#31 – Kansas City Alamo Drafthouse
1400 Main Street Kansas City, MO 64105
Cost: $
Good for: Old movie viewings, kids, families, date night.
Tip: There is limited seating in the theaters, so buy your tickets ahead of time to ensure you get a prime spot.
Near the Power & Light District, the Kansas City Alamo Drafthouse is one of 22 Alamo Drafthouse theaters in the country. The theater offers food and drinks seat-side, while featuring new and classic films.
About the Kansas City Alamo Drafthouse
From bars and restaurants and concerts, there’s so much to do in downtown Kansas City, but if you’re needing something a little more low-key, head to the Alamo. The now, fully renovated movie theater is truly a landmark of Kansas City’s Power & Light Entertainment District.
From the latest blockbusters to 1950s classics, The Kansas City Alamo Drafthouse shows it all. They even feature special movies nights, like movie parties, girl’s nights and holiday movies with corresponding menus.
Movies, food and drinks are relatively cheap – bottomless popcorn is $7.50 while a burger and fries is $13.
History of Mainstreet Theater
The Kansas City Alamo Drafthouse began as the Mainstreet Theater in 1921. The theater offered vaudeville and film showings, drawing performers like Charlie Chaplin and the Marx Brothers in its heyday.
Rumor has it, a tunnel connects the theater to the nearby President Hotel creating a passage for bootleggers to escape police during Prohibition. One of the many ways Kansas City fought the Prohibition. In addition to a hidden tunnel, the theater also had space in the basement to keep animals for vaudeville shows, including an elephant cage and a pool for seals.
Movie were aired at Mainstreet until 1985, when the theater closed. It did not reopen until 2009 after extensive renovations (including removal of 200 dump-truck-loads of asbestos and mold). The renovations of the Mainstreet Theater coincided with the creation of the Power and Light District.
We saw The Battle of the Sexes, the new Emma Stone and Steve Carrell movie about tennis star and equal rights icon, Billie Jean King. It was funny and feminist and just fantastic. We actually didn’t eat dinner because we had just stuffed ourselves with sushi, but of course saved room for popcorn. ☺ With its fun decor, movie selection and pricing, The Alamo is by far my favorite Kansas City movie theater. xx, Libbie.
