Olathe, Kansas

Everything Olathe is known for

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Rivers & Roads in Song near Olathe

Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Olathe.

Interstate 35 45 songs US Route 71 2 songs Missouri River 12 songs U.S. Route 59 9 songs

History of Olathe

Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que: World-Famous Barbecue Born in a Gas Station RoadyGoat

1996

Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que, at the corner of 47th and Mission in Kansas City, Kansas, is one of the most celebrated barbecue joints in America, and it lives inside a working gas station. It opened in August of 1996, founded by Jeff and Joy Stehney, whose competition team Slaughterhouse Five won grand championships on the barbecue circuit, including the American Royal. It first opened under the name Oklahoma Joe's and was renamed Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que in 2014. The food earned national fame: Anthony Bourdain put it on his list of thirteen places to eat before you die. The signature is the Z-Man, a sandwich of slow-smoked brisket, smoked provolone, and two onion rings on a kaiser roll, named for a Kansas City radio host called The Z-Man. People still line up at the gas-station counter for the brisket, the burnt ends, and the ribs. (Sources: Joe's Kansas City; Wikipedia; Entrepreneur; Men's Health via explore.com.)

RoadyGoat → · 14.9 mi away

Bleeding Kansas - The Border That Started the Civil War RoadyGoat

1854

The Kansas-Missouri border became the most violently contested line in America before the Civil War. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 let settlers vote on whether Kansas would be slave or free, effectively repealing the Missouri Compromise. Missouri, already a slave state, shared its entire western border with Kansas. Pro-slavery Missourians and anti-slavery Northerners both flooded in to tip the vote. On March 30, 1855, hundreds of armed Missourians called Border Ruffians crossed into Kansas and stuffed ballot boxes, installing a pro-slavery legislature by fraud. Anti-slavery settlers called Jayhawkers refused to recognize it and set up a rival government. On May 21, 1856, Border Ruffians sacked Lawrence, Kansas, burning buildings and destroying a newspaper press. Three days later, abolitionist John Brown retaliated at the Pottawatomie Massacre, dragging five pro-slavery settlers from their homes and hacking them to death with broadswords. Meanwhile in Washington, a South Carolina congressman walked onto the Senate floor and beat Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts nearly to death with a metal-tipped cane over a speech about Kansas. Sumner could not return for three years. About fifty-five people were killed in the territory between 1855 and 1859. Kansas was admitted as a free state on January 29, 1861, days after Southern senators began walking out. The border you are crossing is the line that Border Ruffians and Jayhawkers fought and died over.

19.3 mi away

Kansas City, MO RoadyGoat

Kansas City is a place where the past hums beneath the surface, quite literally. A vast underground of limestone — some of it cut by water over millennia, most of it hollowed out by miners — snakes beneath the rolling hills that define the city's landscape. That stone once held secrets, just as the city itself held the raw energy that birthed a distinctly American sound. In the 1920s and 30s, Kansas City jazz flourished, its influence rippling outwards to reshape the musical landscape. It's a legacy that echoes in the birthplace of Burt Bacharach, whose melodies would later captivate the world. The Missouri River, edged by stands of Eastern Cottonwood trees, has always been both a blessing and a threat. The Great Flood of 1951 stands as a stark reminder of the river's power, a disaster that spurred massive levee construction. Even before that, the city's history is etched in moments of both progress and violence. On June 17, 1933, gunmen ambushed a prisoner transfer outside the city's grand railroad depot and killed four lawmen and their prisoner in about thirty seconds — the Union Station Massacre, over almost before anyone understood it had started. Today, healthcare is a major employer, a testament to the city's growth and evolution, but the echoes of those earlier eras still resonate in the streets and stories of Kansas City.

19.9 mi away

Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

1933

One of America's finest encyclopedic art museums, built from the bequests of Kansas City newspaper publisher William Rockhill Nelson and schoolteacher Mary Atkins.

17.1 mi away

National World War I Museum and Memorial

1926

The only museum in the United States dedicated to World War I, built around the Liberty Memorial tower that was dedicated in 1926 before a crowd of 100,000.

