Everything You Need to Know About The Country Club Plaza, Kansas City
Regarded as the Crown Jewel of the Midwest, the Country Club Plaza is a shopping destination featuring 15 blocks of best-in-class retail, exclusive boutiques, and gourmet dining. This premier location is renowned for a reason. As you stroll through the Spanish-inspired architecture, you will discover dozens of fountains and statues, trendy designer shops and beloved restaurants ideal for special date nights. It is an essential experience worth revisiting time and again, and the #1 tourist destination in Kansas City
Blake’s Favorite Things About The Country Club Plaza
About The Plaza
The Country Club Plaza is a shopping destination featuring 15 blocks of best-in-class retail, exclusive boutiques, and gourmet dining.
Distance to Downtown
3.5 miles / 10 minutes
Outdoor Spaces
Jacob L. Loose Park
Distance to Airport
24 miles / 31 minutes
School District
Kansas City, MO
Amenities
The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art
Walk Score
81
Gym
Synergy Fitness Studio
Bar
Granfalloon, Zócalo
Closest Hospital
St Lukes on the Plaza
Shopping
Over 120 shops and 30+ dining options
Events
Plaza Art Fair, Waterfire, Plaza Lighting Ceremony
Fun Facts About The Plaza
Also known as “The Plaza,” it opened in 1923, and it was the first planned suburban shopping center and the first regional shopping center to accommodate shoppers arriving by car.
There are more than 30 statues, murals, and tile mosaics in the area, as well as major architectural reproductions, such as a half-sized Giralda Tower of Seville (the tallest building in the Plaza).
Best Restaurants in The Plaza
The Capital Grille
A sophisticated, New York-style steakhouse, which specializes in dry-aged steaks and seafood that is flown in daily from the east coast.
Zócalo – Mexican Cuisine and Tequileria
Zócalo - Mexican Cuisine and Tequileria offers an enticing blend of tradition and innovation that defies the normal conception of Mexican dining. Whether enjoying the open-air patio, the sophisticated ambiance of the main or private dining areas or simply relaxing in the lounge, Zócalo is sure to provide a unique experience you won’t soon forget.
Seasons 52
Seasons 52 at The Plaza is a fresh grill and wine bar featuring a seasonal menu and an award-winning wine list. Inspired by the fresh appeal of the farmer’s market, Seasons 52 uses ingredients at the peak of ripeness to highlight what’s good now.
Classic Cup Café
The Classic Cup Café is an independent icon at Country Club Plaza, with beautiful outside dining, a unique private dining room, and an extensive wine list. It is well known for its international cuisine from renowned chefs.
Rye
Rye restaurant in the Country Club Plaza, celebrates the Midwestern foods that chefs Megan and Colby Garrelts grew up eating. Both of these chefs are proud to be from the Midwest and Rye gives them the opportunity to showcase dishes that they have enjoyed with several generations of their families.
When the holidays roll around, the Plaza Lighting Ceremony is a nine-decade tradition. In 1925, a single strand of 16 colored lights was hung above a doorway on the Plaza to celebrate the holidays.
Plaza Art Fair
Marking the arrival of autumn and held the third weekend after Labor Day, the Plaza Art Fair encompasses nine city blocks and welcomes a crowd of over 250,000, features 240 artists, and is one of the longest-running art festivals in the country. The Plaza Art Fair is consistently recognized as Kansas City’s best annual event.
Plaza Lighting Ceremony
When the holidays roll around, the Plaza Lighting Ceremony is a nine-decade tradition. In 1925, a single strand of 16 colored lights was hung above a doorway on the Plaza to celebrate the holidays. The number of lights increased annually which then inspired the official lighting ceremony which first took place in 1930. On Thanksgiving night, tens of thousands of people pour into The Plaza for the local entertainment and to watch the special guest “flip the switch” turning on all the lights which officially ushers in the Christmas season. From Thanksgiving evening through mid-January, they shine nightly from 5:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. Did you know there are over 80 miles of lights with 280,000 multi-colored bulbs, and that Walter Cronkite and Mickey Mouse have been some of the celebrity guests to “flip the switch”?
Jacob L. Loose Park
At 75-acres, Jacob L. Loose Park is one of Kansas City’s most popular, beautiful, and historical. The park is well-known locally as being a major site for the Battle of Westport. The park is the third-largest in Kansas City, and is home to a lake, Civil War markers, tennis courts, a water park, and a Rose Garden. There are about 3,000 roses of nearly 130 varieties in the 1.5-acre garden.
Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art
The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art opened in 1994. With a $5 million annual budget and approximately 75,000 visitors each year, it is Missouri's first and largest contemporary museum.
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is an art museum in Kansas City, Missouri, known for its encyclopedic collection of art from nearly every continent and culture, and especially for its extensive collection of Asian art.
The Country Club Plaza is so much more than a shopping destination. It is an urban cultural district that offers perfectly curated shopping, exceptional dining and memorable events and occasions. Whether you make your memories at a sidewalk cafe, on a romantic horse-drawn carriage ride, or a gondola float on Brush Creek, you will be sure to visit again and again.
