5 great weekend getaways a short distance from Kansas City

The largest earthen mound in North America, aerial view of Monk's Mound at Cahokia.

You’ll never get bored in Kansas City — with so much to do here, you’d be forgiven for wondering why anyone would ever need to leave.

But sometimes we love Kansas City even a little more after a weekend on the road.

From the epic vistas of the tallgrass prairie to the preternatural draw of the mighty Mississippi, this region has some truly amazing places.

In the Arkansas Ozarks, you’ll find a quaint college town that boasts one of America’s premier art museums, a boutique trailer park and one of the world’s most influential coffee roasters.

Across the state in St. Louis, the refurbished Mississippi waterfront and redone Gateway Arch Museum are sparking a renaissance in

the city’s center.

Down in Wichita, there’s surging civic pride surrounding the city’s walkable downtown, which now houses some of the best beer in the Midwest and an epic new outdoor concert venue. Here’s your guide to exploring all that and more in five perfectly planned 36-hour adventures.

➤Wichita, Kansas

➤Flint Hills

➤Omaha, Nebraska

➤St. Louis, Missouri

➤Northwest Arkansas

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