City: Kansas City, MO

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (816) 274-8444

Address: 2450 Grand Blvd.

Description: In 1968 Joyce C. Hall, founder of Hallmark Cards, and his son, Don J. Hall, turned an eyesore called Signboard Hill into one of the city’s most vibrant entertainment centers. Crown Center became one of the nation’s earliest mixed-use developments and a model for how to do urban redevelopment right. At the information booth near the main entrance, pick up a map of the outdoor sculptures, including an Alexander Calder, plus fountains and landmarks throughout the 85-acre complex and surrounding neighborhood. But what makes this complex the Rockefeller Plaza of the Midwest is Crown Center Square, with fountains and terraced lawns where events take place all year. The Entertainment Pavilion with its free-form tent is home to free family activities, including concerts and outdoor movies, throughout summer, and from Nov to Mar it’s transformed into the city’s only outdoor ice-skating rink. Each winter the 100-foot mayor’s Christmas tree becomes the square’s glowing focal point. Within Crown Center are more than 50 unique shops—standouts include home-grown Halls and Function Junction—and restaurants, a movie complex, and two live stage venues: the American Heartland Theatre and the Coterie Family Theatre. The Hallmark Visitor Center provides a look at the greeting card company’s history (you’ll learn why the wackiest line is called Shoebox), and at Kaleidoscope kids can exercise their creative muscles.