18.6 mi away

Things to Do in Olathe

food 14.3 mi away

Joe's Kansas City BBQ

The Z-Man sandwich is legendary. Formerly Oklahoma Joe's. Inside a gas station.

historical 18.6 mi away

National WWI Museum

The nation's leading WWI museum. A glass bridge over a field of 9000 poppies.

food 20.3 mi away

Arthur Bryant's

The king of Kansas City BBQ since 1930. Presidents and celebrities line up for burnt ends.

historical 18.8 mi away

Crossroads Arts District

Kansas City's creative hub. Galleries bars and First Friday art walks.

Everything Near Olathe

35 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.

Olathe, KS · Local history
Olathe, Kansas, sits a bit higher than its eastern neighbor, Kansas City, both geographically and perhaps in its aspirations. While the devastating fire of 1875 could have crippled the fledgling town, its location…
Joe's Kansas City BBQ · 14.3 mi · Things to Do
The Z-Man sandwich is legendary. Formerly Oklahoma Joe's. Inside a gas station.
Shawnee Methodist Mission · 14.8 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Imagine a place meant to civilize, but used to divide. That's the story of the Shawnee Methodist Mission. Founded in 1839 by Reverend Thomas Johnson, it started as a school for Shawnee children, intended to teach them…
Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que: World-Famous Barbecue Born in a Gas Station · 14.9 mi
Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que, at the corner of 47th and Mission in Kansas City, Kansas, is one of the most celebrated barbecue joints in America, and it lives inside a working gas station. It opened in August of 1996,…
John Wornall House Museum · 15.4 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Step back in time and experience daily life in 19th-century Kansas City at this preserved historic home. This isn't just an old house; it's a window into a pivotal era for our nation, and for the Wornall family who…
Sauer Castle · 16.3 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Legend says this imposing castle is haunted by the Sauer family, who lived and died within its walls. Anton Sauer, a German immigrant and businessman, commissioned the renowned architect Asa Beebe Cross to design this…
Rosedale World War I Memorial Arch · 16.7 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Take a moment to honor the brave souls who served in World War I at this impressive memorial arch overlooking Kansas City. Designed by local Rosedale resident John LeRoy Marshall, the arch was erected in 1924 to…
Kelly's Westport Inn · 17.0 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Pull over to Kelly's Westport Inn for a drink, because you're looking at a serious piece of Kansas City history! This building, along with the connected Chouteau Store, is one of the oldest still standing in the city,…
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art · 17.1 mi · Historical Marker
One of America's finest encyclopedic art museums, built from the bequests of Kansas City newspaper publisher William Rockhill Nelson and schoolteacher Mary Atkins.
Uptown Theater (Kansas City, Missouri) · 17.5 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Experience the grandeur of a bygone era at this beautifully preserved historic theater. This isn't just a building; it's a living relic of Kansas City's golden age of entertainment. Opened in 1928, the Uptown Theater…
85th and Manchester "Three Trails" Trail Segment · 18.3 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Ever wonder what it was like to journey west, facing the unknown? Right here, you're standing on a physical piece of that history. This isn't just any old path; it’s a preserved segment of the legendary Santa Fe Trail!…
Union Cemetery (Kansas City, Missouri) · 18.5 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Pull over, history buff! You're approaching Union Cemetery, the oldest surviving public cemetery in Kansas City, Missouri, and the final resting place of many who shaped this city. Founded in 1857 as a private,…

