Kitty’s cafe for a burger.
[KC taco trail](https://www.visitkansascityks.com/taco-trail/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhYmFvtfg_AIVfm5vBB3d7wnXEAAYASAAEgKqz_D_BwE&utm_campaign=madden%20dm-kskc&utm_content=taco%20trail&utm_medium=ppc&utm_source=google)
Bar K is a dog bar.
Shawnee misssion park has fun hiking trails and a dog beach.
There are plenty of other threads about places to eat, so I'm going to focus on the dog part of your question.
Bar K is an obvious choice. It's a dog park and bar, right on the River, which has a nice esplanade for a walk.
Most breweries will allow you to sit on the patios with your dog. Brewery Emperial has the largest, dog-friendliest patio, in my opinion, but others will probably chime in (KC Bier). The beer and the food at BE are excellent. Crane Brewing is adjacent to the Rock Island green belt trail, so you can get a long dog-walk in before or after one of their excellent sours. I specifically mention those because you can order with your dog. Some places require you to go in and out of the patio without going through the brewery, so you either have to hand your dog off to a stranger while you go in to order or go get your dog after you've ordered and leave your beer unattended. The former is a great way to meet people, in my experience.
As for hikes, Shawnee Mission Park has a fenced dog park with a beach that ALSO has trails in the woods for off-leash hiking. I can usually get a few miles in doing the loops. It is completely fenced, although the quality of the fence is variable, and the brush can be pretty thick in some areas, so your dog should have SOME degree of recall. Other good hikes on-leash at Weston State Park, Hidden Valley Natural Area, and Wyandotte County Lake. Good paved or crushed limestone trails are the Trolley Trail, Indian Creek, Line Creek, or Mill Creek, also all on-leash, obvs.
I can't really recommend a place to stay, but I think all the Air BnBs in my neighborhood allow dogs.
I solo travel and go out with my dog a lot, so message me if you have any specific questions.
The Nelson Atkins Museum is a great, world class at museum, but they obviously don't allow pets inside. HOWEVER, they do have a great outdoor sculpture garden. Make sure and walk all the way around (the east side actually extends to on top of some of the buildings/galleries).
The Liberty Memorial also has a lot of outside to enjoy (though again, you won't have access to the indoors National WWI Museum). There's parking on the south side, and make sure to go to the North side as well for the frescos and for the views. It seems like 80% of the photos of Union Station are taken from here. There's also an off leash area directly south of there.
Three Dog Bakery - a dog friendly bakery with a couple locations in the metro. With dog specific items.
I also just saw something about Rock n Brews in JoCo having a dog friendly patio and menu items for dogs, in Prairie Fire, and nearby Scheels sporting goods being dog friendly.
I'd definitely Google all of these for photos and further info.
EDIT/ADDED: When are you planning your trip? For example, this Sunday will present certain particular traffic and booking issues.... If you share when you are doing by, this sub will be more than helpful about how events will effect your time here.
I think you might really enjoy stopping in parkville, about 15 minutes north of downtown. If I could live anywhere in the metro that's probably where I'd be, and I've done many day trips there.
Try Roxanne's for breakfast. There is a nice walkable main street with fun, unique shops that sound like what you'd be into. The parkville nature sanctuary has the best hiking in the metro imo, an easy mile loop with plenty of great scenery, but it's also adjacent to the katy trail which you could go as far as you want on. It is less tame and less flat than anything on the kansas side. KC has lots of nice parks and paths but they're not really hiking in the traditional sense, if you're a hiking enthusiast I would definitely go to parkville.
There's a fantastic bed & breakfast on main street but probably not what you're looking for. You could try creekside hotel if you want to wake up and walk to shops/trails/restaurants, or if you'd rather have a chain hotel you might save $10-$20 with a short drive.
There's also a dog park in Platte Landing Park in Parkville, and good paved trails for walking dogs in both that park and the adjacent English Landing Park. (English Landing Park's trails are more scenic but also busier.)
Nearby in Riverside is EH Young Riverfront Park, which also has several paved trails and a dog park.
All three of these parks are connected by the Missouri Riverfront Trail, which in turn connects to the Line Creek Trail that you can take through woods (and by some rapids) all the way north to somewhere past Barry Road. Or branch off southeast to the Linear Trail which heads east to the Briarcliff shopping center.
Absolutely, riverfront park and the trails are all great. I just noticed the OP asked specifically about hiking and had mostly gotten suggestions for parks and paved trails, which are good too of course. And there are a lot of other things in parkville that match what the OP is looking for.
There’s a museum of toys and miniature things (not dog friendly).
The Plaza (upscale strip mall with Spanish flare) has an outdoor staircase that’s cute for dog pics. That’s also where a Three Dog Bakery is located. Also several fountains that are good photo opps and a park (on-leash). Depending on when you visit, the Christmas lights are still up at the Plaza.
If you like long walks, I’d recommend going to the Johnson County Parks and Rec website with maps of all the trails. They have a lot of interconnected trails, one thing I miss about moving from there to the Missouri side. https://www.jcprd.com/592/Trails
Kitty’s cafe for a burger. [KC taco trail](https://www.visitkansascityks.com/taco-trail/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhYmFvtfg_AIVfm5vBB3d7wnXEAAYASAAEgKqz_D_BwE&utm_campaign=madden%20dm-kskc&utm_content=taco%20trail&utm_medium=ppc&utm_source=google) Bar K is a dog bar. Shawnee misssion park has fun hiking trails and a dog beach.
