Kansas City underground: How to explore the hidden locations beneath our streets

You’ve heard about the subterranean chamber beneath the land near Worlds of Fun, right?

No? Well, it’s called SubTropolis, is owned by Hunt Midwest — yes, the same Hunt family that owns the Kansas City Chiefs — and is “wide enough to hold 42 Arrowhead Stadiums.” There’s even a train track winding through the colossal complex, and many, many exit signs.

And though the world may not imagine Kansas City as big in the underground scene — our ever-expanding streetcar system still operates where the sun shines — the limestone around these parts was shaped by glaciers and rivers and makes for good mining. Which makes for a thriving underground business community, as unnerving as a giant hole in the side of a bluff may be.

These limestone caverns aren’t the only channels running under the city. Through the years, Kansas Citians have utilized a number of buried passageways for transportation, illegal (at the time) or otherwise. Let’s just call it tunnel vision.