Melissa in Kansas City: Final Week

Melissa Graham
Summer is finally here and it's time to start having some fun. Get outside and take advantage of everything that Kansas City has to offer. Hopefully I've given you some good ideas for things to do this summer, but here are my suggestions for a few things that are not to be missed.

First, come take my Segway tour! If you've never rode a Segway before, it really is a blast, and you get to hang out with me! (Shameless self promotion!) I've been leading tours for Segway Experience of Kansas City for 2 years now, and I love it a little more each day. Next time you have people in town and you're looking for something to do, bring them on any of my tours. The Urban Journey is a great way to show off Kansas City and give them some history of the city. Book the 90 minute Urban Journey, and we'll go up to Liberty Memorial for one of the best views in the city. Or take them to the Zoo for a Segway Safari and show off the second largest urban zoo in the country. The new Zoo entrance is great, and we have close to a thousand animals this year. The Plaza Art and Architecture Tour is beautiful and explores a complete outdoor art gallery. I bet you never knew the Mermaid Statues in front of Eddie Bauer are over 300 years old! And don't wait for people to come in town--get a group of friends together, or take a date and be a tourist in your own city. Check out our website and browse the pictures: www.segwayexperience.com, or 816.531.0600

Next, go to a concert this summer. There are so many great shows coming through KC at the Sprint Center, the Midland Theatre, Starlight, Sandstone and so many other venues. I can't wait for Gnarls Barkley at the City Market, Feist and Jill Scott at Starlight and Jack Johnson at Sandstone. It's so great to just be outside under the stars listening to good music. I used to complain all the time that we never got any good shows in Kansas City, and now I can barely keep up. I am so impressed with the talent that is coming through here this summer. Sign up at Ticketmaster.com, and you'll get weekly updates on all the new shows coming to the city. Go see The Roots at Voodoo Lounge on July 3 or Israel Vibrations at the Westport Beach Club on June 25. Just go here some live music!
VisitKC has a great concert listing: http://www.visitkc.com/things-to-do/entertainment/buzzworthy-summer-concerts/index.aspx

Also this summer, go to a festival. The Fringe Festival this year is from July 21- July 27, and is such a great week! This is the fourth year for the festival in Kansas City, and they have extended it to 7 days this year. It is a week full of live theatre, dance, performance art, visual art, spoken word, film and fashion. I went last year with my friends Manders and Erica, and we had the best time. We saw a burlesque show from Downtown Underground and a fantastic play at the Off Broadway Theatre. It was great to see some of the different venues in KC and just to support the arts in our city. We have such talent and creativity thriving in Kansas City, and we absolutely have to support it. That's what the entire week of the Fringe Festival is all about. I would definitely not miss this. It will easily be a highlight of the summer. Check out their website for all the information: http://www.kcfringe.org/

Another place to check out this summer is 18th and Vine. Go to the American Jazz Museum, and learn about the history of jazz which is deeply rooted in Kansas City. This is one place I have yet to visit, but I have tomorrow off and I have always wanted to go. Jazz is such a huge part of our culture--go learn about it. Go to the Blue Room on a Friday night and hear Ida McBeth, or go to a late night jam session at the Mutual Musicians Foundation. The Foundation has been active since 1917, and it instantly feels like stepping back in time. You are surrounded by amazing musicians in a place steeped in history. I have had some very memorable nights listening to amazing jazz at 3am with good friends. It is a very proud feeling to be from Kansas City and be in the heart of something we are so well known for. If you have never been to the Mutual Musicians Foundation before, now is a good time.
http://www.thefoundationjamson.org/
http://library.umkc.edu/spec-col/627mmf.htm

To learn a little bit more about the Foundation and 18th and Vine, there is a great movie called "Kansas City," directed by Robert Altman. Filmed in Kansas City, the movie's tagline is "Kansas City, 1934. Anything could happen here. One night it did." It's a fun movie that depicts how wild and crazy our city was during the 1920's and 1930's, and it's great to see our city in a movie. I love watching Union Station and places I recognize at 18th and Vine. Robert Altman was born in Kansas City in 1925, so you can see why he would make a movie about his town. It's definitely a movie worth watching!

Lastly, for the summer of 2008 and this is the most important: travel. Get out of town! We know Kansas City is great, but it is so important to take a break from the ordinary and go somewhere else. Whatever sort of vacation you can manage, take it. Use those vacation days and treat yourself to travel. Consider an Amtrak trip to Chicago for the weekend, or a trip to see the St. Louis Botanical Gardens. I always hear great things about the Omaha Zoo, and it is only a three hour road trip. Even if you only have time for a day trip this summer, pick somewhere outside of the city you have never been, and go there. There's never a better time to travel than a great summer vacation.

Have a great summer!

Thanks-
Melissa