Enjoy ‘the birthplace of the city’: A guide to the best things to do in the River Market
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Kansas City is home to more than 240 neighborhoods. They are almost like mini-cities that stand on their own, each with their own histories, things to do and unique vibes. These guides, shaped by recommendations from those who call each place home, will help you explore the city neighborhood by neighborhood. More are on their way, too.
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Teresa Lo remembers visiting her mother every summer in Kansas City’s River Market neighborhood. She remembers weekend farmers markets, fresh mangoes turned into Italian ice and walking past the colossal steamboat Arabia wheel that peaks through the museum window facing the City Market square.
Most of all, Lo’s summertime visits to River Market were filled with days helping her mother, Karen Lo, run the Chinatown Food Market. Since 1995, the food market has been serving up specialty goods to Kansas City residents.
The market moved from the city market to the bright red brick building at 202 Grand Blvd. in 2005.
Since then, the Chinatown Food Market has been an essential River Market landmark, which continues to welcome people from all cultures and backgrounds to shop and explore different flavors and cuisines from around the world.
“We kind of became like a melting pot,” said Teresa Lo, who grew up in Los Angeles but moved to Kansas City in 2022 to help run the market full time.
Lo added that the market is constantly accommodating visitors looking for ingredients from their home countries. Although the shop started as a predominantly Chinese and Vietnamese market, they now serve African, Caribbean and Latino groceries.
“There’s more diversity here than you imagine, if you look for it,” Lo said about the River Market neighborhood. “I really don’t see that as much in other parts of the Kansas City area.”
The River Market neighborhood has roots as far back as 1834, and since then the historic neighborhood has always been a place that has invited new and exciting commerce from unique traders and settlers who made the area into Kansas City’s first incorporated district. In 1978, the neighborhood was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
“This was kind of the birthplace of the city,” River Market Neighborhood Association President Matt Staub said. “I think you can kind of feel that heritage on our streets.”
Today, River Market is still known for its shops, restaurants, nineteenth century architecture and the walkable nature of the neighborhood.
New and old neighbors in the neighborhood shared with the Star what makes the River Market so special. Here’s what you need to know before your next visit.
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MOREThis is one of many coming KC neighborhood guides
The Star is working on creating a series of neighborhood guides based on recommendations from Kansas Citians who call each neighborhood home. We will be adding more guides to this series over the coming weeks and months.
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Must eat or drink:
If you are looking for a few places to grab a bite to eat or enjoy a drink, make sure to check out Harry’s Country Club for their specialty cocktails and outdoor patio.
If you like pizza, make sure to check out Il Lazzarone Pizza, where there’s also a really cozy, semi-secret bar in the back, according to Staub.
Teresa Lo suggests checking out Pho Nguyen for authentic Vietnamese dishes like pho and spring rolls.
Must do:
If you’re looking for something to do in the River Market, you should spend a weekend browsing the 180 stalls at the City Market. The City Market is open everyday, all year long. The farmers market is open every weekend on Saturdays and Sundays and typically opens around 9 a.m. and closes by 3 p.m. To check out the hours for individual merchants, visit here.
The Art Garden KC art fair recently moved to the City Market on summer weekends as well.
Staub said that the City Market brings in a lot of tourism to the area, but there are a lot of stores and venues surrounding the City Market that are the true gems, including shops on Delaware and Walnut streets. To get an idea of other shops in the area, visit here.
Teresa Lo said when her family visits, they often look forward to visiting the Arabia Steamboat Museum as well. The museum is full of nineteenth century artifacts and cargo that was salvaged from the Arabia Steamboat after it sank outside of Kansas City in 1856. Take a peek inside the museum, here.
When you’re done, you should make sure to grab a scoop of ice cream from Betty Rae’s ice cream shop.
Iconic neighborhood thing:
River Market resident Katie Wassenberg has lived in the River Market for two years and she said the River Market Antiques Mall is one of the most iconic things about the neighborhood in her opinion. The antique store is 30,000 square feet at 115 W 5th St. and full of treasures from the past.
How to get involved:
If you are interested in getting involved in the River Market area, be sure to check in with the River Market Neighborhood Association. The association is open to business owners, renters, homeowners and anyone who’s invested in the River Market neighborhood, according to Staub.
Staub also suggests that visitors continue to support neighborhood businesses and shops, participating in clean-up events and other activities happening in the community. To stay in the loop, be sure to check out the neighborhood association’s Facebook page.
Known for:
River Market is best known for its architecture and for being pedestrian friendly, according to Staub and Wassenberg.
“Just go for a walk and explore the architecture,” Staub said. “If you’re arriving by car, get out of the car -– better yet don’t arrive by car, ride the streetcar or bus. It is the easiest way [to get here] because this is a very compact neighborhood.”
Staub added that visitors should make sure to check out the Town of Kansas bridge during their walk. The bridge is a pedestrian bridge that overlooks the river and goes down to the banks of where the original town of Kansas was developed. You can also use the bridge to connect to the bike and pedestrian friendly RiverFront Heritage Trail. To get a map of the heritage trail and its access points, visit here.
Historical tidbit:
In the 1970s, the now River Market area was actually known as the River Quay. The River Quay era was an attempt to resurrect the River Market area after years of decline. In 1972, a business man named Marion Trozzolo formed an association to renovate and transform the market square into an entertainment and shopping district, according to a history booklet on the City Market published by the Kansas City Public Library.
Trozzolo’s plan was successful. There was so much traffic and commerce in the new shopping district that the local Mafia soon came in to collect some of the River Quay pie. The mafia brought drugs and gambling into the area until a rivalry between the mafias broke out in the area in 1976.
“The KC mafia were fighting over different aspects of parking and access and the relative position of old vice destinations and new family friendly destinations,” Staub said. “That kind of culminated in people getting murdered and buildings getting fire bombed. That was kind of the end of River Quay.”
The renaissance that led to the City Market that Kansas Citans know and love today began in the 1980s and 1990s, according to Staub. In order to rejuvenate the area, there were a lot of efforts to encourage more people to move back into the city after leaving the area due to crime. This included transforming old warehouse buildings into trendy lofts and zoning restrictions intended to limit crime and keep the area family-friendly.
“Now it’s a vibrant neighborhood,” Staub said. “It’s just been fun to continue to see that dream realized as the neighborhood continues to realize its potential.”
This story was originally published November 10, 2022 at 7:30 AM.
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