If you only had one tank of gas to go to the destination of your choice, where would you go?
COVID-19 has made it very difficult to find activities and places that comply with social distancing safety measures, but the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is a really good option to occupy your time.
The museum is located in downtown Kansas City, MO in the Historic 18th and Vine St. Jazz District about two hours from Manhattan — an easy commute to make with only one tank of gas.
While the museum’s beginnings were humble, it has grown into a huge hotspot for tourists in Kansas City.
“The NLBM opened its doors to the public in a tiny, one-room office space in 1991 with a dream of building a permanent facility that would pay rightful tribute to America’s unsung baseball heroes,” the NLBM website says.
The NLBM achieved this goal and was moved shortly after in 1997 to a 10,000 square-foot space in the Jazz District around other museums where over two million visitors have passed through.
The NLBM has also been recognized as “America’s National Negro Leagues Baseball Museum” in 2006 by the United States Congress.
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The museum offers a thorough look into what the Negro Leagues were like with interactive exhibits, player cards and artifacts from legendary players, pictures of players, owners and games and even some of the players’ gear.
It also features an impressive baseball field with bronze, life-size statues of baseball legends at the end of your tour. You essentially walk through a chronological history of the leagues and read about the ins and outs of them while seeing artifacts.
Not only is the museum itself very interesting, but it is also in a prime location. Located directly next to the American Jazz Museum and several jazz clubs and restaurants, the museum is in a great spot to fill up a tourists’ agenda for the day.
Luckily, the museum is taking COVID-19 restrictions very seriously and is following protocols. The staff strongly encourages visitors to make a reservation ahead of time to ensure they are allowed entry at their desired time.
It is also enforcing social distancing guidelines and sanitizing regularly between tours.
For information on guidelines, restrictions and hours you can visit the museum’s website or call (816) 221-1920.
Next time you are looking for something to do with only one tank of gas, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is a great option to explore.
