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Published: November 8th 2011
As Saturday morning arrived we still had not decided on anything that we wanted to do. We talked about Watkins Mill but the weather was still pretty chilly and I am already fighting a head cold. In the end I just grabbed my camera bag and we went to just drive through Kansas City to see if we could find anything interesting.
The first place we came across was the Just Off Broadway Theatre on at 3501 Central Street. They had done some redesigning since we had last been there which made the main building look better, but ruined the feel of the “castle” ruins that had bordered the place for years. I took pictures as long as I could as it only took a few minutes for my fingers to start becoming numb.
An all too short drive in the warm Jeep brought us to the famous statue, The Scout, which came to Kansas City as a memorial to the local Native American tribes. The statue, a Souix Indian on horseback, stands at least ten feet tall, was designed in 1915 by Cyrus Dallin for the Panama Pacific Exposition in San Francisco. We stayed there until the biting
wind had numbed any skin that was exposed.
Another short drive brings us to one of the better known sites in Kansas City, The Liberty Memorial. The memorial was built to honor the fallen soldiers that had fought and died in World War I. The National World War I Museum finds it home in the walls beneath the lone tower reaching into the sky. Ground broke for the memorial in 1921 and was dedicated in 1926. In 2006 the Liberty Memorial was declared a National Historic Landmark by Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne. I have been to the museum before and it truly is an honor to the nine million people that died in World War I.
Across the lot from the Liberty Memorial is a statue of a Pioneer Mother carrying Howard Vanderslice as a baby to Kansas City. Mr. Vanderslice was a business man who donated the land that would become the main campus of The Kansas City Art Institute.
Driving through the heart of downtown Kansas City we came to the 18th and Vine District where I remembered an abandoned castle was located. After a few blocks of searching we finally found it.
The old workhouse castle has very little information associated with it. At one time it was used as a jail, and the cells are supposed to still be noticeable in the structure. A word of warning there has been run ins with homeless people reported there.
A little ways away from the Plaza is Loose Park. Known for its rose gardens and the landscaping the park offers a break from the urban sprawl of the city. There is a walking/jogging trail that runs around the perimeter of the park, a play ground for the kids, and a stone picnic area for small or large gatherings. A small pond which is inhabited by waterfowl and koi makes for a nice walk with a small bridge and during warmer days, a fountain.
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Sally
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Giraffes in Kansas!
If you are anywhere near Wichita, you have to visit the Tanganyika Reserve in Goddard, KS. They have a whole herd of giraffes that you can feed in touch if they are in the mood to be social.