Super cool collection of artifacts. I brought a friend from out of town and she loved it. We spent a couple hours looking and listening. Even ran into one of the gentleman who discovered the Arabia and he was super friendly and answered a bunch of questions that he probably has a dozen times with a smile. A must see for out of towners or local residents. Amazing little piece of history!

One of the best museums Ive ever had the pleasure to visit. This is the fantasy of anyone whos ever dreamed of going after buried treasure. Beautifully displayed, great story, great location and decent price for entry. Now Im just figuring out how I can marry into the family to help with the next excavation. This is a cant miss in KC.

An absolutely beautiful museum. Everything displayed with great care, the magnitude of the task apparent by the sheer quantity and quality of the restored goods meticulously displayed. I would go there again if I return to KC. What a great story!

I remember loving this place as a kid. Not quite as exciting as an adult. I think you expect a more in depth personal account of those that were on the steamboat when it went down and the items they had chosen to take with them west but thats not really what you get.The museum focuses more on the story of the men who decided to dig up the steamboat and the exhibits are essentially just a bunch of stuff they found in a field and decided to display instead of sell.That said, it is a nice museum in a well taken care of facility. They have done a fantastic job of cleaning and preserving the items.

Absolutely amazing! A true step back in time. Must see if your in the area!

A great museum with lots of history. Its family owned and run. This is an absolute must see if you like history and/or antiques. Theres a guided start to the tour. Then theres a 14 minute short movie followed with the remainder of the tour being self-guided. Be sure to read the story of the mule (near the large Paddlewheel). Lots of neat leather and rubber items that were preserved perfectly.

Absolutely fantastic piece of history right here in KC. What a wonderful gem. Whether you live here or just passing through this is s must see. The staff are super helpful and willing to stop and answer questions about the dig and the efforts of this amazing family to bring this treasure to the city.

Im glad we visited here as this museum provides a unique experience. The films were very informative and the displays were well done. Most of the museum centers around the artifacts found during the excavation of the Arabia. I would have liked to have seen more about the boat (e.g., scale models, mockups, etc), but nonetheless I recommend everyone visit this museum.

They have done a good job restoring the artifacts from Steamboat Arabia. There is a portion of the museum where you can watch the workers restoring & preserving the artifacts found. The start of the tour is guided with a history lesson of the steam powered boats followed by a short film on the group of men who discovered Steamboat Arabia. You are then free to look at the rest of the exhibit taking as much time as you need or want to take. Parking during the week is $1/hour. The only discount tickets offered are military or AAA.

Fascinating both in the history the items on this ship bring to light, and the story of the excavation planned and executed by a team of inexperienced enthusiasts. I have wanted to visit for years and was not disappointed. Easy to enjoy even with social distancing requirements in place.

I love the history on the Arabia Steamboat. The guides are well versed in the history. This museum is much larger than I had expected. Check out the store room, all the lovely ladies are ready to assist with smiles! A must see if you are in the area!!!

I hadnt been since I was a child on a field trip but I am so glad I decided to spend the time there I did today. Everything is so amazingly well preserved and absolutely fascinating. All the guides were extremely friendly and knowledgeable. I had a blast.

Surprisingly good museum. I was honestly not super excited for the contents of a boat, but I was very pleased. The things on the boat have been meticulously cleaned and restored and it was an awesome glimpse into life in the time period. You dont often get to see really old things that look brand new, and this museum is full of them. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys museums.

The Arabia provides an exceptional experience in everything from history, to archaeology to engineering to carpentry & domestic style of the day. Kansas City is lucky to have such a valuable & exciting gift.

Wonderful experience. Very informative curators. Hopefully she will find a new home along with steamboat Malta.

Amazing experience and we happened to run into David Hawley while at the museum. I had the chance to ask some questions and he was very excited to talk with us about his find. Such an amazing time.

Interesting place to visit. The history that was told about steamboats was very interesting. The artifacts were interesting to see. Definitely must see it!

Also a great place visit if youre in KC

Excellent highly recommend it! How do you price antiques that have never been used. Would like to go back as they added more and more and haven’t been there in 8-10 yrs.

This museum offers a fascinating look at the search for a stream boat that capsized in 1856, and the resulting unearthing of it by everyday guys with incredible curiosity and tenacity. Most of its cargo was found perfectly preserved by many years being buried in mud. A captivating adventure and the artifacts are amazing to look at. They tell us so much about the lives of the pioneers who were traveling to their future homes and land, and a glimpse of the hardships they faced. Well worth your time!

What an incredible place! This has got to be one of the most interesting things Ive ever seen. This collection is truly amazing. I would highly recommend that while in KC visit it. It will give you a perspective on what a 1800 Walmart would stock. A Gem of a discovery!

