Discover the history you didn’t learn in school by taking infamous sightseeing tours. The thrill of touring a city is experiencing the real, the rowdy, the sad and the infamous. Kansas City is known for many beautiful historical sites, but it is also rich in infamous history, like being home to the mafia.
Learn about the outlaws, their lives and how they operated. Get a glimpse into the ghosts of notable persons in the past. Explore the prohibition era and meet the stories of the ill-famed ladies of the night. Take a tour of what was once run through top-secret systems.
Let’s explore some infamous tours you should not miss out on when sightseeing Kansas City.
The Kansas Prohibition Tour
Delve into the history of Kansas City in its prohibition era. On the 28th of October, 1919, congress passed an Act that rendered the production, sale and transport of intoxicating liquors illegal. However, music remained hot, and liquor kept flowing in Kansas City in this prohibition era.
Go sightseeing in Kansas City downtown, known for playing a key role in ensuring residents of Kansas City could still drink during the prohibition years. Learn about the speakeasies and jazz clubs from the era during the tour. The tour includes some of Kansas City’s best Cocktail destinations.
Sightseeing In Kansas City Red Light District Tour
Kansas City historically gained a reputation as the ‘wide-open town. While the existing laws outlawed lewd behavior and the commercialisation of sex, this was rarely enforced by the Kansas city authorities. The city’s economic success largely developed because of the sex tourism in the city’s red-light district and the jazz spaces.
Learn the history of Annie Chambers, one of Kansas City’s most prominent brothel owners whose clients included some of the city’s most powerful men. Your sightseeing in Kansas City should explore the former brothels, saloons and jazz bars and get a glimpse of the infamous red light district.
Kansas City Ghost Tour
Spend an evening touring the ghosts of Kansas City. The Kansas City ghost tour takes you through the haunted buildings in the city. Meet characters from Kansas’ past, including gangsters, people in business, bootleggers and more.
Some of the popular haunted houses you should visit include:
- The Sallie house where a six-year-old girl is believed to have passed on the operation table and haunted the house ever since.
- In the 1859 Jail and Museum, you might hear the footsteps of the former inmates.
- The Excelsior Springs Hotel and spa is believed to be home to multiple ghosts.
- The Alexander Majors home tour for a kid-friendly ghost tour
- The Civil War-era home is believed to be incredibly haunted
Kansas City Gangster Tour
The Kansas City gangster tour takes you on the trail of the city’s historically most notorious gangsters. The gangster tour has had the longest-running historical sightseeing in Kansas City for 20 years and counting. Learn about the gangsters that used to rule the city of Kansas.
The tour immerses you in a look at the mob homes and their hangouts. It also includes the history of turf wars and heinous crimes, such as the Union Station Massacre in 1933. To date, you can still see the bullet holes made at the crime scene. Visit Ward Parkway, home to Tom Pendergast, who was considered the most infamous gangster in the City.
Digging The Dirt In Kansas City’s Past
While every city has its beautiful historical sites that shelter moments and people that led to the good that is today, every story has a side that is less spoken of. Touring the infamous sites of Kansas lets you learn the stories rarely written in history books. Experience what was once a reality for many Kansas City residents.
