Kansas City Fed Money Museum
Harry S. Truman Coin Collection, KC Money Museum
While I wait for my real lump of cash (I know it’s coming—I have it on order), visiting the Money Museum at the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank made me feel almost as wealthy. I even got to claim my own free bag of money!
Okay, it was shredded money.
Today it sits unspent and untouched on my travel shrine—a great reminder that I was this close to financial glory!
I was this close to a whole bar of gold! So close that if I broke the glass I’d have been arrested. Quickly.
Jokes aside, the Money Museum is an excellent place to learn more about the history of money and its practical applications today. The exhibits are interesting, it’s not that time-consuming, and admission is FREE.
It’s conveniently located near the National WWI Museum and Memorial, Union Station, and Crown Center. Make sure to bring a government-issued ID; you’ll go through airport-style security to get in. Check the museum's website for hours and visitor information.
The Harry S. Truman Coin Collection on loan from the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library is one of the best exhibits. It features coins minted in each presidential administration, showing how coins evolved in the United States. Allow some time, because this exhibit goes all the way back to George Washington.
There is also a counterfeit-prevention exhibit explaining how the Secret Service keeps our cash legit, plus details on currency security features from the U.S. Currency Education Program.
For parents who value teaching their kids how money works, the interactive exhibits let kids (and kidults) play and learn about banking, investing, and more. Don’t forget to download the Money Museum app for a scavenger hunt and more.
Nearby, you can put down your camera and wander over to the viewing area, where Federal Reserve workers prepare the cash that will eventually end up in my bank account—viewed safely through windows, of course!
The shredded-money bag is yours for the taking before you exit. Grab one, because you can’t prove you were in Kansas City without it!
And kids, when you get your own real bag of money, remember your Aunt Annie, mkay?
