The National WWI Memorial and Museum is definitely a must-visit when you’re in Kansas City. We were there on a Sunday afternoon in November and it was not too busy. The tower in the middle of the property is unmistakeable, and the museum itself is chock full of history and artifacts from the Great War.

The experience in the museum starts with a 15 minute movie providing the background leading up to the war. You then begin your tour, and you can go at your own pace. The museum is divided up into two main sections – the time period before the United States entered the war, and then the time period afterwards.

There is a LOT of information here. If you took your time to read all of the placards and historical information, you could easily spend an entire day here.

There are a lot of cool exhibits, including a plane, lots of cannons, as well as walk-through areas such as a trench and a replica of a bombed-out crater.

There are a ton of cases with smaller artifacts as well, including uniforms, bullets, and other paraphernalia from the war.

You also have the option of purchasing an add-on to your ticket to go to the top of the tower. I would highly recommend doing this for the excellent views of Kansas City. You take an elevator most of the way up and then you have to climb about 3 flights of stairs to get to the very top. I am terrified of heights but this didn’t really bother me, as the walls around the top were very thick and very tall, coming up to my chest height. General admission plus tower entrance is $21 for adults, and free for kids under 6. Youths ages 6-15 are $13.

We spent several hours at this incredibly thorough and impressive memorial and museum. If you are super into WWI, you could spend many more hours here perusing all of the detailed displays and descriptions. I would highly recommend a stop here on your travels in Kansas City.