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Arabia Steamboat Museum
Categories: Arts & Entertainment Museums Local Flavor Museums, Local Flavor [Edit]
400 Grand BlvdKansas City, MO 64106
Neighborhoods: Rivermarket, Greater Downtown
(816) 471-1856
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
10 reviews for Arabia Steamboat Museum
10 reviews in English
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Review from Joi B.
4/25/2011 1 Check-in Here
If you're at all like me, you may have been obsessed with the Titanic since you first heard about it when you were a little kid. Fast forward a to when the movie came out and I'd be on the various Titanic websites for hours, checking out the images and video and fun facts. I heard rumor that they'd be selling extremely expensive tickets for voyages into the deep sea to view the remnants of the ship. If I didn't get hives just thinking about being contained in some tiny underwater apparatus, I'd probably start saving my money now.
You can imagine how the Arabia Steamboat Museum would be right up my alley! The story behind the sinking of the steamboat is interesting, if not as full of tragedy as the Titanic (I love my tragic stories!), being that the only casualty was a mule (and yay, the bones are on display!) This sinking took place roughly 50 years before the Titanic met her fateful demise, by the way.
Wow, I'm really giving you a fascinating lecture, aren't I? Read on...
Who knew that they had to *dig into a field* to retrieve the treasures from the sunken steamboat? That's because the course of the river shifted over the years. The MO MO ain't no Atlantic Ocean (nary an iceberg in sight!) In fact, a great percentage of steamboats didn't survive the rough waters of the mighty MO, so it was pretty hardcore.
You will be surprised that it was not a crew of seasoned archaeologists who dug up the thousands of artifacts, but a crew made up of a family of air conditioning experts and the owner of a local greasy spoon. Truth! You've gotta love adventure seekers and treasure hunters.
You *will* be amazed by what they were able to retrieve in perfect condition, once cleaned (and stitched together if it were anything made with cotton thread which disintegrated). Bolts of silk were retrieved and restored good as new. Stunningly beautiful china and glass items are all on display, as well as preserved and pickled food items and liquor. There's so much to look at. There's so much to... smell. Well, one thing at least. They took a bottle of perfume they found to be reproduced so that we smell what people (men and women alike... not much bathing going on back then) wanted to smell like. Stupid me got this wretched fragrance on my hands and I smelled like old lady for the rest of the day. Oh well, there I go, keeping it vintage fo realz.
The man behind the whole expedition came out and spoke to us after a short film, which was a nice surprise for those who are as morbidly curious as am I. He regaled us with fun facts like "sleep tight" refers to bed keys that pulled the ropes holding up the mattress. Many of these are on display. (Related to this: the bed bugs they so glibly referred to back were controlled by putting the bed posts in pans of water. Awesome. Cancel your exterminators now.)
Both adults and children alike will be entertained and intrigued by the entire tour and exhibit.
Yet another 5-star attraction in Kansas City. -
Review from Jimmi H.
1/26/2012
The Steamboat Arabia may have been just an average steam ship 150 years ago, but today it plays the staring role in a highly above average museum. Earning a degree in history, you can only guess how much I nerd out over exhibits such as this one. And how can I not? This is one of the largest collections of 19th Century American artifacts...in near perfect condition.
Upon entering the Arabia Steamboat Museum it may not seem like much. I always first notice the giant water wheel churning up a small pool. Even though I have seen it multiple times I still find myself leaning over the railing with all of the 8 year old school kids there on a field trip. That is one of the many ways that the family who owns this amazing find has thought outside of the box. If a wheel needs to stay wet to remain preserved, make it do what it was meant to do.
Before entering the museum you first go through a short but very information heavy tour. During this time one of their local historians talks about the ship itself before it sank, the river lifestyle of Antebellum/Frontier America, how the Arabia sank, and then how it was discovered and salvaged. Next you are treated to a little movie giving some great visuals on the excavation and information on how river channels move (or at least used to before the earth 20th century Army Corps of Engineer projects). When the movie concludes one of the men who actually worked to take all of those artifacts out of the cold ground grants you a Q and A session. I'm not sure if this is a regular occurrence, but both times I have gone through here it has happened.
The Museum itself is amazing! I keep wondering if I should in-fact give it a fifth star, so fellow yelpers i give it an honorary half star, totaling 4.5 stars! You can walk through and see things just as they were not so long ago. A cargo ship, the Arabia held so much, and now the museum does too! You can walk through at your own pace and see all of the artifacts they have cleaned and preserved. Also on display is their restoration lab. You can watch as artifacts are cleaned and prepared for display. The dedication these folks have is super. I really like the fact that they decided to keep the collection complete and not sell any of it!
This is a great way to spend an afternoon! A must for anyone who loves to learn about our history. Literally our history, this boat was found right up by Parkville! A great museum for a great city. A must! -
Review from Samantha G.
Washington, DC
4/5/2011 1 Check-in Here
So I presented my parents with a nice list of museums to check out while we were in KC (courtesy of the Yelp community). But all my dad wanted to see was some steamboat museum. After having to hear him bring it up constantly for an entire day, my mom and I relented. And I'm really glad we did. This is actually a fantastic museum hidden away in the River Market area. Don't let appearances deceive you, this one is worth it.