Our family really enjoyed visiting this museum. It kept our kids entertained from ages 3-8! Customer service was awesome too! Thank you!

The museum was good!But their gift shop asked me not to take pictures like the lady rises her eyebrows twice at me and my friend like as if we are trying to steal the merch. Then she walks up to me saying we cant take pictures. I mean the federal reserve tour lets you take pictures and these people are worried about me taking pictures of their merch like seriously . When she said that I could help laugh a little.

This is a must-see! We spent two hours and it was incredible to see how many artifacts had been found from this steamboat. It had a nice family-owned feeling, our tour guide was related to the original excavators and provided incredible insight. Everyone on staff was approachable, friendly, and excellently answered questions.

This gets better every time we see it! Excellent museum!

Interesting museum. Really is a slice of history unearthed. Having live tour guides like they did pre-covid would have added a lot to the presentation. Big plus though, my father in law has trouble walking and they were able to provide a wheel chair for him to use.

Decent info, but not really intriguing to me. Store had very friendly associates and nice Knick Knacks.

Its hard to imagine a more thorough and detailed exhibit and museum to showcase this unique historic unearthing. The artifacts are remarkable given the circumstances, our guide was knowledgeable, and the layout is thoughtful and detailed. So much to learn and know about this. Great gem in KC.

Great visual history from the 1800s. If your in KC, it is a must.

Well done exhibits. Staff very friendly. Recommend.

Fascinating place for history buffs. Amazing collection from 1850s. Loved it.

Friends if ours told us about the museum. Great place to see and spend a few hours. I was spellbound by the history and the artifacts on display. And some of the people who were actually involved in excavating the Arabia Steamboat come to the museum daily. Guides were so knowledgeable and just seemed to be there as an act of love.

Such a great experience. Friendly staff, kind of pricey, but well worth it

This place is really cool. I would say it is more about being really cool time capsule than actually about the steamboat. The steamboat is really cool but the collections of life from the early 1800s is amazing.

Wow!! This was very interesting and informational. Even better spoke to husband and wife separately who explained even more. Worth seeing!

Delightful re-visit to the Arabia (1st - 1997!) & many wonderful additions & meaningful changes. Still amazing!!! Thank you, David Hawley, for taking a few moments to visit!Must see in KC!

Pretty neat. The idea of buried treasure in the middle of America, pretty far out.

So cool!!! Just absolutely fascinating. Awesome artifacts, great information from the tour guides. Amazing history

If you like museums this as a little gem in KC with an interesting story of discovery in a cornfield and the importance of the steamboat in the westward expansion.

Unbelievable collection from the 1850s. Merchant ship transporting people and goods from around the globe, lost in time until this band of brothers caught the bug for a good treasure hunt. Again, a good reminder of the endurance and perseverance of the frontier people.

This is a great place to visit. So much information and lots to see. I go there at least twice a year.

Did not go into the museum portion. Not enough time to do it justice. It looks interesting ..... we will be back.

Had a great talk with one of the artifact restorers.

An impressive collection of artifacts from early American life! Was on the fence about going but was so glad I did

Wonderful museum, their ongoing preservation work is inspiring. I highly recommend a visit, it takes about 2 hours (or three if you read every word and watch every video). Be sure to smell the replica perfume!

Certainly NOT what I was expecting! Many artifacts, but unfortunately theyre many of the same artifacts....thousands of buttons, hundreds of forks, plates, knives, shoes, keys, many hats, shirts, plates, bowls, etc....you get it. Whats there IS beautiful and very amazing that they were able to bring it up and preserve it, however, it just left me wanting to see MORE...

Wife and I visited on weekend trip to Kansas City. Wonderful story of the family that got together and dug up the Arabia steamboat, and succeeded where others had failed. The guide was awesome, and you’ll be greeted by one of the original “diggers”. The items are wonderfully preserved. The story is very complete - it’s about the time when it went down and the items it contained (as a time capsule of the frontier life), but also of the effort and operation to dig something like this up. The preservation process is still going, today! Totally do it - well worth the $14 entrance fee.

Great museum. It starts with a guide tour and then they let you wander around. Gift shop sales mainly tourist trap souvenirs. I would recommend that the owners make reproductions of the items they found on the Arabia. Otherwise this museum should be on your must see list for KC.

