Arabia Steamboat Museum
Museum of the cargo of a steamboat that sank in the Missouri River in 1856 and was dug out of a Kansas field in 1988, with videos and a lab where staff restore artifacts.
Ways to visit
Museum visit (self-guided) Open
- What you see
- Exhibits1856.com, 2026-11-06
- How
- Walk in · about 1.5 hours1856.com, 2026-11-06
- When
- MonTueWedThuFriSatSunMonday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday noon to 5 p.m. (Central Time). Closed New Year's Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day; closes an hour early on Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Halloween and New Year's Eve. Hours can change: call 816-471-1856.Closed: New Year's Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Closes one hour early on Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Halloween and New Year's Eve1856.com, 2026-11-06 · 1856.com, 2026-11-06
- Booking
- Not required · same day possible · on siteReservations are not required for you or your family.1856.com, 2026-11-06
- Cost
- PaidAdult: $16.50 · Senior (60 and older): $15.50 · Child (4-14): $6.50Children 3 and under are free. Group rates (20 or more) $14.50; school groups $6.50. Parking is separate.1856.com, 2026-11-06
- Requirements
- Photography: Yes. Cameras are welcome, no flash.
About
The Arabia Steamboat Museum shows the cargo recovered from a steamboat that sank in 1856 and lay buried until its excavation in 1988: clothing, china, tools, dishes and toys. Visits are self-guided, with short videos on the dig and a view of preservationists restoring artifacts in the lab. The museum is a history and archaeology exhibit rather than a working boat. The museum's home page does not say whether it is closing; it says that what comes next for the collection, and where it will be shown, is still unknown. Confirm before you go.
Getting there
400 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO, 64106
In the City Market area of downtown Kansas City. Paid parking is in front of the museum; the KC Streetcar stops at City Market.
The pin marks the site itself, not necessarily the entrance (39.10978, -94.58148). Apple Maps directions go to the street address instead. Show on our map · Google Maps · Apple Maps
Arabia Steamboat Museum: 816-471-1856 · steamboatmuseum@gmail.com
Last checked 2026-11-06. Sources are listed below.
Sources
- 1856.com/about-the-tour · official page · read 2026-11-06For: name; Museum visit (self-guided): kind of visit; Museum visit (self-guided): booking; Museum visit (self-guided): requirements
- wikidata.org/wiki/Special:EntityData/Q1751… · Wikidata · read 2026-11-06For: location
- 1856.com · official page · read 2026-11-06For: street address; phone and email; Museum visit (self-guided): open or closed; Museum visit (self-guided): what you see
- 1856.com/hours-rates · official page · read 2026-11-06For: Museum visit (self-guided): days and hours; Museum visit (self-guided): cost
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