For example, both Tampa Florida and Reno Nevada have low walking, transit and bike scores. Yet, as you can see in several of our previous Car Free Journey columns, both cities still provide an enjoyable getaway for visitors without cars.

Before leaving on your trip, contact not only the local visitors center, but also customer service for the local transit system. Another strategy is to focus on downtown whenever possible. Fortunately, many or most attractions for visitors tend to be located either downtown or in neighborhoods served by public transit.

Our Car Free Journey column this month focuses on one of these “Car-Dependent Cities:” Kansas City, Missouri.

What’s Special about Kansas City?

Kansas City, Missouri is well known for its affordability, jazz, barbecue and fountains. It has a free streetcar downtown, several unique museums, walkable downtown, and major league sports teams. By focusing on downtown and several other walkable neighborhoods served by public transportation, you can have a satisfying and memorable experience during your stay.

Hallmark Visitor Center, located in Crown Center used with permission of Visit KC

How Walkable is Kansas City?

Unfortunately, for those of us who don’t want to drive, Kansas City has low walking, transit and bike scores. Out of a possible score of 100, WalkScore.com gives the city a walking score of 34, a transit score of 29, and a bike score of 32. Walk Score gives three neighborhoods walking scores above 80. Old Westport is rated 92 for walking, 47 for transit, and a bike score of 73. Downtown Loop, with a walking score of 87, receives the highest grade for public transit: 73. Its bike score is of 64. The Crossroads Arts District neighborhood gets an 87 for walkability, 67 for transit, and 74 bike score.

However, after checking with the Kansas City Area Transit Authority (KCATA), we found that both Crossroads and Westport are well served by public buses.

If you decide that Kansas City may be a good place to live,VisitKC, the regional convention and visitors bureau (CVB) suggests checking out the following neighborhoods: Brookside, Downtown, and Country Club Plaza.

Now, it’s time to begin our visit to Kansas City.

Before You Start Your Trip

The web site for public transportation in Kansas City is www.ridekc.org. Telephone customer service is available 6 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Friday, central time. The phone number is (816) 221-0660. Use KCATA’s mobile app to plan your trip and buy passes before your visit. The website is: http://ridekc.org/fares/mobile-payment-app

The best choice for most visitors is a $3 Day Pass that you can either purchase in advance or buy on any local bus.

For information about local bike trails and other ideas for bicycle excursions, visit https://www.visitkc.com/visitors/things-do/attractions/running-biking-yoga-and-other-healthy-activities-kc#sm.001nqcyul10v5fibtt61okmihhgkh.

For information about bicycle tours, visit https://kc.bcycle.com/b-cycle-tour-cards.

For information about renting bicycles, check out one of the following 2 web sites: https://kc.bcycle.com/, www.ridekcbike.com/ or call (816) 945-9545.

Getting Here

It’s easy to get to Kansas City by plane, train, or bus. From Kansas City International Airport, KCATA bus 229 will take you to downtown Kansas City seven days a week. For schedules, go to http://ridekc.org/routes/P30.

From the local Amtrak station, the free KC Streetcar and bus routes 23,27 and 47 serve the station.

The Greyhound bus station (1101 Troost St.) is served by local bus 71. For 71 schedules, go to http://ridekc.org/routes/71_prospect.

Where to Stay

Downtown and Crown Center offer several hotel options as well as nearby attractions.

Crown Center is a great neighborhood, especially for families. Just south of Downtown. It’s often referred to as a city within a city. Since everything is just steps away, Crown Center is a great place to stay if you don’t want to drive. Because the Kansas City Amtrak station is located here, consider taking the train to Kansas City. Crown Center houses two hotels (Westin and Sheraton), more than 60 shops and several restaurants from casual to upscale and everything in between.

Attractions within walking distance include: LEGOLAND Discovery Center, Sea Life Kansas City Aquarium, Coterie Theater, Kaleidoscope, Hallmark Visitors Center, an interactive art studio for children, Science City at Union Station, Regnier Extreme Screen Theatre, the Money Museum inside the Federal Reserve Bank at Kansas City and the National World War I Museum and Memorial.

Use the free-to-ride streetcar to explore the nearby neighborhoods of Crossroads, Downtown and River Market.

A local resident offers these additional suggestions: Waldo, Brookside, Midtown, and Crossroads. Each of these neighborhoods has retail and dining choices along transit routes.

Downtown is the most convenient area for visitors to stay. It’s within walking distance to shopping, hotels, restaurants, bars/nightclubs, libraries, parks, attractions, and concerts and sporting events at the Sprint Center.

You can use the free-to-ride Streetcar on Main Street to get to nearby neighborhoods like River Market, Crossroads Arts District and Crown Center.

