The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

This museum is just absolutely fantastic and guess what, it's FREE! I've been to this museum before I lived in Kansas City and many times since moving and it's honestly a top-tier museum that has something for everyone. The museum does such a great job of curation and those shuttlecocks that are scattered throughout the outside the museum are pretty iconic. My partner and I love the museum so much that we became members because some of the exclusive exhibits are worth it. Most recently, the Hokusai one which features the recognizable wave but also so many pieces I weren't familiar with that were just breathtaking. Plus, a membership gets you a discount to the museum store, complimentary parking and guest entry to exhibits. I could go on and on with how much the museum offers from the beautiful Rozzelle Court to Thou Mayest Coffee to the Tivoli and Atkins theaters. It is a wonderful museum to visit all year round and you get just pop in whenever which make it such a Kansas City institution for residents and tourists alike. Happy viewing and remember: Don't deny, satisfy!

The Nelson-Atkins Museum is the perfect place to spend a day out in KC. Not only is the museum massive, but it is free of charge! There was luckily some street parking available out front, but there is also parking available in the museum garage for $14 per vehicle.During my most recent visit, I grabbed a coffee at Thou Mayest located on-site and tried to grab tickets to the Hokusai: Waves of Inspiration exhibit. The exhibit was sadly sold out for the day, but I was still able to see many Hokusai pieces in the Japanese art gallery upstairs. We wandered around the level 2 galleries which included Chinese, Japanese, and South Asian art. By the time we saw most of level 2, we were tired for the day. The Nelson-Atkins Museum is definitely worth multiple visits in order to see everything! A must-see for museum lovers and art enthusiasts.

I've been to a lot of art museums around the country, and when I visited the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art a week or so ago (when I was in Kansas City for a work conference), I was really blown away. It's not your average art museum; it's way better. A little history: The museum opened in 1933, and its classical Beaux-Arts architecture was noted when it opened. In 2005, a modern expansion of the museum opened after years of planning. So the building is pretty incredible - the original Beaux-Arts building and the modern expansion are both jaw dropping. The museum's collection is vast and varied: African Art, Contemporary Art, East Asian Art, European Art, Modern Art, North American Indian Art, and more. Some of the pieces that I really loved were by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Oskar Kokoschka, Max Beckmann, Karl Hofer, Kees van Dongen, Pierre Bonnard, Piet Mondrian, Vincent Van Gogh, Richard Edward Miller, El Greco, Judith Shea, Childe Hassam, John Singer Sargent, William Merritt Chase, Jacob Lawrence, Doris Lee, and so many unnamed/unknown/unspecified ancient and Native artists. The museum is large, with a gorgeous, large cafe for a meal while you're exploring. It has a great sculpture garden (don't miss their famous giant badminton shuttlecock sculptures) and a parking garage to boot. Great art, stunning architecture...what's not to love about this truly standout art museum?! I absolutely recommend it.

I really wanted to like this museum. I usually like Art museums and this place was supposed to have a great sculptures. The museum is free whether you are going inside or roaming the sculpture park outside. However, parking on the premise is $14. We just wanted to see the outside sculpture park and didn't go inside. The outside is pretty vast, so you have a lot of sculptures to choose from. We had a stroller with us and while we were able to get around, I wouldn't say it was stroller "friendly" as you had to take longer and roundabout paths to see everything. The sculptures were nice and there was information on the brochure if you wanted to dig in farther. I wouldn't say this is the best of the best, but it was definitely something nice to do that was free. I always like a good sculpture park.

This is a can't miss museum. A broad collection of art from various corners of the world.Beautiful lawn that can be traversed in bare feet. You can walk around the grounds, and there are various events on the front lawn of the musuem. When I passed by they had a mini golf course running, and folks doing early afternoon yoga on a Sunday. The same lawn has a sculpture garden with various works in various art styles and media. On a beautiful Sunday morning you can enjoy a coffee, from the outdoor cafe truck or a picnic if you wish.The inside is amazing. Plenty of various salons filled with art of different styles and different times. It's FREE everyday, you cannot find a better place to just absorb art and the feelings some of the works creates inside. If you like abstract, they got it; classical, they got it; portraits, mummy sarcophagi, European, Asian, Roman - they have artifacts from all over. The docents asked me to sign in, I put on a wristband and off I went. They even have an indoor cafe and huge courtyard where you can enjoy a snack. On the bottom floor they have an auditorium, and during various days of the weekend, you could watch classic films like Young Frankenstein and Spirited Away. World class.

Great museum in the Kansas City area! There's free parking on the streets area nearby. The walk isn't that far. The museum is really nice to walk around and you can spend a couple hours there. A must visit in the KC area!

This is a world-renown museum. In my opinion (not really into American football), this is the best thing to do in Kansas City. There is so much to see and explore here. It is an easy 2-4 hour experience. Walking the grounds and getting up close to the outdoor artwork, like the shuttlecocks is fun. The contemporary art wing is good. Their Caravaggio collection is great as well. The paid parking is easy.

Great museum and is free. Just need to sign up online for free tickets. The great symbol of the museum is the giant size badminton shuttlecock. You can see them one at the front and three at the back. The museum collection is similar to typical museum. However, they categorize in different way which make it very interesting and different perspective to look at it. They separate into the emotion of human. Such as anxiety, sadness, happiness and more. It is not like typical museums in the chorionic of year when they draw. The museum has two level. It will take almost half day to look at. Parking below Museum garage on site needs huge fees. Street side parking is free but requires walking.

Nelson Atkins festival day celebrations are always full of wonder activities and performances. For Dia de los Muertos Festival it was par! The performances were fantastic. The mariachi musicians, calacas, the altar were all done to commemorate the holiday.

What a collection. Love the mix of old and new architecture. The modern part seems to be a missed opportunity for more contemporary modern art. One side is utilitarian while the modern art is more nostalgic. There is a small amount of space reserved for contemporary modern art. German abstract expressionism was a highlight. The Egyptian was interesting but not very diverse. I'm spoiled because Toledo has such a top notch collection. The sculpture garden is a must.