St. Louis (Gateway Arch, free zoo, City Museum) and Kansas City (free Nelson-Atkins, WWI Museum, Royals and Chiefs) are Missouri's two big cities, and this page compares what their official sites print (read 2026-10-30).Read October 30, 2026 from each page named in the tables. We rank nothing.
- 2Cities
- 15Items Listed
- Oct 30, 2026Checked
- Official OnlyPrices
St. Louis
| St. Louis | What It Is | Hours or Price as Printed |
|---|---|---|
| Gateway Arch National Park | National park with visitor center, museum and tram to the top. | Visitor center 9am-6pm; grounds 5am-11pm; tram prices not stated |
| Saint Louis Zoo | Free-entry zoo with paid extras on an Adventure Pass. | 9 a.m.-4 p.m. daily Oct 8-Dec 31, 2026; entry free |
| City Museum | Artist-built play space at 750 North 16th Street. | Page showed 10am-9pm on one fetch and 10am-6pm on another; 2026 daily tickets start at $20, children 2 and under free |
| Explore St. Louis visitor office | Convention and visitors bureau at 701 Convention Plaza, Suite 300. | not stated |
| St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) | Airport with Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. | not stated |
| St. Louis Cardinals | Team shown under NL Central on the MLB site. | not stated |
| St. Louis Blues | NHL team listing on nhl.com. | not stated |
| St. Louis CITY SC | Soccer team; the site names Energizer Park as its stadium. | not stated |
Kansas City
| Kansas City | What It Is | Hours or Price as Printed |
|---|---|---|
| Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art | Art museum with a sculpture park and restaurants. | Mon 10-5, Tue-Wed closed, Thu-Fri 10-9, Sat-Sun 10-5; admission free; Oak Street garage parking $20 |
| National WWI Museum and Memorial | Museum and Liberty Memorial Tower. | Wed-Mon 10-5, closed Tue (Labor Day-Memorial Day); general admission adults $19.50, youth $11.50, under 6 free |
| Kansas City Zoo | Zoo with online and gate ticket pricing. | Weekdays 9:30am-4pm, weekends 9:30am-5pm; general admission $22-$24 online, $25-$28 gate; ages 2 and under free |
| Visit KC visitor office | Visitors bureau office at 1111 Main St., Suite 180. | not stated |
| Kansas City Royals | Team site names Kauffman Stadium. | not stated |
| Kansas City Chiefs | Team site names Arrowhead Stadium, One Arrowhead Drive. | not stated |
| Sporting Kansas City | Team site lists its stadium location as Kansas City, Kansas. | not stated |
Good to Know
- Explore St. Louis suggests day trips to Cahokia Mounds, Hannibal, Saint Charles and Missouri Wine Country. (explorestlouis.com)
- Visit KC highlighted the Liberty Memorial's centennial and a barbecue guide. (visitkc.com)
- Visit KC lists the Berlin Wall exhibition at Union Station through Dec. 13, 2026. (visitkc.com)
- STL airport site lists GoJet Airlines (United Express) and Terminal 1/2 plus Lots A-E parking. (flystl.com)
- Kansas City Zoo offers Jackson/Clay County resident discounted tickets. (kansascityzoo.org)
- The WWI Museum offers a $10 local combo ticket Aug 1-Dec 30, 2026 to residents of listed counties. (theworldwar.org)
Town Guides
What We Could Not Verify
Not confirmed
- Population from Census QuickFacts: census.gov returned 403 for both cities; st-louis city site printed none
- Kansas City airport official site (flykci.com does not resolve; kcmo.gov/airport 403)
- Gateway Arch tram prices: not printed on NPS hours page or gatewayarch.com
- St. Louis Zoo, Kansas City Zoo: STL zoo hoursandadmission URL 404 (used hours-and-prices)
- Kansas City Current/other teams not checked; Sporting KC site says stadium is in Kansas, USA state not Missouri
- The Kansas City airport official site could not be read, so no airport row is listed.
Questions People Ask
Which city has the free zoo?
St. Louis: its zoo page says entry is always free. Kansas City Zoo lists paid admission.
Which has a free art museum?
The Nelson-Atkins in Kansas City is free every day.
What pro teams play in each city?
St. Louis: Cardinals, Blues, CITY SC. Kansas City: Royals, Chiefs, Sporting KC, per team sites.
Sources
- explorestlouis.com, read October 30, 2026
- visitkc.com, read October 30, 2026
- citymuseum.org, read October 30, 2026
- citymuseum.org, read October 30, 2026
- nelson-atkins.org, read October 30, 2026
- nps.gov, read October 30, 2026
- stlzoo.org, read October 30, 2026
- stlzoo.org, read October 30, 2026
- theworldwar.org, read October 30, 2026
- kansascityzoo.org, read October 30, 2026
- kansascityzoo.org, read October 30, 2026
- flystl.com, read October 30, 2026
- mlb.com, read October 30, 2026
- mlb.com, read October 30, 2026
- nhl.com, read October 30, 2026
- chiefs.com, read October 30, 2026
- sportingkc.com, read October 30, 2026
- stlcitysc.com, read October 30, 2026
- stlouis-mo.gov, read October 30, 2026
Checked October 30, 2026 by It’s Missouri. Cite this page: Kansas City vs St. Louis, itsmissouri.com (https://itsmissouri.com/destinations/kansas-city-vs-st-louis/), checked 2026-10-30. Free to quote with a link.