Kansas City Crown Center
The Crown Center in Kansas City is the perfect destination for those looking for top-notch accommodations, fine dining, shopping, and family fun.
Visitors to Kansas City looking for an exciting place to stay, play and shop will find it at the Crown Center, just south of downtown. A bustling hub of shops, theaters, and top-notch hotels, the Crown Center is a must-see Kansas City attraction, especially for those who love shopping.
The Crown Center complex completely revitalized a depressed and decaying part of town when it broke ground in the late 1960s. Before construction, the area used to contain empty lots and abandoned buildings; today it proudly hosts a gleaming complex of corporate offices, residential buildings, and a shopping and entertainment center covering 85 acres.
Crown Center and Hallmark Highlights
One of the top draws to the Crown Center is the Hallmark Visitor’s Center. Kansas City is home to the greeting card giant’s international headquarters, and the Visitor’s Center provides a free, fun peek behind the scenes of card manufacturing, at the corporation’s interesting history and regularly-changing exhibits. (Visit the Hallmark Visitor Center website to check on hours and special exhibits.)
Another Crown Center Hallmark activity that is a sure hit with kids is the free Kaleidoscope experience, where children can color, glue and create for 40-minute sessions using materials provided by Hallmark. What a great way to let the kids unwind after a shopping session or visiting other Kansas City sites!
The Crown Center Shops
Of course, no visit to the Crown Center has even begun without exploring the three levels of shopping at the Crown Center Shops. Featuring the Halls department store and other favorite national and local retailers, shoppers will find something to take back home as a token of their visit. (Try The Best of Kansas City store for tasty BBQ products.)
All that shopping will build up one’s appetite, and guests will find their cravings met, whether it’s sushi, burgers, pizza in the Crown Center Shops or fine dining in the Wyatt Regency or Westin Crown Center Hotels. After a meal, guests can pop on over to one of three – yes, three – live theaters located in the Crown Center Shops, or take in an independent film or documentary at the Screenland movie theater on the third floor.
For a truly special stay, guests will enjoy lodging at the AAA four-diamond Westin Crown Center or the luxurious Hyatt Regency Crown Center hotels, both among the finest of Kansas City hotels.
While guests can easily spend a weekend exploring only the Crown Center complex, the area is conveniently located near other Kansas City attractions, including Union Station, the Liberty Memorial and WWI museum, and other popular downtown sites.
Visit the Crown Center website, where you’ll find more information on its special events, shops, restaurants, theaters and hotels.
