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MuseumsIconicRainy-Day Pick

Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

4525 Oak St · Kansas City, MO

Why you should go…

One of America's great art museums, home to everything from Caravaggio to Monet to a renowned Asian art collection, and it's completely free. Snap a photo with the giant shuttlecocks on the sweeping lawn, then wander the light-filled Bloch Building. It's Kansas City's cultural crown jewel.

  • #art
  • #free
  • #architecture
  • #photo-op
  • #culture

Good to know

General museums guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Check the special exhibition separately

    Touring shows usually carry their own ticket and their own opening hours, listed apart from general admission.

  • Look for the free window

    Many museums run community days, member evenings, or discounted late openings. It is worth a look before you pay full price.

  • Travel light through the door

    Large bags and backpacks often have to go to a coat check, and lines for it move slowly at opening.

  • Weekday mornings beat weekend afternoons

    School groups clear out by early afternoon midweek, while weekends stay busy from late morning on.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Museums
    Local Gem

    Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art

    Free

    Always-free contemporary art in a striking Gunnar Birkerts building, guarded by a giant Louise Bourgeois spider.

    0.3 mi awayMore like this

  • Shopping
    Iconic

    Country Club Plaza

    Free

    Fifteen blocks of Seville-inspired towers, fountains, and mosaics, America's first suburban shopping district, glowing since 1923.

    0.6 mi awaySwitch it up: Shopping

  • Sightseeing
    Family Favorite

    Kansas City, Kansas

    Free

    Kansas's third-largest city, home to Kansas Speedway, the Legends shopping district, and Sporting KC's stadium.

    0.8 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Museums
    Quirky Fun

    National Museum of Toys and Miniatures

    Under $25

    The world's largest collection of fine-scale miniatures and antique toys, pure wonder at any age.

    0.8 mi awayMore like this

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Local Gem

    Loose Park

    Free

    A 75-acre urban oasis with a rose garden of thousands of blooms and Civil War history underfoot.

    1.0 mi awaySwitch it up: Sport & Outdoor

  • Museums
    Family Favorite

    The Money Museum at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City

    Free

    A free downtown Kansas City museum where visitors can see a working cash vault and lift a real gold bar.

    2.1 mi awayMore like this