KANSAS CITY, Kansas — This city has long lived in the shadow.

For most Americans, mention Kansas City and thoughts immediately turn to Missouri: barbecue, jazz, downtown skyscrapers and professional sports. The Kansas side has too often been reduced to an afterthought.

That is changing.

With the National Football League’s Kansas City Chiefs relocating here in the coming years, KCK — what the cool kids call it — is poised to assume a far more prominent role on the national stage. Yet this city’s rise is not simply about football.

It has been quietly reinventing itself for years.

Kansas Speedway helped transform Wyandotte County, which includes the city, into a tourism and entertainment corridor, bringing NASCAR and other major racing events while driving substantial economic investment. Around it has emerged an expansive district of shopping, dining and hotels.

One of those places is the Margaritaville Hotel Kansas City.

My recent stay marked my first-ever visit to a Margaritaville property, and I came away genuinely impressed.

It compares favorably to more traditional upscale brands like Westin. While too many chain hotels increasingly embrace sterile, interchangeable modernity, Margaritaville offers something far more transportive. Its decor is immersive, playful and resort-oriented without sacrificing polish. In short, this is not simply another hotel. It feels like a vacation.

The sprawling outdoor pool alone would justify a return stay. One can enjoy the atmosphere of an island resort without the passport requirements, airport headaches or expenses of airfare for a whole family.

For many readers, KCK is a practical long-weekend destination.

I would gladly return for no other reason than to spend several days beside that enormous pool, enjoying a genuine resort atmosphere without ever needing to leave the country.

Yet what surprised me most about Kansas City was not merely its new development.

It was its history.

Nowhere is that more evident than Strawberry Hill.

This historic neighborhood is architecturally and culturally fascinating. Walking its streets, I was reminded less of the eastern Great Plains and more of the Rust Belt. Think Pittsburgh and Erie in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin’s Milwaukee and Rochester on the Erie Canal in New York.

There seemed to be a church — towering reminders of Kansas City’s Croatian, Slovenian, Polish and broader ethnic European heritage — every block or two. 

These were not generic modern structures. They were traditional churches in the truest architectural sense. Think limestone, pointed-arch Gothic revival or Romanesque revival with rounded arches, bell towers and masonry craftsmanship that reflected an era when churches were built for permanence and beauty.

Some remain active houses of worship. Others have been repurposed or no longer serve Christian congregations. But all stand as enduring reminders of how previous generations built sacred spaces.

Their architecture speaks to a confidence, seriousness and reverence often absent from much contemporary design. These were buildings intended to inspire, to endure and to anchor communities.

Even my accidental crossing into Missouri’s West Bottoms offered a glimpse into the metro’s broader transformation. Once rough-edged and industrial, the area, which straddles the unmarked border between Kansas and Missouri, is rapidly emerging as a hotspot for lofts, restaurants and other redevelopment. I suspect it will be completely redeveloped within five years.

Between professional sports, its growing hospitality scene and a surprisingly rich heritage, Kansas City, Kansas, is no longer merely adjacent. It is an unexpected destination.

If you go

In Strawberry Hill, head to Beverly’s for a bite to eat. The family-friendly establishment is a local favorite. Other places to eat include Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que, which is part of the KCK BBQ Trail.

Rowe Ridge Vineyard & Winery, the only winery in Wyandotte County, offers an intriguing glimpse into Kansas’ still-fledgling wine industry. Produced from hybrid grapes grown on the estate vineyard, the wines vary in style and compare surprisingly well with bottles from other emerging, nontraditional wine regions.

I’ve long had an affinity for triumphal arches. The Rosedale Memorial Arch, a scaled-down homage to Arc de Triomphe in Paris, was erected to honor World War I veterans and later expanded as a memorial to those who served in subsequent conflicts. It is likely one of KCK’s most overlooked hidden gems.

If Margaritaville is not your kind of hotel, consider Chateau Avalon Hotel. Quirky and unapologetically eccentric, it offers a distinctive blend of boutique hotel and bed-and-breakfast accommodations.

Full trip planning resources are available through Visit Kansas City, Kansas.

Dennis Lennox writes a travel column for The Christian Post.

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