The city of the year? It’s Kansas City, according to one magazine
Kansas City’s been in the spotlight for quite some time.
The ever-evolving love story between Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and superstar Taylor Swift, the announcement of the Chiefs’ plans to build a new stadium in Wyandotte County and the team’s current home getting ready to host six games during the 2026 FIFA World Cup have shined a brighter light on the city as of late.
These are some of the reasons lifestyle magazine Midwest Living gave for naming Kansas City 2026’s City of the Year.
“’Paris of the Plains,’ a barbecue capital, the part-time home of Taylor Swift — all that and more describes Kansas City right now,” Kansas City-based writer Jed Portman said. “However you look at it, the city’s in the spotlight. It hasn’t felt this alive since Charlie Parker was playing bebop in its jazz clubs. And with the World Cup on the way, it’s only going to get livelier in 2026.”
Midwest Living lists the best things to do in the area, including taking a visit to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, The Rabbit hOle, the American Jazz Museum and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Top places to eat it says incoming visitors should try are Gates Bar-B-Q, KC Turkey Leggman, Tacos Valentina, Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que, Yoli Tortilleria and Baba’s Pantry.
The magazine says there are reasons for visitors to see Kansas City during any season. The late spring and early fall are Midwest Living’s sweet spots on when to visit since people can enjoy long walks and patio dinners without the summer humidity or winter wind, but the city’s music and outdoor activity calendar and Country Club Plaza’s lighting ceremony add to its summers and winters.
“This global spotlight only amplifies what locals already know: KC has a personality all its own,” Midwest Living said.
The magazine’s annual Best of the Midwest Awards were unveiled in March after a hand-selected process from their editors.
They collect ideas from reporting trips, travel scouts, writers across the country, contacts within the travel and hospitality industry, evaluation of user reviews and other industry recognitions to create a short list of winners from all 12 Midwest states.
The final list totals nearly 150 winners across 16 categories. Kansas City received honors in categories like Cherry Warehouse Hotel and Margaritaville Hotel being named one of the best new hotels or Pizza Tascio being named one of the top pizza spots.
