The Truman home is probably the most authentic presidential home I've visited. When done with the…read morepresidency, Truman returned home to Independence, Missouri. He had no pension or secret service. He loved his community and focused on family and building his presidential library. This home was in his wife, Bess's, family before they inherited it. They lived in it the rest of their lives. Bess died in 1982, leaving all of it to the nation. Their daughter Margaret, helped ensure the home looked exactly as it would have during her parents' lifetimes. Truman's coat and hat hang under the staircase. The linoleum in the kitchen is tacked down where it came loose, as the Truman's were frugal. Bess's original First Lady portrait is above the fireplace. This is the most accurate, intact, unbothered presidential site I've seen. The ranger, I think her name was Katie, did a great job. Spoke with ease, full of info. Independence is a nice little town, full of Truman history. Nice little shops and restaurants. Very walkable. Make sure you stop at the visitor center (the old firehouse--there is a film) to register for your free home tour tickets. Across the street you can see where the secret service set up in a brick craftsman (again, the secret service was charged with protecting former presidents well after Truman left office). You can also see Truman's cousins' home (reviewed separately), which is full of neat and rarely seen photos and info on Truman's early life. Then when you're done with all that, hop over to the Truman presidential library (reviewed separately).

Nothing fancy about it. It's literally just a house. I can literally walk up to it in 5 minutes.read more

Giving a five star review for an abandoned building seems out of place, but my visit today has been…read moredecades in the making and is an afternoon that i can't wait to tell friends about and share photos. Built in 1897 as Kansas City's workhouse jail and later served as a storage facility, marine training center and an animal euthanasia center until being abandoned in 1972. With it's dark history, graffiti, collapsed roofs, dark stairwells, debris, and remnants of homelessness everywhere, my solo visit was slightly macabre and a bit scary not knowing if I was alone when turning each corner. I did run into two other explorers and one homeless person in my self guided tour of the darkside. There was talk about a decade ago of renovating the property into a venue for weddings and concerts but that failed to materialize. My advise to you is put on your big-boy pants (or girl) grab a friend and go explore an iconic architectural piece of history before it's too late.

Really neat place to wander around BUT there are a lot of dangers here and you shouldn't bring your…read morekids. You need to wear closed, thick shoes, too. There's a lot of needles and broken bottles, etc. because the property is actively used. Graffiti is outstanding.

Beautiful park to walk through, and plenty of shade if you just want to rest and people watch…read more This park is adjacent to the Country Club Plaza shopping area, which puts you well within walking distance for food and drink options when you're done soaking in the vitamin free (*D). At the southern end of the park is the J.C. Nichol's Memorial Fountain. Folks were walking, running, and biking on the paved trail around and through the park. I didn't expect to find this beautiful fountain here, but it was a beautiful surprise. The walkways of the park put you less than a block away from Country Club Plaza, but I was well within walking distance of the Kemper Contemporary Museum of Art and Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Great green space.

As someone who runs and walks solo about 50% of this time, this is not a favorite of mine. One…read morewould think that with all of the people on the plaza you would feel comfortable, but I don't. There is a hill covered with trees and that section gives me the creeps.

This house always gets attention from people who drive by. I grew up across the street from it and…read morepeople would always drive by really slowly when they caught sight of it. This ultra mod house doesn't really fit into our turn of the century neighborhood...but it defiantly adds interest. The view from Valentine is not so spectacular. It stands out because of its Yellow color and bubble dome. (The dome area is awesome containing nothing but a circular couch and build-in speakers...this is such a party house.) The really shocking view is from the park, 30 or 40 feet below. Anyway, its an interesting house in an interesting neighborhood. One could spend a day checking out this whole midtown area with the Frank Lloyd wright house and Thomas Hart Benton home down the street and 39th street shops and restaurants close by too.

Would be nice if this was passed down within the family of those that would take care of this…read moreplace. Being part of Sauer, sadly most of my mom's side of the family is still racist. Wasn't able to take part of both my grandparents funerals due to my race. Mostly the men in the family but regardless of the facts. This castle isn't being taken care of and up for sale with an ridiculous price. We also have a Castle located in Germany, along with family crest. Kind of unique to be apart of a family history but not really accepted.

