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City of lights

Kansas City really shines this month

By Kim Cross
Southern Living

Carriage rides are a festive way to take in the sights of the season in Kansas City.

• Kansas City Convention and Visitors Association

• Best of the South

• Get a taste of Christmas at Dollywood

FAVORITE STAYS

Hotel Phillips: This is one of our favorite downtown stays, a boutique-style hotel with reasonable prices (rates start at $119). The Phillips Chop House restaurant features steaks and seafood, and 12Baltimore offers swank martinis. 106 West 12th Street; (816) 221-7000 or http://www.hotelphillips.com.

The Fairmont Kansas City at the Plaza: Few hotel rooms feel cozier than home, but The Fairmont's comfortable beds will put yours to the test. Rooms start at $250. 401 Ward Parkway; (816) 756-1500 or http://www.fairmont.com/kansascity/.

YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS

(Southern Living) -- White lights sparkle on a crisp winter night, illuminating the city with a cozy glow. Shoppers pause from the bustle to drink it all in -- the twinkling lights, the gathering dusk, and the way the air buzzes with the holiday spirit.

On perfect nights, a faint dusting of snow might settle upon Kansas City, frosting the countless sculptures and fountains that guard its lovely avenues. White and bright, the radiant city becomes a spectacular backdrop for yearly traditions that set holiday cheer in action.

Home away from home for the holidays

Although this city may be a metropolis, you're still certain to feel as welcome here as you would in any small Southern town. Built upon bluffs and a bend in the Missouri River, Kansas City sits close to the geographic center of the country. A blend of regional flavors and cultures, this is the heart of America's heartland.

Kansas City doesn't fool around when it comes to Christmas. Before Thanksgiving's leftovers have been gobbled up, it's time to hit the lights. Crowds gather to witness the lighting ceremonies that take place across town to a chorus of sighs. With the flip of a switch, the holidays begin promptly, officially, and dramatically.

Shopping in a winter wonderland

Spending Christmas in Kansas City is unthinkable without bundling up to explore the brilliant Country Club Plaza. The 15-block shopping district sparkles with miles and miles of white and colored bulbs that trace the buildings' Mediterranean curves.

"There's nothing like it anywhere," says Kansas City native Linda Cone. "Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without the plaza and the lights." The annual tradition begins Thanksgiving night, when a crowd of thousands gathers to see the power turned on.

Built in 1922 as the nation's first suburban shopping district, the plaza was modeled after Seville, Spain. The 100 shops range from Armani to Z Gallerie, and a Segway store offers guided tours before and after dark. Restaurants and cafes provide opportunities to pop in for a warm drink and a bite to eat.

The only thing that can top an evening stroll through the plaza is a ride in a horse-drawn carriage, while bundled in blankets and sipping a thermos of steaming cocoa. Several companies tour the streets, but a certain lit stagecoach steals the show, glowing like Cinderella's enchanted pumpkin. "You feel so special when you're in that one," says Andrea Mantel, who brings her two young children for a holiday treat. "The kids think it's awesome."

Oh Tannenbaum

Towering over Hallmark's Crown Center Square, the mayor's 100-foot Christmas tree is a sight to behold. Decked with 7,200 white lights, it's one of the nation's largest. Lit the day after the plaza, the tree becomes the centerpiece of a small illuminated forest and a cluster of larger-than-life holiday decorations.

Across the square, ice-skaters glide, spin, and occasionally skid through the Ice Terrace, the city's only outdoor public rink. An evening skate is an annual tradition that locals say is a can't-miss experience. The arena is sheltered by a giant canopy that doesn't block the fresh air or the views of the square, and, despite the ice beneath your feet, it's too much fun to mind the cold.

"Once you start skating, your heart starts pumping, and you don't notice it at all," says Anna Kopriva Lopez, a 27-year-old Spanish teacher who comes here every year. "I usually don't even wear a scarf or coat."

If you do feel a chill, there's plenty to do indoors. Crown Center Square contains 60 shops and restaurants, a cinema, and two live theaters. The American Heartland Theatre showcases Broadway-style productions, and The Coterie Theatre was named by Time magazine as one of the top five children's theaters in the country. Unlike Broadway, you can usually get tickets at the door.

An elevated indoor walkway connects Crown Center Square to Union Station, an elegant train station now home to a planetarium, a giant movie screen, several restaurants and shops, and an interactive science museum.

Warm up around town

The signature dish at PotPie warms customers on chilly days.

The best thing about braving December's cold is remembering the many agreeable ways to warm back up. Hearty meals and cozy cafes abound in Kansas City, which is known for its fantastic dining.

"The best restaurants in the world are, of course, in Kansas City," wrote Calvin Trillin, a KC native and New York writer who has tasted his way around the globe. Warm your own ribs with authentic barbecue (Trillin claims Arthur Bryant's is the single best restaurant in the world). Better yet, take our own critic's pick and get toasty with the namesake dish at PotPie, a small lunch spot with fancy yet affordable comfort food.

The boutiques and galleries of the Crossroads Arts District offer a great opportunity to hop from heater to heater in one of the region's hottest arts districts. Find unusual Christmas gifts--from Chinese teapots to hand-dyed silk throw pillows made by local textile artist Joscelyn Himes -- in Black Bamboo.

Picture perfect

Kansas City has more fountains than any city except Rome, but most of them are turned off for the winter. All but one -- the Northland Fountain in North Kansas City. The frozen cascade becomes an organic ice sculpture. Mittened families come to admire it. Life may imitate art -- elsewhere. In Kansas City it mimics a Hallmark card.

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