explore the art in its care, and through its broad collection, the depths and complexities of human experiences.”
- College Basketball Experience
- “Here, two floors of fun await every basketball fan. Slam dunk, challenge others to a full court press, or broadcast live from our ESPN-U desk. This is NOT a museum. You are going to jump, stretch and shoot the ball at the official hall of fame for men’s college basketball. You can stay and play all day among two floors of interactive exhibits.”
- The Money Museum
- “Visit the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s Money Museum; a billion dollar experience! Free and open to the public, the Money Museum offers guests the opportunity to watch millions of dollars in currency be processed, lift a gold bar worth nearly $400,000 and enjoy fun, interactive exhibits while learning about the economy.”
- Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum
- “One of only 14 U.S. Presidential Libraries, the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum’s exhibits chronicle the Missourian’s private life and political career — with exhibits depicting his most difficult decisions like using the atomic bomb, the Cold War and recognizing Israel. President Truman and his wife, Bess, their daughter Margaret Truman Daniel and her husband E. Clifton Daniel, are buried in the museum’s courtyard.”
- Museum of Illusions
- “Enter the fascinating world of illusions which will trick your confidence in your own senses, but will also amaze you by doing so ; the world that will confuse you completely, but also educate you… Visit us and you will be thrilled because nothing is what it seems, especially not in the Museum of Illusions!”
For more information and to register for the 2023 ICCFA Annual Convention & Exposition, click here.