Very nice shops.. have clothing and jewelry stores

This is a hidden jewel! The nearly complete contents of a 220 ton cargo of merchandise guessed to the frontier in 1856 that has been recovered. Well laid out Museum, definitely worth the time and money. Expect about two hours unless youre a history geek like me, then it could take a lot longer

This is a great display of old artifacts mostly recovered from a ship that sank in the Missouri River back in the mid-late 1800s . The story of how the ship was recovered was almost as interesting as the the ship itself . I dont know if it is common for one of the guys that lead the discovery to speak after you watch the movie they show you or not, but he was there. He answered questions and that was definitely cool. I highly recommend this at least once .

Absolutely amazing display of the Steamboat Arabia and the items that were recovered from the location dug up in the middle of a farmers field. A truly must see venue if you visit Kansas City, Missouri. The museum tried to get a price on the items recovered, but all anyone could say is Priceless ! They are still preserving and restoring items recovered from the dig.

This a really nice museum. Love the way history has been preserved through years of restoration. Unique story of Discovery and recovery of the steamboat makes this Museum unique and wonderful to visit. Going back in time and seeing actual artifacts as they were discovered on the steamboat is interesting for any age level. The city market is an added attraction where you can walk, shop and eat.

Not at of the hull salvaged, but a lot of dishes, tools, and other provisions for 19th century mid-America. Clean, well displayed artifacts.

The whole River Market area is full of history, however this is by far one of the most interesting. I was pleasantly surprised.The boat sank over 150 years ago and took with a boat load of artifacts. (Pun intended) Discovered, unearthed, and now on display I wish we had had more time to stop at more.This is most definitely worth a second trip back to to see.

Great museum but a bit pricey

This place is amazing, like a shopping trip for the prairie. Hard to believe one steamship could carry so many goods. Everything from guns to hardware, household goods, clothing and jewelry. The history stories are also fantastic, so much to learn here!a

This is a fantastic, must visit place for locals and tourists and everyone else! The cost was around $14 for an adult and was the best money ever spent at a museum. And the ticket is good all day, even if you leave and revisit later the same day. Parking is $1 an hour and you will spend just under 2 hours. You will start with a guided tour and learn how the boat was lost, found, and retrieved. To aid in this, a short, 15 minute video will be watched. After which, you will see a ton of the items recovered from the boat, most on display behind glass. It is extremely impressive to see the quantity and variety of items, all displayed perfectly. We were simply overjoyed by this find and glad we took the time to visit on our drive through Kansas City.

Enjoyed the vist and knowledge that was shared on the visit. Very interesting a walk through time and finding of a treasure of history out here who knew

This is a great museum of artifacts found by a family. It has great videos that are peronal commentaries of the family themselves. They even have family members onsite at the museum, addding to the personal aspect of this great archeological find.

Wonderful museum. The whole story is amazing and the museum experience is so personal . We loved our guide and the two times I have been, someone connected with the excavation has been there to answer questions. The displays and artwork are fabulous. You should not miss it .

Throughly enjoyed the museum. I found the story of the excavation and the cargo recovered to be absolutely amazing.

This museum was totally awesome. Definitely recommend

Im a big fan. Surprisingly expansive and interesting musuem without being overwhelming. Great location in city market with shopping and resturants close too.

We had a great time visiting. Very interesting

Nice museam.

Loved the tour! This little museum is worth the visit, for sure. So many fascinating artifacts!The discovery of the boat is a big part of the story, so its great to hear from the guys who dug it up. I think the video could be updated (cheesy reenactments were distracting)An exhibit I enjoyed was a detail of one particular passenger, with his pants and personal items telling a story about who he was. I think it would be great to see more of that.I was excited to see the area where they preserve and analyze the artifacts, but its a small space, and no one was there to demonstrate. That could be further developed into quite a unique experience - I cant think of one museum that lets you see the process first hand.

The docent gave a lot of information to make the museum come alive. Very interesting! Seeing a woman restoring a shoe and having her answer my questions gave incite into the process.Other than learning how to pay for parking using a digital machine that didnt want to accept my bills for payment at the museum, I had no frustration.

Well worth the admission. Unbelievable story of discovery.

This is a great place for all ages! You can spend a day here to visit all sectors of science! IT IS AMAZING! Be sure to carve out at least half of the day!!

This is a gem of local history and worth every penny. What an incredible collection and the exhibit was very informative. Overall I would highly recommend it and will most likely return in the future with friends!

Most amazing museum l have seen here

Very interesting. And totally worth the admission fee! One of the excavation team, David, happened to be here today. So a few people got to ask great questions. Ashlee was a great tour guide. Well come back to bring my family/friends when they finish.

Neat place. The story is worth hearing and the displays are nicely put together.

An extraordinary and fascinating museum! The story of the discovery of the wreckage of this steamboat in the mud of the Missouri River is fascinating, but above all the museography of the entirety of the cargo found during the excavations is splendid and very intelligent. A must see.Congratulations to the designers and owners of this museum from a French historian who has fallen in love with your museum.

