Must-Have Kansas City Souvenirs

You’ll find no shortage of shopping in Kansas City [1], but while you’re exploring the best the city’s retailers have to offer, you may want to pick up a few of these must-have souvenirs. Keep them for yourself as a lasting memory of your trip. Or bestow them on lucky friends and family and it’ll be apparent you have a heart of gold! (Just don’t forget to get an extra for yourself.)

Stroll the streets of the Plaza, and you may notice the large banners suspended from streetside light poles. The banners change depending on the season or upcoming event, and if you stop into Plaza Customer Service (next to the UPS Store at Country Club Plaza [2]) you, too, can own one of these sizable pieces of vinyl artwork. Select designs are marked down throughout the year, but otherwise you can expect to spend between $20 and $40 per banner.

Even if you choose to forego the Boulevard Brewing Co. [3] tour, stop in to peruse the brewery’s well-stocked gift shop. Pick up a Boulevard hoodie, a set of pint glasses, or a jar of the brewery’s famous pale ale mustard, a tangy blend that goes with everything from pretzels to burgers.

And speaking of edible gifts, Kansas City offers some of the best food in the country. Stop into Christopher Elbow Artisanal Chocolates [4] for a box of the exquisite hand-painted truffles, filled with uncommon ingredients like champagne, key lime, and fleur de sel caramel. Sizable bars of pure chocolate are also a must-have, as are the cheery white tins of the chocolatier’s signature drinking chocolate mix — think of it like hot chocolate on steroids. Really, really delicious steroids.

If you enjoy Kansas City [1]’s barbecue culture as much as the natives, don’t even think about leaving the city without a bottle (or three) of barbecue sauce. Most barbecue restaurants including Gates Bar-B-Q [5] sell sauces and rubs, fragrant ways to imbibe a bit of Kansas City flavor into your next barbecue. And if you prefer your sauces south of the border, check out Original Juan [6] for an astounding selection of freshly made salsas, dips, wing sauces, and more from mild to off-the-chart spicy.