2.5 days in Kansas - What to do?!

Hi all,

My fiancee and I are planning our honeymoon for summer next year (a bit early I know!) and we have always wanted to cross the Atlantic and visit America, so, we%26#39;re having a %26#39;whistlestop%26#39; tour to celebrate our wedding.

Our rough itinerary is:

Day 1 : Fly to New York

Day 2 – 4 : Sightseeing in New York

Day 5: Amtrak to Buffalo

Day 6: Day trip to Niagara Falls

Day 7: Amtrak train Buffalo to Chicago

Day 7 – 8: Sightseeing in Chicago

Day 9: Amtrak Chicago to St Louis

Day 10: Sightseeing in St Louis

Day 11: Amtrak St Louis to Kansas City

Day 12 – 13: Sightseeing in Kansas City

Day 14: Amtrak Kansas City to Vegas

Day 15 – 16: Vegas!

Day 17: Amtrak Vegas to Flagstaff

Day 18: Day trip to Grand Canyon

Day 19: Amtrak Flagstaff to LA

Day 20 – 22: Sightseeing in LA

Day 23: Fly home

As you can see we are using Amtrak and where possible, taking advantage of sleeper trains. What can we expect from these? Are they comfortable?

Also just after a hints and ideas for what we can do in Kansas City whilst there. I%26#39;m a bit of a history/cultural fan, a sports fan and we both enjoy eating and drinking! We obvioulsy have our %26#39;Rough Guide%26#39; but any personal recommendations would be great, as would any hotel recommendations.

Many thanks.

Happy New Year!

2.5 days in Kansas - What to do?!

First, congrats on your upcoming marriage!! What a fun time!

I%26#39;ve been away from KC for quite some time now, so someone else might have more up to date suggestions, but here are a couple areas of the city I suggest you seeing within your two days there:

The Country Club Plaza: This area is full with shopping, restaruants and bars. I would suggest either taking an afternoon to walk or doing an eveing there for dinner/drinks. There are often art fairs there, so you might want to check the schedule on the website. http://www.countryclubplaza.com/

The Power %26amp; Light District: This is a new entertainment area downtown Kansas City. I would suggest doing dinner/drinks here one night. http://www.countryclubplaza.com/

The Sprint Center - This is a new arena located in the P%26amp;L District -- you could check to see if any concerts/events are there when you are in town.

http://www.sprintcenter.com/

Since you%26#39;re a sports fan, you may want to check out the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum: http://www.nlbm.com/

I have not been, but I have heard good things

You also need to eat BBQ while you are in KC. If you go to the Country Club Plaza one night, you can eat at Jack Stack BBQ (www.jackstackbbq.com/info.asp…)

If you want to do lunch instead at a ';real'; KC BBQ joint that is more of a hole in the wall place, go to the original Arthur Bryants BBQ on Broklyn Ave: http://www.arthurbryantsbbq.com/

Since you%26#39;ll be taking the Amtrak train, I would suggest trying to find a hotel downtown KC close to the Amtrak station and the P%26amp;L District, that way you don%26#39;t have to rent a car. You can take a taxi from downtown KC to the CC Plaza easily...again, someone else will have to provide hotel suggestions since I%26#39;ve been away for a while...

2.5 days in Kansas - What to do?!

My dad worked many years for Santa Fe, so I grew up riding on the train. We usually had coach seats since we got to ride free or minimal charge since dada was a railroad employee, but a couple times he paid for a Sleeper Car room for us...I thought I was in heaven!!!! You will love your trip and experience I am sure :)

Are you going to have a rental car? You%26#39;ve received some excellent suggestions and I might add if you will have a car, there is a new shopping area at the intersection of I-70 and I-435 on the Kansas side called Legends and the Kansas Speedway racetrack is also located there.

You could also drive to Topeka and see the Capitol for the State of Kansas, Topeka High School (the first million dollar high school built west of the Mississippi River), the National Landmark Brown vs. Topeka School District museum, and half-way between KC and Topeka is the city of Lawrence which is home of the NATIONAL CHAMPION FOOTBALL AND BASKETBALL JAYHAWKS! LOL

Wow, you have selected some awesome cities to visit. Chicago - don%26#39;t miss Cloud Gate, unofficially dubbed ';The Bean';; St Louis - The Hill great Italian Restaurants; Kansas City- the Plaza and Jack Stack for the best barbeque and the Negro Baseball Museum. For more ideas, check out greatgirltrips.com.

The Chateau Avalon would be the perfect place to stay in Kansas City since you will be on your honeymoon. It%26#39;s a luxury hotel/bed %26amp; breakfast with themed rooms with jacuzzi tubs.

http://www.travelks.com/s/index.cfm?LID=2237

It is located on the Kansas side in the Village West complex which includes excellent shopping, drinking, dining and entertainment options.