Travel doesn’t have to require months of planning and lots of time off of work.

Last weekend I hopped in the car and headed to Kansas City. The drive from St. Louis takes about 4 hours so it’s easy enough to do for a weekend or even just a day.

I’ve been to KC a few times, but never really took any time to experience the city. I had a great time. We stayed in a historic hotel in the vibrant Power & Light District, enjoyed a BBQ dinner and saw the lights at the Plaza the night before they shut them down. On Saturday, we enjoyed some great coffee houses, explored the local farmer’s market, toured the new Performing Arts Center and the Contemporary Art Museum.

We crammed a lot into less than 24 hours. It was fun. And it definitely inspired me to take more weekend getaways.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the Kansas City visit. Click on the  pictures to get a bigger version.

 

Plaza in lights

Bridge at the Plaza

City Market entrance

One of several spice vendors

Kaufman Center for Performing Arts

Me inside this cool building!

The back of the building

Our mid-morning coffee break at Mildred’s

Contemporary Art Museum

Outside art at the Contemporary Art Museum