While it is NOT petro if you go to Kansas City:
Visit the NATIONAL WW1 museum – dude that place is way cool but if you do go, be SURE to see both sides of the museum, they have a movie theater in the middle of it, you have to walk through it to get to the rest of the museum “the theater is at the front of the poppie field you walk over on the glass floor and there is ˝ of the museum on both left and right sides of the theater – they messed up in my opinion on the layout” – it is kind of C shaped, it is real easy to only see one side and miss the other if you don’t know it is there.
link:
http://www.theworldwar.org/s/110/new/index.aspx?sid=110&gid=1&pgid=1044While you are there go across the street and put your hands on 40 million dollars or real currency at the KC Federal Reserve, take a look at there tommy gun on display, hold up a real full size gold bar, free to visit - no tour needed, just stop in, walk in the front door, give your license to the guys behind the counter, walk through the metal dectors, and walk inside and walk around on the first floor, look at how they clean and process the money etc... They have a coin collection of all of the US coins on display that will blow your mind, you can even get a free bag of shredded money on your way out.
While you are in that area, go to GATES BBQ just 2 blocks south on I believe Broadway – some of the best BBQ you will ever have and GATES is only a KC chain and they are in all the BBQ television travel shows - yell out "one combo please" = that is what we eat everytime, you will understand the "yell out" when you go there lol...
link:
www.gatesbbq.comAlso in the same area, 1 block away is the Grand Union Pacific "untion station" train depot, that place is in all kinds of movies, and it is also a site to see – they always have something going on.
link:
www.unionstation.orgOh yea and another place that will blow your mind is the Steamboat Arabia museum "it is at the river front area with all kinds of cool shops, that is a very cool place showing a steamboat that was found sunk with all goods on board, and they have been cleaning up the items and putting them out on display - mind blowing items. There is some Italian Mob looking and acting guys that own a sidewalk hamburger stand that have some pretty good and cheap food to eat while you are down there.
link:
www.1856.comDang now I am hungry for some Gates BBQ, man their fries are great too!!! "time for a little drive"
Travis
Topeka, Kansas