Even if you aren't a shopper, this is such an extraodinary 14 square block area that everyone ought to at least drive through it once. It was designed in 1922 as the nation's first suburban shopping district. It reminds me of the shopping in London---lots of fountains, statues, nice store fronts, people everywhere. There is plenty of free parking---along the streets and in parking garages.
It can be quite a mess to drive through, though---especially around Christmas! There are no stop signs in this several block area. Around Christmas, there are a lot of horse drawn carriages and limos that also cruise this area. It's beautiful at all times, but the way it's lit up for the holidays is a sight to behold! I have heard that in order to get a shop there, you have to submit proposed Christmas lighting. Don't know if that's true, but all the buildings were lit up beautifully. More than 200,000 lights, spanning 75 miles, outline the towers and buildings on the Plaza from Thanksgiving through early January. There are even carolers wandering around the plaza then. In the summer months May through Sept., there are free weekly concerts (every Thursday and Friday night and Saturday and Sunday afternoon in the Plaza courtyards.) If you're there in Sept., check out September on the Plaza. That is the Plaza Art Fair---its a nationally known show that features the works of 230 top artists from around the country (exhibits ranging from painting and sculpture, to jewelry and basketry. There's even a Kids Art workshop then where kids can create artworks to take home.)
There are all kinds of stores in here---Armani and Saks Fifth Avenue to Eddie Bauer and Abercrombie & Fitch. In all, 180 shops. Plenty of restuarants, too, somewhere around 60 of them----everything from private dining, to little specialty shops, to restaurants. There's even a historic 1920's theatre (Plaza Theater) where you can catch a first run movie. Kansas City's only Four Star/Four Diamond Hotel is here, too--the Fairmont; as well as 4 other hotels and/or suites.
KC developer Jesse Clyde Nichols declared "no inspiration ever came from a city of ugliness.'' Without mountains or oceans, he said, Midwesterners had to create their own beauty. So he tore down 30 old houses and built European-style fountains and Spanish-tiled restaurants, theaters, department stores, hotels and galleries. He styled this area after the European shopping districts he visited while in Europe. "The Plaza" IS the city's shopping district.