Leawood Chamber of Commerce : Leawood, Kansas

Metro Area Attractions

A Rich Culture

Leawood residents and businesses enjoy easy, affordable access to the wide variety of nationally recognized arts, culture, sports, recreation and entertainment events and organizations that the greater Kansas City metropolitan area offers. More Americans (54,864,757) reside within a one-day drive of Johnson County than Bourbon Street, Caesar’s Palace, Disney Land, Disney World, Larimer Square, the Space Needle or Underground Atlanta. They have the opportunity to take advantage of what Kansas City has to offer.

Less than 30 minutes away from any location in Leawood is a rich cultural heritage that, among other things, includes: world-renowned museums regarding traditional and contemporary art, jazz, agriculture, World War I and Negro League Baseball Hall of Fame, a presidential library and world champion sports teams.

World Class Sports

There’s no denying that this is a sports-minded town. Fans cheer on their National Football League team, the Kansas City Chiefs, at Arrowhead Stadium while enjoying extravagant pre-game tailgate parties.   The World Series Champion Kansas City Royals baseball club delights fans next door at the “K,” Kauffman Stadium.  Soccer fans gather to root for the Kansas City Wizards, an MLS outdoor soccer team.

Kemper Arena is the site of the annual American Royal Livestock, Horse Show and Rodeo, which is accompanied each year by an international barbeque contest and historic downtown parade. 
And if that’s not enough, Kansas City Kansas is the home of the Kansas International Speedway, home of area NASCAR and other auto racing. Sports fans can also visit this area to enjoy the Kansas City T-Bones, a minor-league baseball team.

The Sprint Center arena is the cornerstone of Kansas City's downtown revival that will feature condominiums, restaurants, themed bars, movie and live entertainment theaters and mixed retail. Upon its completion, the Sprint Center is Kansas City's home for basketball, concerts, family shows, special events, and the Kansas City Brigade, an Arena Football League team.

This arena seats in excess of 18,000 people and will be home to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame and College Basketball Experience.  Sprint Center has already hosted the Men’s Big 12 Championship Game in 2008, and will host the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championships in 2009 and be an official regional site for the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championships in 2010. 

Amazing Fine Arts

If the fine or performing arts are more to your taste, residents visit the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (recognized internationally for its exquisite and rare collection of Asian art), Lyric Opera, Kansas City Symphony, Missouri Repertory Theater, Starlight Theater, State Ballet of Missouri, Theater in the Park, and the Carlsen Center or the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art at Johnson County Community College, among others.

The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts is scheduled to open in December 2009.  The center will host the Kansas City Symphony, Kansas City Ballet, Lyric Opera and a number of other art organizations.  According to www.visitkc.com, Kansas City has more professional theaters per capita than any other city in the U.S. Leawood also boasts an outstanding public art program and first rate community theater productions.

A Rich History

It is easy to find a rich and distinctive history in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The Metro area is home to the Harry S. Truman Home & Presidential Library, Liberty Memorial, Union Station, Hallmark Cards Visitors Center, Shawnee Indian Mission State Historical Site, Steamboat Arabia, Thomas Hart Benton Home and Studio and the 18th & Vine Jazz District (which includes the American Jazz Museum and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum).

Abundant Nightlife

For nightlife, the Kansas City area is home to several riverside casinos including Ameristar, Argosy, Isle of Capri and Harrah’s. If you want to dance the night away or just relax with some friends, Westport offers the perfect blend of entertainment to satisfy your evening cravings. The entertainment district is home to several shops, art galleries, theaters, restaurants and numerous clubs and bars. The popular nightspot, Kelly’s, is housed in one of the oldest buildings in Kansas City. 

Revelers can also venture to the Country Club Plaza for some fine dining and a nightcap, while Brookside offers a unique variety of shops and bars for those looking to unwind.  Leawood’s Park Place, scheduled to open in October of 2007, will compliment the already fabulous array of shopping and dining opportunities in and around Town Center Plaza, creating a destination location for anyone looking for the ultimate shopping experience.

More Family Fun
And given the city’s focus on children and families, even the little ones have their own exciting places to visit, including the Club Libby Lu, Children’s Museum of Kansas City, Science City, Coterie Children’s Theatre, Wonderscope Children’s Museum, the Great Wolf Lodge indoor water park, Kaleidoscope,  the Kansas City Zoo, Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead, Theatre for Young America, Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, Toy and Miniature Museum of Kansas City, Arabia Steamboat Museum, and the Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun family amusement parks.


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