If you are considering staying downtown, Visit KC has included links to several places to stay, ranging from affordable to luxury:

Hampton Inn Kansas City/Downtown Financial District

Crowne Plaza Kansas City Downtown

Crossroads Hotel: https://crossroadshotelkc.com/

Residence Inn by Marriott Kansas City Downtown

Hotel Indigo Kansas City

Hotel Philips

Marriott Hotel Downtown Kansas City

Hotel President

Westin and Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center are on the streetcar line and conveniently located to attractions, shops and restaurants.

21C MUSEUM H

A One-Stop Resource for Help Planning Your Visit while you are here

If you need maps or suggestions, stop by the VisitKC Visitor Center at 1321 Baltimore Ave. in downtown KC.

Getting Around

The Kansas City Area Transit Authority (KCATA) operates local buses and the Streetcar. The Streetcar is managed, operated and maintained by the Kansas City Streetcar Authority (www.kcstreetcar.org).

The web site for public transportation in Kansas City is www.ridekc.org. Telephone customer service is available from 6 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Friday, central time. The phone number is (816) 221-0660. (Don’t forget to review the section earlier in this column: Before You Start Your Trip, for information about what to do before coming here.)

The Streetcar is free to use. Its 2.2 mile route along Main Street connects the River Market to Union Station/Crown Center with 16 stops. If you use the Streetcar as your primary transit while visiting, there is no cost to you. For more information about the Streetcar, and what to see and do at individual stops along the route, go to https://www.visitkc.com/visitors/getting-around/kansas-city-streetcar#sm.0001qmvmor788favz321wtpeqbtt3

The base fare for local buses is $1.50. As we said earlier, the best choice is a $3 one-day pass that you can purchase on local buses. For individual bus routes and schedules, go to https://ridekc.org/ Telephone customer service is available Monday-Friday from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central Time. The phone number is (816) 221-0660. As a service to you and other readers who don’t want to drive, KCATA staff have prepared a list of important attractions that visitors enjoy, and what bus (or streetcar) serves each attraction.

Here are KCATA’s suggestions: “The routes that would be most useful to visitors are probably Main MAX, KC Streetcar, 18 Indiana (Jazz District and Swope Park/Zoo), and 47 (Downtown/Midtown/Plaza/Stadiums). 77 also serves the Casinos, which are a tourist draw, and Worlds of Fun.”

Here is a list of attractions and destinations, and what transit route(s) serve each one:

Negro Leagues Baseball Museum 10, 71, 18

Crown Center neighborhood: Main MAX, 27, 85, 77, 23, 229, 201

Legoland Discovery Center Sea Life Kansas City Aquarium Coterie Theatre Kaleidoscope Hallmark Visitors Center

Union Station and Science City at Union Station (right by Crown Center) – KC Streetcar, 23, 27, 47 The Regnier Extreme Screen Theatre is near Union Station.

The Money Museum inside the Federal Reserve Bank at Kansas City – Main MAX

National World War I Museum and Memorial - Main MAX National Museum of Toys and Miniatures Main MAX Kansas City Zoo 18 American Jazz Museum 18 Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Main MAX, 47 Kauffman Stadium (for Kansas City Royals) 47 Crossroads Neighborhood Main MAX, 47, 55, 77, 85, 201, 229, 236, 237 Westport Main MAX, 35, 47, 55, 401 Country Club Plaza Main MAX, 35, 47, 55, 401 Loose Park – Main MAX (still a few blocks away) Trolley Track Park – Trolley Track Trail – Main MAX, 57, 63, 75, 85, 401, 475

Swope Park – 18, 21, 63 Berkley Riverfront Park – 77

Other Ways to Get Around without needing to drive zTrip, ztrip.com, 816-471-1234 Lyft, https://www.lyft.com/driver/cities/kansas-city-mo Uber, https://www.uber.com/cities/kansas-city/

KC Bcycle, kc.bcycle.com Bird: https://www.ridester.com/bird-scooter-locations/ Yellow Taxi: kansas-city-taxi.com /

Pedal Hopper: https://www.pedalhopper.com/kc/our-routes/- ( available only in specific neighborhoods)

Interesting Neighborhoods Worth Checking Out A local resident recommends a visit to Brookside. This neighborhood, offering local retail and coffee shops and restaurants, has been around for over a century, and is easy to reach by public transportation. Every May, this neighborhood hosts the Brookside Art Festival.

She also suggests the following neighborhoods: Waldo, Midtown, Crossroads and Downtown. Walking allows you to see attractions that a driver could easily overlook. For example, the Crossroads neighborhood has lots of murals and alleyway entrance shops that you would never see from a car.

