Kansas City in 2006 Bid to host the 64th World Science Fiction Convention

Arabia Steamboat Museum, located in the River Market area, exhibits the frontier bound cargo recovered from the Arabia steamboat that sank in the Missouri River in 1856. The excavation in 1989 recovered 200 tons of supplies, including clothing and shoes, medicines, guns, bottled fruits and vegetables, jewelry and perfume. Includes a theater presentation, guided tours and a working preservation lab. The families which found and excavated the ship are working in the museum today.

Jazz: Kansas City is known for jazz & blues and currently has over 40 active jazz venues. The artists that made KC famous include Count Basie, Julia Lee, Jay McShann, Walter Page and Charlie "Bird" Parker. Listen to KC Jazz online.

American Jazz Museum: The story of jazz and its greatest performers is told through the sights and sounds of one the most interactive museums in the country. It includes Studio 18th & Vine which provides an interactive glimpse of the various components of a working music studio. The Blue Room, a non-smoking bar within the museum, features national jazz artists 4 nights a week and is one of the world's greatest jazz venues.

The Negro League Baseball Museum is in the same building as the American Jazz Museum at 18th & Vine. This 10,000 square feet museum features multi-media computer stations, several film exhibits, hundreds of photographs, field of 12 bronze sculptures and a growing collection of baseball artifacts. The Negro League was formed in Kansas City and the longest running franchise was the Kansas City Monarchs. Monarch players included Jackie Robinson, Satchel Paige, Ernie Banks, Elston Howard, Hank Thompson and Buck O'Neal.
 

.	Arthur Bryants Founded in the early 1920's this is classic Kansas City BBQ in huge quantities.  1727 Brooklyn, just 3 blocks from 18th & Vine. (816) 231-1123

Great Food: Kansas City is known for BBQ and steaks, but there are many other good choices. Restaurants near the convention center, that are of special interest, include the original KC Masterpiece Restaurant, The Golden Ox, Garozzo's Ristorante, Choga Korean Restaurant, Hereford House, Ruchi Indian Restaurant, and Copeland's of New Orleans.

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is one of the country's premier art institutions. It has prestigious collections of European and American art, but it is known above all for its magnificent collection of Asian art, notably the arts of China, which has made it one of the  nation's centers for the study of Chinese art. The Museum also is home to outstanding collections of ancient art,  decorative arts and the arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas.

Country Club Plaza: Just a few blocks from the Nelson-Atkins, this charming shopping, dining and entertainment district was very popular during the 1997 and 2002 Nebula Awards® weekends. Trolley's run between Crown Center, River Market and the Country Club Plaza throughout the day and evening.

Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art The collection includes works by such artists as Jasper Johns, Helen Frankenthaler, Frank Stella,   Robert Rauschenberg, David Hockney, Robert Motherwell, Nancy  Graves, Wayne Thiebaud, Grace Hartigan, William Wegman, Red  Grooms, Georgia O'Keeffe, Christopher Brown, Willem de Kooning, and  Robert Mapplethorpe.

Robert A. Heinlein's homes, Ernest Hemingway's homes, Walt Disney's homes and first Studio:  Tours will arranged for those interested . Robert Heinlein grew up in Kansas City and his birthplace, Butler, Missouri, is only about 30 miles away.

Toy and Miniature Museum of Kansas City: Founded in 1982, the museum contains twenty-four rooms filled with antique dolls, dolls' houses, cast iron toys, trains, and scale miniatures.

Union Station: Built in 1914, Union Station served as an important link in cross continental travel during the glory days of rail traffic. During it's peak, more than 75,000 trains per year stopped at Union Station. Today Union Station houses Science City, restaurants, a planetarium, Imax Theater, and the City Center Stage. In 1933, Kansas City's Union Station was the site of the Union Station Massacre in 1933 when Pretty Boy Floyd attempted to free his friend Frank Nash.

Crown Center: Across from Union Station, Crown Center, this innovative urban entertainment center was the vision of Hallmark founder, Joyce C. Hall. Crown Center contains shops, restaurants, a movie theater and two live theaters in a three level retail center, office buildings, a residential community, two of Kansas City's finest hotels and the Hallmark World Headquarters. The Hallmark Visitor Center chronicles 90 years of history with displays of products and memorabilia, artists & craftsmen at work, commericals from around the world, original art by artists such as Norman Rockwell, and excerpts from Hallmark Hall of Fame television movies. For children, there's Kaleidoscope, a free, creative art workshop offered Monday through Saturday for ages 5 to 12.

Casinos: There are 4 Kansas City casinos. The Ameristar Casino is the country's 5th largest casino and has a 140,000 sq ft gaming area, a 1400 seat live theater, the Phoenix jazz club and 13 restaurants  (888) 470-7700.

Harry Truman Library & Museum: Year around changing exhibits, plus a new White House Gallery. Open 9-9 on Thursday; 9-5 on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday and 12-5 on Sunday.  (800) 833-1225. The Truman Home is nearby and offers tours beginning every 15 minutes from 9-4:45 on Tuesday-Sunday (7 days a week from Memorial Day to Labor Day). (913) 254-9929.

Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop & Farmstead: The last remaining stagecoach stop on the historic Santa Fe Trail still open to the public. Three original buildings are preserved: The Mahaffie Family Home/Stagecoach Stop, two-story Ice House, and Wood Peg Barn. 45 acres. Open 10-4 Tuesday - Saturday. Closed in January.

Kansas City Zoo: New exhibits include the 95 acre African Exhibit, African Elephant Exhibit, Domesticated Animal Exhibit and the Natural Australian Exhibit. Open daily 9-5 In Swope Park, take I-435 east to the 63rd St exit - 11 miles east (816) 871-5700. Also contains the Sprint Imax Theater. (913) 871-IMAX.

Kansas City Royals and Kansas City Chiefs: I-70 & Blue Ridge Cutoff, just east of I-435 - (816) 921-8000. If there are home games coinciding with the convention, tickets will be available for purchase by members of the convention.

Old Olathe Naval Air Museum: View memorabilia from all services from World War II, the Korean and Vietnam wars. Constantly changing displays. Open noon-4 p.m. Sundays only, April-Oct. at New Century Air Center. Airplanes on static display are available for viewing at any time.

Worlds of Fun: Theme park based on Around the World in 80 Days with major rides, shows and attractions. I-435 and Exit 54. (816) 454-4545.

Oceans of Fun: 60 acre tropically theme water park. Water slides, a million gallon wave pool, swim-up bar and other water rides. Attached to World of Fun.

Kansas Speedway: 1.5 mile tri-oval with seating for over 80,000 people. Nascar & Indy Racing, Speedway Tours, and Driving Schools. Near I-435 & I-70 in Kansas City, Kansas.

Cabela's Retail Showroom: With 188,000-square-foot of floor space, the showroom covers approximately 4 acres. Highlights include a full service marine department, aquariums, laser arcade, archery range, art gallery, furniture department, gun library, restaurant, general store, fly fishing store, bargain cave and gift shop. For those who love incredibly large stores, the 712,000 square foot Nebraska Furniture Mart is across the parking lot. Near Kansas Speedway.

Woodlands Racetrack: offers greyhounds race year-round daily Wednesday through Sunday. Enjoy simulcasting from the country's best greyhound and horse racing tracks every day except Tuesday. Near Kansas Speedway.