Small Towns Near Kansas City
The best small towns near Kansas City are Weston for bourbon, Lexington for Civil War history and Arrow Rock for summer theater. Weston is about 25 miles away; Arrow Rock is about 90.
The 11 towns below run nearest first, on both sides of the state line. Parkville, Weston and Excelsior Springs are easy half days. Arrow Rock, Fort Scott, Emporia and Council Grove work better as a full day or a weekend.
| Town | Distance | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Parkville, Missouri | About 10 miles | river walks, shops, an afternoon |
| Excelsior Springs, Missouri | About 25 miles | mineral springs, spa, history |
| Weston, Missouri | About 25 miles | bourbon, history, river views |
| Louisburg, Kansas | About 35 miles | cider, fall farm fun, families |
| Lexington, Missouri | About 40 miles | Civil War history, old homes |
| Atchison, Kansas | About 45 miles | Amelia Earhart, river town history |
| Warrensburg, Missouri | About 50 miles | Old Drum, courthouse history |
| Arrow Rock, Missouri | About 90 miles | theater, history, a weekend |
| Fort Scott, Kansas | About 90 miles | frontier history, photography |
| Emporia, Kansas | About 100 miles | Flint Hills, history, a weekend |
| Council Grove, Kansas | About 105 miles | Santa Fe Trail, a weekend |
Distances are straight-line miles from downtown Kansas City, as the crow flies.
Parkville, Missouri
About 10 miles as the crow flies · Best for: river walks, shops, an afternoon
Parkville is a Platte County city of about 7,100 on the Missouri River bluffs, platted in 1844. Park University has been here since 1875. Its historic downtown is known for antique shops, galleries and local restaurants.
Don’t miss: historic downtown Parkville and English Landing Park, a 68-acre riverfront park with about three miles of trails along the Missouri
★ Good to know English Landing Park is open daily from 5 a.m. to midnight, so an early or evening river walk works.
Excelsior Springs, Missouri
About 25 miles as the crow flies · Best for: mineral springs, spa, history
Excelsior Springs grew up around its mineral springs. Water from the Regent Spring won medals at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. The city of about 10,600 still has the 1936–38 Hall of Waters, built over two of the springs.
Don’t miss: the Hall of Waters, with a free water museum and free tours of a vintage bath department, and The Elms Hotel & Spa
★ Good to know The Water Bar inside the Hall of Waters is currently closed to the public.
Weston, Missouri
About 25 miles as the crow flies · Best for: bourbon, history, river views
Weston is a Platte County town of about 1,800, founded in 1838. It was once the world’s leading producer of twist tobacco. The Weston Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Don’t miss: Holladay Distillery, which traces its recipe to 1856, and Weston Bend State Park, with a Missouri River overlook
★ Good to know Book distillery tours ahead; Holladay is closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
Louisburg, Kansas
About 35 miles as the crow flies · Best for: cider, fall farm fun, families
Louisburg is a Miami County, Kansas, city of about 5,000. It’s best known for the Louisburg Cider Mill, making cider since 1977. The fall farm adds a pumpkin patch, corn maze and wagon rides.
Don’t miss: the Louisburg Cider Mill & Country Store, open year-round, for pressed cider and apple cider donuts
★ Good to know Ciderfest takes over the last weekend of September and the first weekend of October, and the fall farm runs through November 1 in 2026.
Lexington, Missouri
About 40 miles as the crow flies · Best for: Civil War history, old homes
Lexington is a Lafayette County town of about 4,700. The 1861 Battle of Lexington is also called the Battle of the Hemp Bales. A cannonball is still lodged in a pillar of the 1847 courthouse.
Don’t miss: Battle of Lexington State Historic Site, where the Anderson House still has bullet holes in its walls, and the Lafayette County Courthouse
★ Good to know The town has more than 150 homes and public buildings built before the Civil War, so leave time for a walk.
Atchison, Kansas
About 45 miles as the crow flies · Best for: Amelia Earhart, river town history
Atchison is a Missouri River city of about 10,900 and the home of Benedictine College. Amelia Earhart was born here. It was also the original eastern terminus of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway.
Don’t miss: the Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum, the Gothic Revival house where she grew up, at 223 N. Terrace Street
★ Good to know The museum is closed Sundays and Mondays and takes walk-in tours.
Warrensburg, Missouri
About 50 miles as the crow flies · Best for: Old Drum, courthouse history
Warrensburg is a Johnson County college town of about 19,300 and home to the University of Central Missouri. In 1870 a trial here over a dog named Old Drum produced the line “man’s best friend.”
Don’t miss: the Old Drum statue on the Johnson County Courthouse lawn and the restored Old Johnson County Courthouse, where the trial took place
★ Good to know Old Courthouse tours go through the Johnson County Historical Society; call ahead to arrange one.
Arrow Rock, Missouri
About 90 miles as the crow flies · Best for: theater, history, a weekend
Arrow Rock is a Saline County village of 60 people, and the whole village is a National Historic Landmark. Santa Fe trading caravans crossed the Missouri here starting in 1821. The Lyceum Theatre has staged shows since 1961.
Don’t miss: the Lyceum Theatre and Arrow Rock State Historic Site, with the J. Huston Tavern and George Caleb Bingham’s house
★ Good to know The Lyceum’s 2026 season ends with And Then There Were None through October 4 and A Christmas Carol December 11–20.
Fort Scott, Kansas
About 90 miles as the crow flies · Best for: frontier history, photography
Fort Scott is a Bourbon County city of about 7,600 that grew up around an Army post garrisoned from 1842 to 1853. Photographer and filmmaker Gordon Parks came from here.
Don’t miss: Fort Scott National Historic Site, with restored frontier buildings and a parade ground, and the Gordon Parks Museum at Fort Scott Community College
Emporia, Kansas
About 100 miles as the crow flies · Best for: Flint Hills, history, a weekend
Emporia is a Lyon County city of about 24,100 on the eastern edge of the Flint Hills. It held the first Veterans Day observance in the U.S. in 1953. Newspaper editor William Allen White lived here.
Don’t miss: Red Rocks, the William Allen White House State Historic Site, which is free
★ Good to know Red Rocks is open Wednesday through Sunday until October 4 in 2026, then closes for the season.
Council Grove, Kansas
About 105 miles as the crow flies · Best for: Santa Fe Trail, a weekend
Council Grove is a Morris County town of about 2,100, and its Main Street is the old Santa Fe Trail. The town is named for a treaty signed with the Osage under an oak tree.
Don’t miss: the Hays House, open since 1857, and Kaw Mission State Historic Site, a stone mission school built in 1851 with free admission
★ Good to know Kaw Mission is open Wednesday through Sunday.
What’s the closest small town to Kansas City?
Parkville, about 10 miles northwest as the crow flies. Excelsior Springs and Weston are both about 25 miles.
What’s the best small-town weekend trip from Kansas City?
Arrow Rock, for a show at the Lyceum Theatre and a walk through the historic village. Add Lexington on the way for the Anderson House.
Which small towns near Kansas City are in Kansas?
Louisburg, Atchison, Fort Scott, Emporia and Council Grove. Louisburg is closest, about 35 miles south.
Where did the phrase “man’s best friend” come from?
Many credit an 1870 trial in Warrensburg over a dog named Old Drum. A statue of Old Drum stands on the Johnson County Courthouse lawn.