Today, TIME revealed its annual list of the World’s Greatest Places, and Kansas City’s historic CPKC Stadium, home to KC Current, and children’s literary museum The Rabbit hOle are featured among 100 extraordinary destinations to visit.
To compile its World’s Greatest Places list, TIME solicited nominations of places—including hotels, cruises, restaurants, attractions, museums, parks, and more—from its international network of correspondents and contributors, as well as via an application process, with an eye toward those offering new and exciting experiences.
“CPKC Stadium deserves to be recognized as one of TIME’s World’s Greatest Places,” said KC Current President Raven Jemison.
“Ownership’s vision has changed women’s professional sports for generations to come. CPKC Stadium is proof that an investment in women is a smart one as we continue to sell out KC Current matches. Fans from all over the globe have made the trip to Kansas City to witness history. Now the world knows what the excitement is about; we’re just getting started.”
CPKC Stadium, the first stadium in the world purpose-built for a women’s professional team, has been on a worldwide stage since formally opening in March 2024.
On July 3, CPKC Stadium was announced as the venue for the 2024 National Women’s Soccer League Championship, which will be held November 23. The stadium is also the host venue for the 2024 NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup semifinals August 6 and was selected as the site for the 2024 Big 12 Soccer Championship.
As a pillar of the Kansas City community, CPKC Stadium is also home to a variety of national conferences, like the United States Conference of Mayors, as well as private and local events like the city’s AANHPI Heritage Festival.
The Rabbit hOle, which opened in March 2024 in North Kansas City, is the first museum of its kind in the United States, bringing American children’s literature to life for guests of all ages.
“Like Alice in Wonderland, visitors go down the rabbit hole (quite literally into a “hole” of winding tunnels and caves), tumbling into classic and contemporary storybooks and meeting life-size characters,” TIME writes.
Spanning three floors, visitors can catch a ride with Nana and CJ on the bus to the Last Stop on Market Street; whisper “Goodnight Moon” in the quiet dark of the great green room; outshine Mr. Sun with Sam and the Tigers; feed jum-jills to The Funny Thing; or find yourself scaling the cliffs of My Father’s Dragon when visiting the magical museum.
“The Rabbit hOle is a living thing, and it becomes something new for every visitor who enters it,” Rabbit hOle co-director Deb Pettid said. “It’s impossible to define, but that’s what makes it a true place of discovery. And where else can you read a book inside a book?”
“Since opening this March, we’ve had more than 60,000 visitors from nearly every state and all over the world,” co-director Pete Cowdin said. “The Rabbit hOle is unlike anything, anywhere.”
The Rabbit hOle also features a bookstore, print shop and story lab, makerspace, resource library, gallery for original book art and a cafe, making it an ideal space for innovative programming and private events.
The full 2024 TIME World’s Greatest Places list will be featured in the August 5, 2024, issue of TIME, available on newsstands beginning Friday, July 26. See the full list here: Time.com/worldsgreatestplaces.