Show all 35 nearby places

National World War I Museum and Memorial · 18.6 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Prepare to be moved. The National World War I Museum and Memorial isn't just a building; it's a profound tribute to a generation lost. After the Great War ended in 1918, Kansas City civic leaders wanted to create a…
National WWI Museum · 18.6 mi · Things to Do
The nation's leading WWI museum. A glass bridge over a field of 9000 poppies.
National World War I Museum and Memorial · 18.6 mi · Historical Marker
The only museum in the United States dedicated to World War I, built around the Liberty Memorial tower that was dedicated in 1926 before a crowd of 100,000.
Battle of Black Jack · 18.7 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Right here, the seeds of the Civil War were sown in a clash between freedom and slavery. On June 2nd, 1856, abolitionist John Brown and his men attacked the camp of pro-slavery Captain Henry Pate near Black Jack…
Kansas City Live Stock Exchange · 18.7 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Pull over, because you’re about to drive past the beating heart of what made Kansas City famous: its historic Stockyards. This very building, the Kansas City Live Stock Exchange, was the headquarters for a massive…
Kansas City Union Station · 18.8 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Imagine a time when train travel was king – Kansas City Union Station was its grand palace. Opened in 1914, it replaced a smaller, outdated depot and quickly became a vital hub. During World War II, Union Station…
Jensen-Salsbery Laboratories · 18.8 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Look up for those two Atlas sculptures – representing Biology and Chemistry – on the third floor of this building! This isn't just an old building; it was once a hub for veterinary medicine, pioneering animal health in…
Crossroads Arts District · 18.8 mi · Things to Do
Kansas City's creative hub. Galleries bars and First Friday art walks.
Granada Theater (Kansas City, Kansas) · 18.9 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Step back in time at this grand movie palace designed with Spanish and Moorish influences. The Granada Theater opened its doors in 1928 as a movie theater and vaudeville house. It quickly became a popular entertainment…
Kansas City, KS · 19.1 mi · Local history
Kansas City, Kansas owes its existence to a confluence of factors, beginning with the Wyandot tribe, who officially founded the city in 1854. But its deeper roots lie in geography. The Missouri River, a vital artery for…
Western Auto Building · 19.1 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Look up there! That iconic sign on top of the Western Auto Building isn't just a landmark, it's a beacon to Kansas City's commercial past. Originally built in 1914, this grand structure was first known as the Coca-Cola…
Huron Cemetery · 19.2 mi · Scraped Hmdb
This unassuming cemetery is the final resting place of Wyandot Nation members and a site of ongoing legal and cultural significance. It's a story of forced removal, resilience, and a fight for sacred ground. The Huron…
Bleeding Kansas - The Border That Started the Civil War · 19.3 mi
The Kansas-Missouri border became the most violently contested line in America before the Civil War. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 let settlers vote on whether Kansas would be slave or free, effectively repealing the…
TWA Corporate Headquarters Building · 19.3 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Before it moved to NYC, this unassuming building was the headquarters of TWA, a major player in the golden age of air travel. Charles Lindbergh himself supposedly chose Kansas City as the home for Transcontinental Air…
Monroe Hotel · 19.3 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Ever wonder what secrets a hotel can hide? The Monroe Hotel, right here in Kansas City, was once the nerve center for one of America's most powerful political bosses, Tom Pendergast. He even had a secret tunnel…
Kansas City Power and Light Building · 19.5 mi · Scraped Hmdb
This isn't just another pretty building; it's a symbol of Kansas City's ambition and resilience. Back in 1931, during the Great Depression, Kansas City Power and Light President Joseph F. Porter decided to build this…
Mainstreet Theater · 19.5 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Step back in time at the Mainstreet Theater, a historic gem in the Power & Light District, once known as The Empire Theater. This grand dame of entertainment has seen it all. Opened in 1921 as the Empire Theater, it was…
Midland Theatre · 19.6 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Pulling up to the Midland Theatre? Get ready to step back into a world of entertainment and, surprisingly, collegiate sports history! This stunning theater, originally known as Loew's Midland Theatre, opened its doors…
Wheatley-Provident Hospital · 19.7 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Pull over, history buff! You're about to uncover a hidden gem – the last standing hospital in Kansas City built by and for African Americans during segregation. Imagine Kansas City in the early 1900s. If you were Black,…
Boley Building · 19.7 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Look out your window at the Boley Building, a true marvel of early 20th-century architecture! It's not just another old building; it's a testament to innovation. This isn't just a pretty face; it's a structural pioneer.…
Folly Theater · 19.7 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Once a vaudeville hall, this theater has hosted countless performances since 1900. Get ready to step back in time. This isn't just any old building, it's the Folly Theater, a true survivor. Built in 1900, originally as…
Hotel Phillips · 19.7 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Ever wonder where a future president might have sold socks and ties? Right here. Before the grand Hotel Phillips you see today, this spot was home to the Glennon Hotel, a bustling hub where a young Harry S. Truman ran a…
Kansas City, MO · 19.9 mi
Kansas City is a place where the past hums beneath the surface, quite literally. A vast underground of limestone — some of it cut by water over millennia, most of it hollowed out by miners — snakes beneath the rolling…

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