The last time I was in St Louis, one of my buddies told me about a WWI museum in Kansas City. I had never heard of it, so looked online and it seemed interesting. On this trip, we decided to drive across the state and check it out (along with a few local hobby shops).
I had finally rested up from the long drive and we headed out after a few days. It was a simple drive straight across the state on the interstate. The drive took us about three and a half hours, which went quick with us both chatting. We arrived at the museum and got out tickets!
The building is another art deco design structure that has been modified over the years. We started at the top, where they had the original museum and the tower. We started with the tower, which was a nice view of the city all around. We then went to the old museum section, where they had a display of Austrian and Russian uniforms from WWI and the Russian Civil War. Not what I was expecting at an American museum!
We then went to their lunch room for some food. This was frankly one of the worst lunch rooms I have been to at a museum since I was a kid! We both got a cold sandwich and some trips. Now that we were energized, we went to the main museum.
The museum is organized chronologically. So, you start at the beginning of the war and flood it to the end. It starts with 1914, not America’s entry. It is basically a large circle. The museum starts with a short movie and then takes you to the artifacts and narratives. Once you get to America’s entry, you get another movie. You then get back into more artifacts and narratives that take you through the war, with some follow on about the Russian Civil War and allied involvement.
We finished up after about five hours and headed out, after picking up a few trinkets at the gift shop. I was expecting a smallish museum that focussed on the US contribution to the war, but this was so much more. I was quite surprised how much stuff was there. I have to say, it competes well with a number of museums that I have seen in Europe on this period in history. Well worth the drive and visit. If you are ever around Kansas City, do not miss this one.
- Manfueffel