Sauer Castle is in the National Register of Historic Places, it's a Kansas City must-see if you've…read morenever taken the haunting trip to the top of the bluff where this mansion sits undisturbed for decades. In high school, from Miege to St. Teresa's Academy, crossing state lines, the rumors about Sauer were EPIC and very popular to tell around Halloween. Sauer castle is haunted, according to the ghostly experts and as the story goes... During the Civil War a man leaves his wife to go fight. She waits for him for years, longing for his return and reading his infrequent letters home. Towards wars end, she receives his final letter stating that he is coming home on a certain day on a certain ferry and requesting that she wait for him. When he never arrived, she believed he was dead and frenzied, she hung herself in the infamous bell tower. Her husband, alive, missed his ferry home and later arrived to find his wife dead. It is said that in the front yard he shot himself. Sauer Castle was built by the German immigrant Anton Sauer and has remained in the family for 5 generations - in which the castle has seen many more deaths of natural and unnatural causes. Legend has it that treasure is buried here (however sources say this rumor began from the original fact that the house was built over an antique storage of wine.) Other legends include there is a secret tunnel leading to the Kaw River (others distort this rumor to make it a slave tunnel), or that the ghost of Mary Sauer stands in the windows of the fourth floor looking out onto her property at night. There was a man who died of tuberculosis here, a baby died as well within these walls, and a child was drown. Perhaps what solidified its eerie persona is the foreboding sign in the front that reads: PRIVATE PROPERTY, TRESPASSERS WILL BE PROSECUTED! BEWARE OF DOGS! Here's where I come into the story: I was young and stupid, it was a boring Friday night and my friends and I thought it would be something to talk about on Monday if we somehow got into Sauer Castle and checked out if it were haunted for ourselves. With my two other good friends, we set out on the property while two other friends waited in the car for our return. What we weren't aware of was that three guard dogs that could have well ripped me apart were stationed around the house. I was only cognizant of one, chained to a large radius of land towards the front of the house, but in truth there were two more. We steered clear of this one dog and kept to the side of the house until we came upon the old slave quarters behind the property. It was here we saw a small window opening to the basement of Sauer Castle...STUPID, STUPID me...I went in (after my two friends.) And what we saw was no different than the last scene of the Blair Witch Project, an empty stone basement with nothing in it but AN ACTUAL STONE WELL in the very center...creepy as all hell. That's when we saw the caretaker with a flashlight and rifle coming towards us. My two dear 'friends' climbed out of there first leaving me with no cell phone light, no knee to climb on. I had to scratch my way up with them pulling on my arms as I had been entirely alone in Sauer Castle. Finally, the three of us hauled ass to the car and sped off before we were caught as trespassers and prosecuted!!! Oh, what a night...something I will NEVER do again and a story I will NEVER forget. Is Sauer Castle haunted? From the fright of feeling trapped in the stone basement with nothing beside me but an old well...I would say yes.

The play kitchen got set on fire (according to a young child), the manager of the kitchen is a 4…read moreyear old, I was handed a whole fake loaf a bread and a whole fake eggplant, I got stuck in the slide, the castle was closed and the AI robot guy doesn't have any jax lines. Horrible experience. (No but all jokes aside, this place is awesome, great place to bring your kids for a fun adventure, awesome experience)

This historical building is a central hub of transportation, connecting different train lines and…read morestreet car. The building has so much architectural designs etched into its walls and ceiling. It was beautifully decorated for Christmas with a huge Christmas tree inside. The parking around the station is hefty, up to $15/hour. The building is connected to Westin and Crown Center with Skywalk. There are activities like Science city, cafe, restaurant, bakery and gift shops inside the building. The passage walkaway also has lots of historical portraits, highlighting the timeline of development of the station. We spent almost half day exploring the station. The bakery, cafe and gift shops were nice. Science city is great for children. Overall the was clean and a popular place for tourists.

I had no idea this museum existed until recently. This small complex contains the jail, marshall's…read morehome, an old one room schoolhouse and a modern building containing historical artifacts related to the jail and the Independence area in general. Priced at $6 for admission, it is well worth a visit. The 2 story stone jail presents a bare-bones authenticity of what crime and punishment meant during the civil war era and late 19th century. Placards featuring a variety of prisoners tell their stories as you wander through the thick walled cells. The focal point of the museum is Frank James cell that he spent several months "locked up" in. Quite an elaborate set-up compared to the others. Any history lover will find this place a great way to spend an hour. I'd love to see this place promoted more in Kansas City tourism information.

Quick snapshot of the man from Independence, MO…read more If you're interested in visiting the Truman house at 219 Delaware, you will need to stop here for tickets and a time slot. This site on Main will put you in touch with the NPS Rangers who will have you watch a short film about the 33rd President, his rise to the Presidency, and his rise attempt to normalize after leaving office. After the film you will have the opportunity to head over to Delaware and visit the Noland House (which belonged to his aunt and uncle), which houses a small assortment of Truman artifacts, or you can stroll from Independence Square (5 blocks to the house), along the same streets that President Truman walked before, during, and after his presidency. The house itself is as it was when Bess Truman passed away in the 1980s. Inside you will find a very unassuming life that her husband attempted to keep. He tried his best to not let his role as leader of the free world get to his head. Despite that, the former president was a point of interest for folks passing through Kansas City and Independence, Missouri. During the 30-ish minutes, Ranger led tour, you can't take photos, but you can certainly understand the Trumans did their best to live a peaceful and "normal" life and that's the way they lived the entire time. It's surprising how many generations of Trumans lived in that tiny little home, but they made the most of it. This site adds another touch to the life of the 33rd POTUS, and adds another layer to the exhibits you can see at the Truman Library and Museum down the road.

The people who work here are super helpful and knowledgeable about Truman. They know the sites…read more They saved me lots of time with their tips. They were great in giving you the necessary information you needed to explore this area that is rich with the history of the 33rd President. I highly recommend them.