We arrived and purchased tickets just as a tour was about to start. It is set-up so you have a tour guide for the first portion and then walk around and explore on your own. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and interesting. After an overview of the steamboats and the Missouri river, we were ushered into a little theater (big screen, lots of chairs) to watch a video with interviews and footage and whatnot about the excavation. At the close of the short film, one of the actual folks who led the excavation, and subsequent museum creation, came out and talked to us and took questions.
The museum itself is really great. So many artifacts! It's like walking through a store back in the mid-1800s. It's kinda crazy to see a section filled with pickles and ketchup and whatnot - all perfectly preserved. What was most interesting to me, though, was the preservation efforts. The museum will continue to grow as they slowly (it's a long process and there was literally a boatload of artifacts) get other items ready for display. I really enjoyed all the stories about how the preserved the wood of the steamboat, all the boots, etc. And you get to see part of the lab and even smell some of the perfume they found.
All in all, this is definitely a great museum and worth the price of admission. -
Review from Kyle R.
Kansas City, MO
7/22/2008
I've passed this place every day for a couple years on my way to work but never actually made plans to go through it until a couple weeks ago. I wasn't expecting much, but its actually a really nice museum with a fun, interesting story behind it.
This ship sank on the Missouri River, just north of Kansas City, and as the corps of engineers/nature switched the river's direction, it ended up being buried in a farmer's field, rather than in the river. To raise the ship, they had to dig a huge hole and then continually pump water out as they removed things because its always coming back in. The low oxygen, no sunlight atmosphere did a fantastic job of preserving everything on the ship. There are dresses/shirts that look like you could wear them tomorrow. There are jars of pickles that are still bright green - one of the excavators actually ate one of these 130 year old pickles and said it tasted very normal.
Of course, its kind of amusing that we make a big deal out of 130 year old history in this country. I think most people in Europe have 130 year old stuff around their house :)
All in all, a fun, interesting way to spend a couple hours. -
Review from Samantha A.
Shawnee Mission, KS
7/18/2008
Why read about Kansas City history when you can discover it on a real-life treasure hunt? From a glimpse at frontier dress to the buttons, bottles and boots settlers bought before heading West, much of the 222 tons of recovered cargo from the sunken Steamboat Arabia are on display at the Arabia Steamboat Museum in Kansas City's historic River Market district.
Through videos, storytelling and well-preserved artifacts, the museum recounts how a determined group of modern explorers rediscovered and rescued the Arabia after she was covered in Missouri River mud for more than 130 years. It also showcases the full load of treasures the boat contained when she went down. Whether you join a guided tour or wander through the exhibits at your own pace, the Arabia Steamboat Museum offers 21st-century visitors a rare look at 19th-century life. -
Review from Jessica D.
Aurora, IL
7/22/2007
This was a lot of fun, as the location of our company's special event dinner with us the staff, and one of our major committees.
The museum is so amazing because it shows you a timeline of events and the actual ship. They recovered a lot of perfect condition items from the ship, which was preserved inside a solid wall of mud. They say someone even tried some of the moonshine... and survived! ;o)
Thoroughly a great visit whenever in the area, well worth it to revisit the old steamboat days of our country. -
Review from Meredith S.
Overland Park, KS
2/13/2011
The Arabia is one of Kansas City's "treasures" and every local and visitor should see it. Reading about history is nothing like seeing it right before your eyes. Hearing the story about these every day guys that had a dream of digging up a sunken boat and did it, gave me chills. How wonderful that every step of the way was documented and now the story and their findings are there for all of us to see. It makes me wonder...if every sunken boat and ship could be dug up...what would the wonders aboard them be? As a native of Kansas City I can't believe I waited until the museum had been open for several years before I went to see it! Now, I take out of town visitors to see it. It's sad how sometimes we travel to "see things" and miss or overlook the real treasures right here at home. Enjoy...and take the grandparents and kids with you.
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Review from Kim B.
Cupertino, CA
8/7/2009
If you are in Kansas City, this museum is definitely worth a visit. It is a wonderful collection of items you would see in a general store in 1856. The collection is very well preserved and displayed. I was very impressed. It is a piece of history preserved, kids and adults will love it. The tour guides were helpful and seem to really enjoy their jobs. The enthusiasm of the staff is great.
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Review from Roxanne A.
Shawnee Mission, KS
7/6/2009
Fun museum, it's a lot bigger than it looks from the outside. They have everything from a cool story of adventure to find the buried treasure to a great exhibit showing what life must have been like back then.
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Review from K A.
Lee's Summit, MO
8/26/2008
I recall many times when I was younger visiting the museum, and enjoying it. Sounds bad, but the donkey was my classes favorite part! I recently went to the exhibit maybe 6 months ago with my family. Kind of a trip down memory lane. I felt I was 'older' and could 'understand' and 'learn' more about the Steamboat. We all enjoyed it once again, and I will frequent the museum till I am too old to walk.
