Gangster Walking Tours!
Skip Another Boring Weekend. Walk Kansas City’s Wildest Stories Instead.
While much of the country cracked down during Prohibition, Kansas City kept the party going.
As a tour guide in Kansas City, one of my favorite walking tours is the gangster tour. This was actually the most difficult to develop of all the tours I offer. The dates and time lines can be confusing. The locations overlap back and forth across the city and the timelines all at once. Even just narrowing it down to Kansas City alone was a challenge, because KC was kind of a jumping off point to a lot of the mob activity starting up in Chicago and New York. It all began in the 1890’s with the influx of Italian immigrants that were fleeing Sicily from their own mob group. So naturally, the criminals followed. Theirs was not the only ones to follow either.
When most people think of mob activity it’s assumed that it was related to the roaring 20’s and all the open drinking and speakeasies. It seems all so glamorous. In reality it was not like Hollywood. In KC there were about 450 bars in the area. Some hidden underground and others right out in the open or in Barns—thus the name Hey! Hey! Club, because you sat on hay bales. Mostly they were sparse because owners did not want to invest in nice things in case the police were just going to raid it. Mind you, these are the same police that would take bribes to look the other way. Did you know the police were deliberately underpaid to encourage bribes?
Every vice you could think of was available from the 200 brothels (one located just down the street from the police station), gambling and bars, mostly naked servers in upscale entertainment businesses. Even marijuana and heroin flowed pretty freely.
Most people walk through downtown Kansas City without realizing they’re standing where gangsters once ran the city. The office of Tom Pendergast himself is located on Main Street in downtown on the streetcar line. Even Jazz and BBQ are connected to the prohibition era.
This is what makes the Gangster Walking Tour with Just One Day Travel Tours in Kansas City one of the most unexpected things to experience here.
✔ See historic locations tied to KC’s mob past
✔ Hear true stories of corruption, crime, and political power
✔ Explore downtown Kansas City in a completely different way
✔ Learn how jazz, nightlife, and gangsters became connected
Once you hear them, you’ll never see downtown Kansas City the same way again.
Gangster Walking Tour — Kansas City
✔ Moderately paced walking tour
✔ Great for locals and visitors
✔ Fun mix of history, storytelling, and exploration
✔ Private group options available
Book your spot now at:
Because the best way to explore Kansas City…Is to walk the stories most people never hear.
