Kelly's Westport Inn   

500 Westport Rd
Kansas City, MO 64111
816-561-5800
www.kellyswestportinn.com

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History has always been this tavern's calling card. Indeed it's safe to say that this longtime watering hole has been cooling off Westport well before Westport was cool. The 19th-century building went up during the dusty era when Westport was just that -- a gateway for westering pioneers heading off in search of destiny along the classic old wagon trails. Over the decades, it's been an elite grocery store, a wrestling club and, since the FDR years, a bar. As Kelly's, it's a gateway for thirsty locals in search of beer and members of the opposite sex. For there are no strangers at this bustling and convivial hangout, only people who have dated and can't remember each others' names. Broadly, Kelly's lies somewhere between a neighborhood bar and a sports bar. Chiefs highlights and pick-up lines are the lingua franca. Beer is the social facilitator, while Jimmy Buffet provides the soundtrack. High-fives are exchanged with impressive regularity. Locals and college kids rub elbows with alumni who've long since celebrated their 30th and 40th reunions. This might be the one place where you stand a chance of running into your grandmother. Odds are, she'll be more liquored up than you.