Missouri
Small-Town Weekend Getaways from Kansas City
An 1830s river port that lost the river, a 1930s mineral-water spa town, and a German wine village on the Missouri, all within three hours of Kansas City.
At a glance
Kansas City has 3 small-town weekend escapes, each with a full 48-hour guide to where to stay, what to do, and where to eat. Drives run from 35 min to Excelsior Springs and 2 hr 45 min to Hermann. The headline draws: Hall of Waters, McCormick Distilling, Stone Hill Winery cellars. Most of these towns are at their best April-May, September-October.
- Escapes
- 3 towns
- Drive range
- 35 minutes to 2 hours 45 minutes
- Closest
- Excelsior Springs, 35 min
- Best months
- April-May, September-October
Pick your trip
Three ways to start planning a weekend from Kansas City.
Shortest drive
Excelsior Springs
Excelsior Springs is 35 min from Kansas City. A mineral-water spa town with an Art Deco water bar and a hotel that survived Al Capone and Truman.
Most to do
Weston
3 mapped stops in Weston, at 40 min out. Like an 1840s river town that never got a highway bypass
Worth the drive
Hermann
Hermann is the longest haul at 2 hr 45 min. A German wine village on the Missouri bluffs, where the cellars were winning gold medals in Vienna before Napa existed.
The short version
Small towns near Kansas City worth a 48-hour trip
Kansas City sits within an easy drive of three towns that national travel coverage almost never touches: an 1840s river port that outgrew Kansas City and then froze in time, a mineral-water spa town with an Art Deco water bar, and a German wine village on the Missouri bluffs where the cellars were winning medals in Vienna before Napa existed. All three are under three hours.
Weston, 40 minutes north on I-29, was the second-busiest port on the Missouri River in the 1840s. When the river shifted and the railroad went elsewhere, the town stopped building, leaving one of the most intact antebellum commercial districts in the Midwest, plus McCormick Distilling (1856, the oldest continuously operating distillery west of the Mississippi) and Pirtle Winery in an 1867 church. Excelsior Springs, 35 minutes northeast, was a national mineral-water resort by 1890, and its 1937 Hall of Waters still holds the longest water bar in the world, with the Elms Hotel and Spa up the hill. And Hermann, 2 hours 45 minutes east, is the Missouri Rhineland: founded by German settlers in 1837, home to Stone Hill Winery's hand-carved cellars since 1847, and walkable end to end.
Compare the Kansas City escapes
Drive time, character, best season, and the one thing to do first, for every town within reach of Kansas City.
| Town | Drive | Character | Best time | Do first |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excelsior Springs | 35 min | Like Saratoga Springs, at half the price | April-May, September-October | Hall of Waters |
| Weston | 40 min | Like an 1840s river town that never got a highway bypass | April-May, September-October | McCormick Distilling |
| Hermann | 2 hr 45 min | Like the Mosel, dropped into Missouri | September-October | Stone Hill Winery cellars |
On the calendar
Coming up in the Kansas City escapes
Events happening in the small towns themselves, not the city.
Refreshed weekly
Nov 6
Here in Hermann - First Friday Event
Hermann · Historic District
Stroll through the historic district for an evening of live music, art, and local food and drink. It provides an engaging community introduction to a weekend escape in Missouri wine country.
Nov 14 to 15
Weston Wassailing Market
Weston · Weston Burley House
Celebrate the season at an Old World Christmas market featuring artisan makers, warm cider, traditional wassail, and Father Christmas. It offers a charming holiday shopping getaway in historic downtown Weston.
Nov 14
Holiday Kick-Off
Hermann · Downtown Hermann
Launch eight weeks of Christmas festivities with live radio entertainment, accordion music, and visits with Santa. It makes an ideal start to a festive weekend getaway exploring Hermann's historic German village.
The roundup
The Best Weekend Trips from Kansas City: A River Port, a Mineral Spa, and a German Wine Village
The direct answer: Weston for the intact 1840s river port, Excelsior Springs for the Hall of Waters and a spa hotel, and Hermann for Missouri wine country on the Katy Trail. Three complete 48-hour plans.
Read the guide →All Kansas City escapes
3 weekend trip ideas from Kansas City, sorted by how far you have to drive. Vibes covered: history, food, wellness, wine.
Under 1 hour
2 escapes from Kansas City
2+ hours
1 escape from Kansas City
What to do
The top attraction in each Kansas City escape town, pulled straight from the 48-hour guides.
Weston
McCormick Distilling
Tours ~$15. Operating since 1856 and the oldest continuously running distillery west of the Mississippi, with barrel rooms, a small museum, and a tasting at the end.
Excelsior Springs
Hall of Waters
Free to walk the lobby, tours ~$5. The 1937 Art Deco mineral-water palace with the world's longest water bar, terrazzo floors, and a spring-fed indoor pool downstairs.
Hermann
Stone Hill Winery cellars
Tours ~$10. A 1847 winery with cathedral-scale underground cellars carved by hand, a museum of the 1873 Vienna medals, and a tasting room over the valley.
Questions & Answers
Kansas City weekend FAQ
Excelsior Springs (35 minutes), Weston (40 minutes), and Hermann (2 hours 45 minutes) are the strongest small-town escapes from Kansas City, covering a mineral-water spa town, an 1840s river port, and a German wine village.
Weston, about 40 minutes north on I-29, is the closest, with a National Register brick downtown, a distillery running since 1856, two tasting rooms, and a state park on the river bluffs.
Weston has Pirtle Winery in an 1867 church and a handful of tasting rooms, 40 minutes away. For a full wine weekend, Hermann, 2 hours 45 minutes east, has around a dozen wineries including Stone Hill, founded in 1847, with cellars open for tours.
Excelsior Springs (35 minutes, the Elms Hotel and the Hall of Waters), Weston (40 minutes, a river port of brick storefronts), and Hermann (2 hours 45 minutes, German wine cellars) are the best weekend getaways from Kansas City.
Yes. Excelsior Springs, 35 minutes northeast, is built around mineral water, with the Elms Hotel and Spa, the 1937 Hall of Waters, and Watkins Mill State Park 10 minutes north.
Excelsior Springs is 35 min from Kansas City; Weston is 40 min from Kansas City; Hermann is 2 hr 45 min from Kansas City.
Excelsior Springs: April-May, September-October; Weston: April-May, September-October; Hermann: September-October.
The escapes split by mood: wellness (Excelsior Springs); history (Excelsior Springs, Weston, Hermann); food (Weston); wine (Hermann). Every one is a 48-hour trip with specific places to stay, visit, and eat.