We love Kansas City, and we love sharing our home town with all of our favorite people. In addition to eating our way through the city (see our restaurant recommendations here), below are some of our favorite things to do when we're back home.

Union Station is the site of our wedding reception, so you’ll be spending some time here. But, it’s worth a separate visit if you have free time. The architecture is stunning, written plaques on the walls tell a rich history of the building and the city, and it’s also home to a model train gallery, science city, and more.

The Nelson is one of Kansas City's gems. It's free (except for certain exhibits) and houses an expansive collection of artwork from all genres and corners of the globe. We also love grabbing food for a picnic from Cosentino's or Whole Foods and spending an afternoon on the front or back lawn (keep an eye out for the famous Shuttlecock sculptures on the lawn).

The Crossroads is the closest neighborhood to downtown. We love spending an afternoon walking around and exploring the 100+ art galleries in the district. You can also do your own pub crawl at some of the city's best micro breweries (some of our favorites are Casual Animal, Double Shift and Brewery Emperial, although there are plenty more to visit). We'd also recommend stopping by Boulevard's nearby tasting room--there's a giant deck with fantastic views of the city.

Located near the Missouri riverfront (Ian's favorite place to be), the Rivermarket neighborhood is home to tons of local shops and restaurants. City Market also hosts a farmer's market every Saturday and Sunday, where you can find plenty of local provisions. We love to take the streetcar from downtown and spend a couple of hours exploring when the weather is cooperating.

The Plaza is a lovely outdoor shopping and restaurant district, with architecture modeled after Kansas City's sister city, Seville, Spain. Look out for the many fountains in the area (Kansas City dubs itself the "City of Fountains," and locals will tell you we have more fountains than any city except for Rome).

New to KC, the Parade of Hearts project placed painted heart sculptures throughout downtown and the surrounding neighborhoods. At the end of May, the hearts will be auctioned and the funds will be donated to some of KC's most important causes, including supporting the city's healthcare system, education system and small/minority owned businesses. See how many you can find while you're out and about!