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National World War I Museum
Rating Details »
Liberty Memorial
100 W 26th St
Kansas City, MO 64108
(816) 784-1918
100 W 26th St
Kansas City, MO 64108
(816) 784-1918
- Hours:
Tue-Sun. 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- Good for Kids:
- No
7 reviews for National World War I Museum
I'm not even a war history buff but this place amazed me. Great artifacts combined with just the right amount of detailed reading to inform but not bore...and their recreations are amazing.
Don't forget to take a trip to the top of the tower for some of the best views of KC.
A must do for tourists...even if they aren't interested in war history.
I think the WWI Museum is a must see for those living near or visiting Kansas City. The museum helps patrons understand both the US role in the war, as well as its larger impact on the world. This is especially important since this part of America's history is usually overshadowed by our involvement in WWII.
The museum was well laid out, organized by time and theme. The artifacts and videos were interesting, helping bring the war to life. The museum was the perfect size to give an well rounded survey of the war, while also not being too overwhelming. About 2 hours is the perfect amount of time to see the entire museum. If you can, I highly recommend a guided tour.
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I have been volunteering at the museum for a few weeks now. While my brother is in Afghanistan, it is something I wanted to do because he loved this museum so much - and I never knew why until now.
I have spent my time volunteering reading up on WWI and understanding the truth about it. I've found that the museum presents the information of the war honestly and dynamically.
In all my time spent at this museum, I have to disagree with Carrie H. about her assessment that the museum is too propagandist. The way the museum is set up is chronologically to present the information: the first half is the European war, the Allies war and the second half is the American involvement in the war. It is an American museum, and important to tell the American version of the war as well as the European and Australian story.
Although the decision for America to join the war was decisive in the Allied victory over Germany in the late summer and early fall of 1918 (the addition of the American units allowed English and French soldiers to finally swell the front lines and push Germany back into its own country), I found no such blunt material that would suggest that the Allies in Europe were not praised for their arduous involvement as well. The museum has several large graphs depicting the scale of troops of all the countries involved, the vast deaths of the English, French, Australian, Japanese and Italian soldiers, charts of the billions of dollars and pounds spent over the four year and three month war.
The museum's representation of the material is unbiased, truly - it simply presents the horrors of this war, bluntly and to the point - I would know because I am sensitive to obvious bias, I spent years writing in journalism and believe information should be clear and truthful.
Although my brother is in the war, that does not muddle my opinion of this museum as a whole - I can logically understand that it is an honest description of both the European and American war efforts. The museum is sure to become the national museum as long as the bill is passed in Washington (if the government knows what's good for it - proclaiming the Liberty Memorial's museum as the national museum would cost the government nothing because it's already been constructed out of the Missouri taxpayer's money. The alternative would be spending millions on a new one in DC.)
I am especially moved by the last room in the museum that displays several screens showing two motion-changing digital photos (when you walk past, it changes from one photo to the next). The first show moving and telling quotes about the unstable ends of this war and predicting the future of the world and as you move past, it reveals in the second slide the individual who said it - it is absolutely chilling.
Every week I walk through the museum, I find something I hadn't noticed before and as a history buff, it always manages to suck me in for hours.
I cant say that I'm a history buff in any sort of way, but this place is a must on your visit to KC for many reasons. First is that this place beats any book or movie that you may have seen or read about WWI. Second would be that you really get to see and feel how this war really was with the two short movies throughout the exhibit and its recreations of soldier stories from bunkers and foxholes.
One of the best museums I've visited anywhere and it's on par with any museum of Smithsonian stature. Allow anywhere from 3-5 hours and make sure to purchase the combination tour which includes the tour of the museum itself and of Liberty Memorial. There are lots and lots of artifacts from this war.
It's a great exhibit and a great way to spend an afternoon in the city.
This in my opinion is not a museum for kids.
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You are reading this for some reason, and maybe it's because you actually have heard of WWI before. The War. The War to end all wars. Well, in a way, this war is still going on. While not exactly a strict history lesson, this place can bring alive an interest like no other. While it's only free to kids under 6 and active duty or retired military folks, it's still cheap ($10 for the grand tour to include the tower).
You've got little movies, you've got interactive trench warfare, you've got multimedia displays, and you've got artifacts out the wazoo. Here are my highlights:
The tower. I like heights, and it's nice to see Kansas City from high up. At night, from the street, the tower burns and smoke comes out. Are they cooking barbecue? I want some.
The room on the roof of the museum. There are two big things which you can see from the outside as you walk up. Inside is the original museum before they built on to it a few years ago. There is some really good stuff there, and the buildings themselves are architectual niceties. In addition, there is a great movie to check out narrarated by some famous person (walter cronkite?). I also enjoyed the smallness of the space, the intimacy with the artifacts.
The big diorama with accompanying movie. This is like a combination of a 3D scenery (like a play) with timed cinematic effects and a narrarator. It makes things very interesting and if your child doesn't pay attention for more than a few seconds to this stuff, have them checked for ADHD.
The errie sphinxes. For some reason, Kansas City has a lot of these things (see the ones near the police station on the north side of linwood east of troost). According to the designer, H. Van Buren Magonigle, the two sphinex represent 'Memory' and 'Future'. Both of the sphinxes have their headed hidden by their wings; Memory hiding to forget the pain and suffering of war, Future in skepticism of things to come. Like I said, errie.
It's a great place to bring your out of town friends, or to check out if you are out of town. This place and the Nelson are really the gems of professional institutes for humanities in Kansas City.
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This Smithsonian-quality museum was a real find on my trip to Kansas City. It sits under the Liberty Memorial, and is "the only public museum in the United States dedicated exclusively to the history of World War One." Wow, right here in Kansas City?
Watch the orientation movie, and then walk the circular gallery detailing the events leading to WWI in Europe and the eventual U.S. participation. The museum has a vast collection of WWI artifacts, especially posters. Plan at least 90 minutes if you're at all interested.
Did you know Spain was completely neutral in WWI? Even Portugal declared war on Germany.
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I think I loved their doors the most. So modern! No handles, just push on these ginormous, tall brass doors to enter. And then walk over a glass floor with poppies growing a level underneath. Nice.
The first world war was epic, and the only WWI museum in the U.S. should be epic as well. And this was definitely epic.
They must have had quite a budget for this place, with all the props and dioramas, and the videos, but the whole feel to this place was a little too propagandist for me. I know were in the U.S., and without our help, we wouldn't have "won" this war. It's history, it's what happened, but they didn't showcase how the other countries improved when America stepped into the picture. Or how America's reluctance to participate caused a whole big mess for the other countries (the real impact they went through). Instead, it was how America "saved" our allies. And aren't we great? And, look how we're heroes and the whole world loves us! Ugh..
So, call me unpatriotic or what you will. But a little love for the rest of the world would've been appropriate.