Kansas City has many wonderful places to explore, but after 5 days there, we concluded they are not set up for tourists. #1 problem is lack of signage. Even using gps, we would zip past attractions because there was no visible signage. Once there, parking was a problem. We gave up on seeing the Money museum (a place we really wanted to see) because the only signage were two small flags attached to a lamp post. We had to backtrack and we whipped into the parking garage, only to be told the parking was for employees only. When we asked where we could park, the attendant gestured vaguely and said “Back there.” We drove some more and finally found the entrance, only to be told by a passing car that there was no parking. To access the museum we needed to go back to Union Plaza, and take a golf cart. By this time we were hot, tired, and discouraged so we gave up. We also didn’t have the energy by this point to tackle the WWI museum because we assumed parking would be a nightmare there too. Legoland and the Science Museum were the same. Miles of walking to finally locate the entrances. The literature we used to plan our trip indicated they were in the same building. Not! You can access them by using a breezeway and walking a very long distance, but they were actually pretty far from each other. The buildings weren’t clearly labeled either. Interesting thing, when we asked questions of employees, they really weren’t familiar with the area or other attractions. We chose our hotel because of its convenience to the places we wanted to see and it advertised that they had a free shuttle service within a 3 mile radius. True. What they didn’t mention was that they had no shuttle drivers. So that was a disappointment. We were unable to find out anything about the trolley service (employees just work there) until we visited the Public Library. They had all the information we needed, and were very helpful, even making suggestions and volunteering information. We wasted so much time looking for things that we didn’t see things on our list. So, Kansas City- you can do better for tourists! Better signage, clearer parking instructions, trained employees to answer tourist questions and directing visitors to nearby points of interest, and updated websites (we went one place that said it was open Fridays and when we got there it was closed on Friday-despite its website) would have been helpful. We are frequent travelers, and have traveled worldwide. This was the most frustrating vacation we’ve ever experienced.

The actual car park was backed up for some reason. Eventually parked on street for free and walked round the corner. It is certainly a unique car park, not the actual library, that looks like the spines of books, very large and very clever. Library is a large old stone building across the road! As visitors we were only there to see the car park, fun idea, even the steps were made to look like books.

The Kansas City Public Library is a hidden gem that offers more than just books. The architecture alone is stunning, especially the downtown Central Library with its iconic “Community Bookshelf” facade. Inside, the library is warm and inviting, with cozy reading nooks, impressive historical collections, and a variety of events and programs for all ages. It’s a space that feels both grand and intimate, making it a perfect spot to get lost in a good book or explore the city’s rich history. Whether you're a local or just visiting, the Kansas City Public Library is a place where knowledge and community come together beautifully.

Went to see the wall of books. Cool idea but sooo gross. They have put astroturf and a dog poop station between the sidewalk and the wall. Except no one uses the dog poop station. So there is dog poop EVERYWHERE! What a beautiful idea to creat the wall of books but then completely ruin it with a literal crap show in front of it. And definitely, don’t try to get a picture with your kids in front of the wall. So completely unsanitary. And the trees mostly block the wall now any way so save yourself the trip.

Me and my wife were walking around with our 16 month old looking for something to do and came across the Library and decided to pop in since it looked beautiful from the outside, and I have to say OMG. If you have little ones and want to find activities this is a great option. A ton of stuff for kids of all ages and entire floor dedicated to them, and its a big floor. Staff was incredible.