Much of the city's nightlife can be found downtown (especially in the Power & Light District), in Westport, and at Country Club Plaza. For information about what's going on, pick up the free weekly Pitch. For tickets to main events, call Ticketmaster (tel. 816/931-3330; www.ticketmaster.com).
The Performing Arts
The Lyric Theater, 1029 Central, is the venue for the Lyric Opera of Kansas City (tel. 816/471-7344; www.kcopera.org), which presents four productions yearly in the original language with projected translations; the Kansas City Symphony (tel. 816/471-0400; www.kcsymphony.org); and most performances by the Kansas City Ballet (tel. 816/931-2232; www.kcballet.org). The Lyric Opera, Kansas City Symphony, and Kansas City Ballet will have a new home when the Kauffmann Center for the Performing Arts opens downtown in December 2009. The turn-of-the-20th-century Folly Theater, 300 W. 12th St. (tel. 816/474-4444; www.follytheater.com), is known for its Jazz and Children's series. In summer, open-air Starlight Theatre in Swope Park (tel. 816/363-7827; www.kcstarlight.com) has presented Broadway musicals and concerts for almost 60 years.
The Club & Bar Scene
Majestic Steakhouse, 931 Broadway (tel. 816/471-8484; www.magesticsteakhouse.com), offers dining and jazz nightly in a historic setting, while Jardine's Restaurant & Jazz Club, 45436 Main St., near Country Club Plaza (tel. 816/561-6480; www.jardines4jazz.com), offers live jazz nightly and New American regional cuisine. Raglan Road, in the Power & Light District at 170 E. 14th St. (tel. 816/944-9700; www.raglanroadirishpub.com), looks like it was airlifted straight from Dublin and offers live Irish music and tabletop Irish step dancing Tuesday through Saturday nights, along with high-end pub food.
In the historic 18th and Vine District, the best spots offering live blues and jazz include the Blue Room, 1600 E. 18th St. (tel. 816/474-8463; www.americanjazzmuseum.com), featuring jazz on Monday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday; and the Mutual Musicians Foundation, 1823 Highland Ave. (tel. 816/471-5212), a National Historic Landmark where musicians have been meeting for decades to jam after midnight -- Fridays it's blues, Saturdays it's jazz.
In Westport, Blayney's, 415 Westport Rd. (tel. 816/561-3747; www.blayneys.com), offers mainly blues Monday to Saturday in a pub setting, while farther south, barbecue meets the blues at the casual B. B.'s Lawn Side Bar-B-Que, at 1205 E. 85th St. east of Troost (tel. 816/822-7427; www.bbslawnsidebbq.com), with live blues Wednesday to Sunday nights.
Riverboat Gambling
Riverboat gambling takes place on noncruising boats along the banks of the Missouri River, including Harrah's Casino, U.S. 210 and Chouteau Trafficway, North Kansas City (tel. 816/472-7777; www.harrahsnkc.com); Ameristar Casino, I-435 and Route 210 (tel. 816/414-7000; www.ameristarcasinos.com); and Argosy, I-635 and Hwy. 9 (tel. 816/746-3100; www.stayargosy.com).
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