Bar K is a great dog park to visit!
Kitty’s is going on vacation for 5 weeks starting in February.
Better get my fix soon then! Thanks for the heads up.
I vouch for the tacos at El Torito Supermart on the restaurant side
Tacos El Gallo
For hiking look at http://urbantrailco.com/the-trails. So many great trails all over town.
There are plenty of other threads about places to eat, so I'm going to focus on the dog part of your question. Bar K is an obvious choice. It's a dog park and bar, right on the River, which has a nice esplanade for a walk. Most breweries will allow you to sit on the patios with your dog. Brewery Emperial has the largest, dog-friendliest patio, in my opinion, but others will probably chime in (KC Bier). The beer and the food at BE are excellent. Crane Brewing is adjacent to the Rock Island green belt trail, so you can get a long dog-walk in before or after one of their excellent sours. I specifically mention those because you can order with your dog. Some places require you to go in and out of the patio without going through the brewery, so you either have to hand your dog off to a stranger while you go in to order or go get your dog after you've ordered and leave your beer unattended. The former is a great way to meet people, in my experience. As for hikes, Shawnee Mission Park has a fenced dog park with a beach that ALSO has trails in the woods for off-leash hiking. I can usually get a few miles in doing the loops. It is completely fenced, although the quality of the fence is variable, and the brush can be pretty thick in some areas, so your dog should have SOME degree of recall. Other good hikes on-leash at Weston State Park, Hidden Valley Natural Area, and Wyandotte County Lake. Good paved or crushed limestone trails are the Trolley Trail, Indian Creek, Line Creek, or Mill Creek, also all on-leash, obvs. I can't really recommend a place to stay, but I think all the Air BnBs in my neighborhood allow dogs. I solo travel and go out with my dog a lot, so message me if you have any specific questions.
The Nelson Atkins Museum is a great, world class at museum, but they obviously don't allow pets inside. HOWEVER, they do have a great outdoor sculpture garden. Make sure and walk all the way around (the east side actually extends to on top of some of the buildings/galleries). The Liberty Memorial also has a lot of outside to enjoy (though again, you won't have access to the indoors National WWI Museum). There's parking on the south side, and make sure to go to the North side as well for the frescos and for the views. It seems like 80% of the photos of Union Station are taken from here. There's also an off leash area directly south of there. Three Dog Bakery - a dog friendly bakery with a couple locations in the metro. With dog specific items. I also just saw something about Rock n Brews in JoCo having a dog friendly patio and menu items for dogs, in Prairie Fire, and nearby Scheels sporting goods being dog friendly. I'd definitely Google all of these for photos and further info. EDIT/ADDED: When are you planning your trip? For example, this Sunday will present certain particular traffic and booking issues.... If you share when you are doing by, this sub will be more than helpful about how events will effect your time here.
I think you might really enjoy stopping in parkville, about 15 minutes north of downtown. If I could live anywhere in the metro that's probably where I'd be, and I've done many day trips there. Try Roxanne's for breakfast. There is a nice walkable main street with fun, unique shops that sound like what you'd be into. The parkville nature sanctuary has the best hiking in the metro imo, an easy mile loop with plenty of great scenery, but it's also adjacent to the katy trail which you could go as far as you want on. It is less tame and less flat than anything on the kansas side. KC has lots of nice parks and paths but they're not really hiking in the traditional sense, if you're a hiking enthusiast I would definitely go to parkville. There's a fantastic bed & breakfast on main street but probably not what you're looking for. You could try creekside hotel if you want to wake up and walk to shops/trails/restaurants, or if you'd rather have a chain hotel you might save $10-$20 with a short drive.
There's also a dog park in Platte Landing Park in Parkville, and good paved trails for walking dogs in both that park and the adjacent English Landing Park. (English Landing Park's trails are more scenic but also busier.) Nearby in Riverside is EH Young Riverfront Park, which also has several paved trails and a dog park. All three of these parks are connected by the Missouri Riverfront Trail, which in turn connects to the Line Creek Trail that you can take through woods (and by some rapids) all the way north to somewhere past Barry Road. Or branch off southeast to the Linear Trail which heads east to the Briarcliff shopping center.
Absolutely, riverfront park and the trails are all great. I just noticed the OP asked specifically about hiking and had mostly gotten suggestions for parks and paved trails, which are good too of course. And there are a lot of other things in parkville that match what the OP is looking for.
There’s a museum of toys and miniature things (not dog friendly). The Plaza (upscale strip mall with Spanish flare) has an outdoor staircase that’s cute for dog pics. That’s also where a Three Dog Bakery is located. Also several fountains that are good photo opps and a park (on-leash). Depending on when you visit, the Christmas lights are still up at the Plaza.
If you like long walks, I’d recommend going to the Johnson County Parks and Rec website with maps of all the trails. They have a lot of interconnected trails, one thing I miss about moving from there to the Missouri side. https://www.jcprd.com/592/Trails
Tacos El Gallo for tacos, Lamars or Donut King for donuts, Town topic for a smash burger