Recreations & Leisure
NASCAR fans will not be disappointed in a trip to the Kansas Speedway in Wyandotte County, right outside of metropolitan Kansas City on the Kansas side. Racing fans fill the 82,000 seat Stadium which will become a 150,000 seat facility upon completion of the final phase of its development. Races include the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and the Indy Racing League.
Kansas City offers over 200 parks in the metropolitan area including Swope which houses the Kansas City Zoo, Hodge Park and Mill Creek Park. The city is also plush with other recreational areas such as the Plaza Tennis Center, numerous athletic fields and lakes. Golfers will be delighted with the options and won’t want to miss such courses such as Shoal Creek and Minor Park.
For those looking for a new shopping experience, Kansas City can offer just about anything. The City Market is an outdoor market located downtown where it has operated since the 1850’s. Over 150 vendors arrive on Saturday to set up shops full of everything from flowers and vegetables to t-shirts and live chickens. On Sundays, from May through August, the area is turned into an arts and crafts fair. Also located downtown is Crown Center, the 85-acre business and residential complex owned by Hallmark. Specialty shops, restaurants, hotels, theaters only begin to describe what can be found beyond its doors. A little jaunt into Kansas on highway 35 will lead to the Country Club Plaza. Built in 1922 to resemble a Spanish marketplace, this is the location in Kansas City for upscale shopping, fine dining, outdoor cafes and exciting nightlife. At Christmastime, the lights of the plaza is a Kansas City tradition and a view firsthand will leave the visitor speechless.
Every sport enthusiast will feel the buzz when the red comes out in the fall to open another season of Kansas City Chiefs football. Few cities can match the love and dedication this one has for its beloved football team. Tens of thousands poor into Arrowhead stadium to watch the Chiefs battle their latest adversary and in recent years, have made their fans even more proud with their winning seasons. In the summer, the Royals baseball team gives it their all at Kauffman stadium, located adjacent to Arrowhead.