CVC Kansas City: How to dine, drink, relax and ride like a local

Heading to CVC Kansas City later this month? Lucky dog!

KC Streetcar hours of operation

Monday to Thursday: 6 a.m. to 12 a.m.

Friday: 6 a.m. to 2 a.m.

Saturday: 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Sunday: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Did we mention it's FREE?

For the first time ever, CVC attendees will have access to the KC Streetcar line, a free transportation system that spans two bustling miles of downtown Kansas City. We've put together some our favorite places to dine, drink and relax, organized by streetcar stop, to get you started.

Stop: 14th and Main (Power & Light District)

Only an eight-minute walk from Bartle Hall, this stop is an ideal starting point for CVC attendees.

Caffeinate: Kaldi's Coffee specializes in sustainably sourcing and roasting coffees from all over the world. The busy shop offers drip, hand-brewed and cold-brewed coffee, an espresso bar, Firepot teas and a selection of fruit smoothies.

Dine: Cleaver and Cork, one of downtown Kansas City's newest restaurants, is a “gourmet butcher-driven gastropub.” Be sure to save room for the pecan butter cake with bourbon ice cream and salted caramel, and as its name suggests, it's a good spot for wine, too.

If you're looking for a lunch that's snappy and healthy, head to The Mixx, where you can craft your own salads and sandwiches from your favorite ingredients.

Drink:Flying Saucer has 76 brews on tap and even more in bottles. If you like to mix drinking with mechanical bull riding, PBR Big Sky could be your cup of tea. But if an Irish sports bar is more your style, try McFadden's Sports Saloon, where you just might run into a Royals player.

Relax: Alamo Drafthouse Cinema isn't your normal cinema, and we mean that in the best possible way. You can order drinks and food throughout the film, and a stealthy, ninja-like waiter will make sure your needs are met without interrupting your view.

Stop: 5th and Walnut (City Market)

Relax: From 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, the City Market hosts a farmers' market with over 140 stalls of fresh produce, baked goods and flowers. It's a feast for the eyes (and stomach)!  

Caffeinate: City Market Coffee, a City Market staple for 20 years, certainly serves regular coffee, but you might want to try one of its most popular drinks: The Hippie. Similar to an iced latte, the Hippie replaces espresso with cold press coffee concentrate and combines it with soy milk and honey.

If you're more of a traditionalist, Quay Coffee is about a block away. The menu is simple but simply delicious.

Dine: Just up the street from Quay, you can get traditional Neapolitan wood-fired (mouth-watering) pizza at Il Lazzerone, or “farm-to-fork” American eats at Farmhouse.

Stop: 19th and Main (Crossroads)

Dine: Jack Stack Barbecue is a five-minute walk away from the streetcar path, but it's a small sacrifice for bbq this good. Located in a converted freight house, you can eat burnt ends and ribs to your heart's content under 25-foot ceilings.

Not in the mood for smoked meats? No problem. Check out nearby Lidia's for traditional Italian (it's owned by television personality and cookbook author Lidia Bastianich), or Nara for fresh sushi. 

Drinks: Described by the owner as a “reservation-taking speakeasy,” Manifesto features inventive cocktails in an intimate, subterranean lounge. It only has 48 seats, so make reservations, and go to the back of the building to enter (it's housed in the same building as The Rieger Hotel).

If going underground isn't your thing, try Tom's Town Distilling Co., the Crossroad's first legal distillery since Prohibition. Visit its art deco tasting room to sip cocktails in Gatsby-esque surrounds.

Beer lovers will want to flock to Ruins Pub, a self-pour beer bar with 52 beers on tap-40 of which are self-serve. 

Want to see where all of these places are in relation to each other? Check out the interactive map below.