Check out two areas, located along the Streetcar line: River Market and the trails along the Liberty Memorial.

Are you a Sports Fan?

Kansas City has a wide choice of professional sports teams, and nearly all games are accessible by public transportation. Here is a quick summary of teams, where they play, and how to get there by bus or streetcar:

Baseball: Kansas City Royals -Harry S Truman Sports Complex: bus route 47
Football: Kansas City Chiefs—Harry S Truman Sports Complex: Route 47
Soccer: Sporting KC—Children’s Mercy Park, Kansas City, Kansas: Route 101
Baseball (non-affiliated professional team) T-Bones: T-Bones Stadium, Kansas City, KS: Route 101

Swope Park, used with permission of Visit KC

Enjoy a walk or bike ride in a Park!

Kansas City has several parks that are easy to reach on local buses. Parks and buses serving each park include:

Loose Park – Main MAX (still a few blocks away) Trolley Track Park – Trolley Track Trail – Main MAX, 57, 63, 75, 85, 401, 475 Swope Park – 18, 21, 63 Berkley Riverfront Park – 77

Consider a Walk Downtown

Two organizations offer walking tours of downtown Kansas City:

KC Walking Tours - http://www.kcwalkingtours.com/

KC Tour Company – www.kansascitytourcompany.com

Give Yourself a Special Treat!

- Gondola ride on Brush Creek in the Country Club Plaza - Horse drawn carriage ride (November/December) on the Country Club Plaza

- “Lock your love” at the Old Red Bridge in Minor Park. Couples can inscribe their initials or love messages on a padlock.

- Cooking class at The Culinary Center of Kansas City

- KC Barbeque Tour

Perhaps a Guided Tour might be Your Best Choice

Many travelers enjoy seeing a city by taking a guided tour. This saves the trouble of finding everything out for themselves. If you take a guided tour, you can decide what attractions you would like to explore more completely, and then return for a more complete visit to those attractions that sound especially interesting. VisitKC suggests checking out the following tour opportunities in Kansas City:

Kansas City Fun Tours,

Barley Bus Tours,

Double Decker Tours,

KC Barbecue Tours

Special Tips for Visiting Bicyclists

For information about local bike trails and other ideas for bicycle excursions, visit: https://www.visitkc.com/visitors/things-do/attractions/running-biking-yoga-and-other-healthy-activities-kc#sm.001nqcyul10v5fibtt61okmihhgkh.

Two local bike resources are: BikeWalkKC and Cycling Kansas City.

For information about bicycle tours, visit https://kc.bcycle.com/b-cycle-tour-cards.

For information about renting bicycles, check out https://kc.bcycle.com/, www.ridekcbike.com/ or call (816) 945-9545.

Once you have rented a bike (or brought your own), here are some ideas for biking outings:

Swope Park is the third-largest park in the country. It has 13.5 miles of rolling bike trails.
Cliff Drive State Scenic byway allows you to tour the historic Northeast KC area
Indian Creek Bike Trail is a flat, level and paved trail -can access by public transportation.

Shopping Opportunities

Halls on Grand in Crown Center was developed in 1916 by Hallmark Cards founder Joyce C. Hall. You can walk here—it’s just a short walk from downtown. Or take the KC Streetcar.
Country Club Plaza is iconic and known for its shopping. It’s 15 blocks with 100 shops. More than 40 stores at Country Club Plaza are local. To get here, take Main MAX, 35, 47, 55, 401
Legends Outlets is located in Kansas City, Kansas. Bus 101 goes right here and circles the outlet mall.

Entertainment and Dining Out

VisitKC has this suggestion: Use the streetcar. A sample evening itinerary could include Dinner in the Power & Light District, followed by a concert at Sprint Center or a performance at The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts and conclude withcocktails in the Power & Light District or live jazz at The Green Lady Lounge.

There is so much more to explore and experience in Kansas City. Plan another visit to enjoy those attractions, restaurants, and other experiences that you just didn’t have time for while you were here.

For More Information

Visitor information – VisitKC.com Phone number is: 816) 691-3800. The visitor center is located at 1321 Baltimore Ave, Kansas City, MO 64105, and is open the following days and hours: Saturday: 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Monday-Friday: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Closed Sunday.

LGBT – Camp KC, Resources for LGBTQ travelers

For Local Bus and Streetcar Information: www.ridekc.org. Telephone customer service is available from 6 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Friday, central time. The phone number is (816) 221-0660.

Do you have a favorite vacation spot that can be enjoyed without a car? E-mail your ideas to steveatlas@hotmail.com. In the subject line, say Car Free Journey. Please include your contact information.

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