The Kansas City, Kansas, area offers many quirky and unique attractions.
Often overshadowed by its metropolitan neighbor to the east, Kansas City, Kansas, is the third-largest city in the state, with a population around 150,000. A suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, KCK is close to major sporting events, restaurants, shopping and museums. It is also near several odd and unusual attractions.
1950s All-Electric House
Those interested in everything 1950s can check out this nostalgia spot in Shawnee, just a few miles south of Kansas City. Featuring electrified gadgets from the era such as garage-door openers, a hidden television, a curtain opener and an air conditioner designed to operate all year called the "heat pump," the house is part of the Johnson County Museum. The structure was built in 1954 by the Kansas City Power & Light Company. The ranch-style house was designed to showcase the possibilities of suburban living and the American dream in the years following World War II. Originally opened for six months as a model home, more than 62,000 people toured it during that period. Later, it was purchased and lived in by a family for 40 years. Now it is once again a model home open to the public.
C.W. Parker Carousel Museum
About half an hour north in Leavenworth is a museum dedicated entirely to carousels. Three recently restored carousels are on display, including a 1913 Parker Carry-Us-All built for the Fred Shew carnival. Purchased by the museum in 1997, the carousel, along with the horses and rabbits, were stripped and repainted. The liberty carousel was purchased by the museum in 2001. It took a year to restore and features 20 horses made of aluminum and two benches. Built in the 1950s by C.W. Parker's son, Paul, it is one of the few carousels in the world that can be moved around on it own wheels. Harking back to an even earlier era, the primitive carousel was built between 1850 and 1860. The oldest wooden carousel operating in the United States, the horses are made out of hollowed-out logs.
Arabia Steamboat Museum
Just across the river in Kansas City, Missouri, this attraction features artifacts recovered from the sunken ship "The Arabia Steamboat," which ran mostly from St. Louis to communities on the western frontier. The salvaged objects offer a glimpse at the types of items early immigrants carried with them. After 14 trips, the boat sank in the Missouri River in August 1856. It remained mired below 45 feet of water until discovered in 1988.
