Top 5 Reasons You Should Visit Kansas City

Kansas City, MO is a bustling midwestern city with unmistakable charm, lively neighborhoods, and a delicious food scene. This energetic, artistic city has been referred to as one of the most underrated travel destinations in the county. If you need extra reasons to visit Kansas City this year, we've gathered our top five below. 

1. A Diverse Nonprofit Community 

• Did you know, more than 12,000 nonprofits, spanning a variety of focus areas including arts and culture, education, human services, etc., call Kansas City home?
• In fact, 1 in every 9 Kansas Citians are employed by a nonprofit organization, making up about 11% of the city's population. 

• Each year, over 840,000 individuals in the KC community volunteer directly with nonprofits. In past years, Missouri has consistently been one of the top states for formal volunteer engagements with nonprofits.

   

2. Vibrant City Culture 

• Some of the best BBQ in the country is found in Kansas City; Locals have had a passion for this delicious cuisine for over 115 years. Along with the tasty BBQ, not to be missed is the city's renowned Hispanic cuisine, along with many specialty coffee shops. 
• KC is also a hub for jazz and blues musicians. What makes it unique is the city was one of the only ones where bands and speakeasies were still lively during prohibition. You can still find many bustling venues throughout town.

• The city has a vast amount of street art, museums, galleries, and boutiques to peruse and admire. 

   

3. Iconic Architecture and Transportation

• Kansas City is also known as, "The City of Fountains", due to having over 200 fountains within city limits. Locals even gather to celebrate Fountain Day in the spring each year when fountains across the city turn on for the season. 
• Streetcars around the nation have been dwindling, but the KC Streetcar is more than alive and well. With a newly extended 5.7-mile route, the streetcar provides ample access to 32 different stops around the city. 
• Kansas City Current Stadium is the first stadium in the world built purposefully for a professional women's sports team. The stadium sits along the river front and thanks to the new extension, is now accessible via the KC Streetcar. 

4.  The Birthplace of Many Inventions

Many of us don't realize that Kansas City was home to a variety of important inventions. Some of the most known include: 

• The Automatic fire alarm 
• The Multiplex movie theatre 
• Mickey Mouse character 
• Decorative wrapping paper (Hallmarks global headquarters is in Crowne Center!)

5.  The 2026 Tech Forward Conference 

• Tech Impact's own Tech Forward Conference visits a different city each year. From Sept. 27-29, we're heading to Kansas City, MO for inspiring case-studies, breakout sessions, main stage talks, and networking events. 
• We'll be convening 200+ tech-interested nonprofit leaders from around the country for 2.5 days of innovative technology exploration around topics like AI and Automation, Data and Analytics, Tech Strategy, Digital-tools and Branding, and Cloud-services. 
• Nonprofit decision-makers and their teams fill over 90% of our audience, with Business/Corporate representatives limited to less than 10% of attendees. 

Getting excited about a visit to Kansas City, MO? Take the first step and register now for the 2026 Tech Forward Conference.