City Life Picks In Kansas City | Best Of KC 2024

by Kansas City Magazine Team

By Dawnya Bartsch, Daniela Barzallo, Molly Higgins and Arial Whaley

There’s no shortage of things to do and see in KC, from butterfly sanctuaries and water slides to indie bookstores. There’s something for everyone on this list of local favorites—and likely something you’ve never heard of before.

Here’s what our readers say. And for good measure, we picked a couple of our own KC favorites, too.

Editor’s Choice: Best Development

Berkley Riverfront

Along the banks of the Missouri River, the Berkley Riverfront development is transforming Kansas City. Once an industrial zone with warehouses, rail yards and a dump zone, the decades-long effort by city and private developers to see a dynamic riverfront is finally coming to fruition.

The Berkley Riverfront boasts 17 acres of parks, trails, public spaces and commercial and residential developments. It’s where the bustle of the city meets the serene beauty of nature. Currently, residents and visitors can enjoy a craft beer with a waterfront view at the Berkley beer garden, treat four-legged friends to an off-leash trip to Bar K and more. The park hosts events like KC Riverfest, 5K runs and walks, weddings and concerts. Though the Riverfront was long neglected and even contaminated as it became a dumping ground, this makeover is a nod to Kansas City’s spirit, giving new life to the space that was once the heart of the city’s shipping and trade activities.

Editor’s Choice: Best Lowrider Car Club

KC Estilo Car Club

Ever since it began in September 2010, the KC Estilo Car Club has been dedicated to ensuring that the community has a place to display their lowrider vehicles.

“It’s a way to talk to each other about new projects and old projects and just kind of see where we’re at and show off our cars that we’ve worked so hard on,” says Monica Peña, the president of KC Estilo Car Club.

Throughout the summer, the club hosts Fourth Friday Kick Backs, where anyone can come and display their custom lowrider cars, bikes, trucks or motorcycles. Spectators are welcome to enjoy the vehicles as well as the various pop-up vendors and food trucks at the event. KC Estilo Car Club also collaborates with Mattie Rhodes, a community development organization, on the first Friday of October to create trunk altars for loved ones who have passed in honor of Día de los Muertos.

Editor’s Choice: Best Place To Dip Your Toes In The Big Muddy

Parkville’s 68-acre English Landing Park boasts three miles of scenic trails that closely hug the winding Missouri River, aka the Big Muddy, one of America’s most important natural resources. The river flows more than 2,300 miles from Three Forks, Montana, to St. Louis, where it joins the Mississippi River.

Along with run-of-the-mill amenities such as a playground, picnic shelters, ball fields and sand volleyball courts, the park also has river access points that lead to small beaches and places to explore the shoreline.