A place to enjoy a small piece of Kansas Citys history. I would rank the Arabia as being one of the main destinations to KC.

Guided tour was very informative but not overly long. Great tour guide. Information was well-presented and items were fascinating. A worthy stop on your trip to Kansas City!

This is a Kansas City must. Its a quirky unique museum. The story of raising a steamboat out of a field to find out so well preserved. The goods that came off the ship takes authentically back to the 1800 and what their stores would hold. Worth the price of admission.

Any words I type here cannot do this place justice. The largest collection of antebellum artifacts in the world. Its like an 1850s Wal-Mart. A true family endeavor. You cannot believe how amazing this place is. Do yourself a favor and check it out. You wont be disappointed.

Amazing display of all that was needed for establishing life on the frontier. Great docent too!

Great place, a bit of likely unknown history regarding the steamboat era of the United States. Massive amounts of cargo that was recovered and much has been cleaned, restored and on display. I like that the museum layout is based on the Arabia itself. Staff very nice, price is what youd expect. The video detailing the history of who and how the Arabia was discovered was cool. While in KC area, dont miss this!!

We loved exploring here. The history and how it was discovered as well as preserved is fascinating. I will go back without small kids.

This was an absolutely thrilling experience! The whole family loved it! You will see the largest pre Civil War artifact collection in the world! There is something for all to see!- children, men, and women alike! The curator did a fantastic job bringing us into the age of the steamboat! Fascinating information, as well as self-guided time! Highly recommend this experience in KC.

Very quiet for a holiday but Still a i remember it....

Very informative, exceeded my expectations. Well worth the price of admission.

Probably more of an attraction than a museum, this place houses remarkable remains from the steamship Arabia, which sank in the Mississippi River in 1856. Preserved for 130ish years in mud, before being dug up in the 1980s, the ships cargo of pre-Civil War goods is in pristine condition. Even the behemoth metal boilers that powered the steamer’s paddle wheels are perfectly intact. Give the museum props too for its signage, offering little history lessons, such as on the nature of river commerce in the mid-19th century. Its just enough information to put things into context.

A pre-Civil War time capsule and a successful treasure hunt exposed to the public. My trip was the second time I had visited the museum but with the first being a rushed field trip it felt like it was my first visit.The museum provides only tours but once you get the introductory speech while being able to see a section of the stern and a movie about the discovery of the steamboat than you are given a chance to explore the rest of the displays at your own leisure.The displays are separated mostlg into large rooms in which similar items are displayed such as dishes, hardware, clothing, etc. As a result just the amount of items found, cleaned and given preservative measures is astounding. After leaving this section there is a room that allows you to learn more about life during the time, more exploration about steamboat travel, seeing more parts of the Arabia and getting more details on the recovery of the boat.The visitor also gets a chance to talk with laboratory techs to discuss the process of cleaning and preserving artifacts as there is still another 1/3 to go.All in all if you like history this makes for a good stop and one I would suggest for those who can make it in, especially as the future of the museum seems so uncertain right now.

This is a great and interesting place to go when you visit Kansas City. Interesting story and you usually get to meet one person from the families that discovered the boat!

Very interesting bit of history mixed with a little treasure hunting.

Amazing museum. Like a window into the past. A must see if you are in KC. Guided tour to start with then wander around yourself. Well worth the entry price.

Good if you enjoy history

Very educational. Loved all the artifacts - I think the way they displayed it made even more interesting.

Very educational. We learned a lot about steamboat travel and the hazards of it. This steamboat was the equivalent of a floating Walmart.

Wonderful display of American history. Easy to spend a few hours looking around.

Awesome place to go. So much too see.

Wonderful museum! Fascinating look into the process of the search and recovery of buried treasure. The artifacts are interesting and wonderfully preserved and displayed. Our tour guide, Nancy, was very informative and gracious to answer our questions. A family member spoke to us and answered questions also. This exhibit is ever changing because they are still cleaning and preserving the cargo.

A piece of good work!

Beautiful museum, is not really big but has many interesting things to see. You will start with a small tour, then a movie, after that you will have your own time to explore the museum. If you live or you are visiting kc this is one of the places you should visit. The staff that works in here are very friendly.

Definitely worth a visit. The intro given to the museum is a bit pointless, because the movie explains it all directly afterwards. Cool museum though with literally tons of civil war era artifacts.

A steamboat that sank in the 1860s that has been recovered. Sank on the missouri river the boat carried goods that the settlers out west needed and being cleaned & preserved for viewing. Very informational and a must see.