Another ideally named small town on the suburban fringes of Kansas City, Liberty (pop. 26,232) is worth a visit for rather different reasons. This is where, having finished fighting for the Confederacy in the Civil War, on February 13, 1866, Jesse James and his brother Frank staged the first-ever daylight bank robbery, getting away with over $60,000. The bank building itself, at 103 N. Water Street on the northwest corner of the preserved-in-amber town square, is pretty much as it was, complete with the vault, safe, and banknotes; it’s now a small museum (daily; $2).
A block north of the square stands another historic site, the oxymoronic Liberty Jail (daily; free) at 216 N. Main Street, where Mormon prophet Joseph Smith and his followers were imprisoned during the winter of 1838–39. It’s a significant site for Mormons, and has been faithfully reconstructed.
Liberty also has a good place to eat: the Hardware Cafe (816/792-3500), housed in a characterful old 1880s hardware store, just east of the square at 5 E. Kansas Street, serving hearty, home-style pasta, steaks, chops, and salads, plus old-fashioned soda-fountain drinks.
