City: Kansas City, MO

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (816) 753-0100

Description: No matter what you’ve read or heard about the Plaza, you’re bound to be amazed by its beauty. Picture 14 blocks of Spanish-style buildings filled with retailers and restaurants, nightclubs and coffeehouses, antiques shops, and tiny boutiques. And in every corner and alleyway, courtyard, and median you’ll discover a sculpture in bronze or marble, a lacy wrought-iron gate, a painted tile mural, a fountain, or flower bed. Entire books have been devoted to the Plaza, and you’ll need three brochures just to try to see it all: a walking tour of artwork and fountains, a dining and entertaining guide, and a retail map. You’ll find all of these and more on the Web site above. Show up in spring and you’ll share sidewalks with the 6-foot-tall Easter bunnies that have delighted generations of children and adults; this is also the season when flowering bulbs fill the gardens and people fill the sidewalk cafes. During summer you’ll enjoy the free weekend music series, as well as the ice cream, iced cappuccinos, and icy martinis waiting at dozens of cafes and shops. In September the Plaza Art Fair turns the place into a giant neighborhood block party with 250 artists, live music, and food vendors. And starting on Thanksgiving night, miles of colored lights outline every spire and arch and swag—the Plaza’s holiday gift to the world. Plan to leave plenty of room in your suitcase; the Plaza puts Rodeo Drive to shame with more than 180 stores and boutiques. You’ll find fashion’s aristocracy, such as Armani, Brooks Brothers, BCBG, Ann Taylor, Betsey Johnson, and St. John and three glittering floors of fashion, housewares, and giftwares at our hometown department store, Halls. Make yourself over at MAC Cosmetics or Bare Escentuals, or make over your home with something from Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, or Scandia Home by Ursula Terrasi. Younger kids will go for places like Zoom, a fabulous toy store. Whew! Ready for a break? Then you’ll love the fact that the Plaza is home to 40 restaurants, bistros, and pubs, from one-of-a-kind eateries like re:Verse, Starker’s Restaurant, and Bo Lings Chinese Restaurant, to national favorites like McCormick & Schmick’s, the Capital Grille, and Cheesecake Factory. If you’re ready to have someone else do the walking for a change, take a carriage ride with Pride of Kansas City Carriage (816-531-1999) or Surrey’s Carriage (816-531-2673). These tours-on-the-hoof are fun during the day but really turn on the romance at night with white lights and glowing lanterns. Parking is plentiful and free.