Hot coffee, hot lights, hot weather. Here’s a look at today’s newsletter:
☕️ Where does Kansas City land among best coffee cities?
💡 GloWild shines bright at the KC Zoo & Aquarium
🥵 The Midwest’s “second summer” is here
⚾️ Tuesday Trivia: best of the Royals
Food & Drink
A Breakdown of Kansas City’s Coffee Scene
KC Daily
Hand up, we missed National Coffee Day yesterday. But we’re starting this morning with a cup of coffee, so we’ll celebrate today!
#1 in Our Hearts: According to a recent report from WalletHub Kansas City is the 37th Best Coffee City in America. out of the 100 largest cities. KC scored a 50.10 in a system that weight 12 “key indicators of coffee-lover friendliness”
Coffee Close By: According to a separate report from OnDeck, Kansas City is among the cities with the most independent coffee shops in the U.S. KCMO has 15.66 independent coffee shops per 1,000,000 people. (It did not state if this was within city limits of KCMO, or the entire metro).
Frankly, we take these national studies with a grain of salt. What we do know is these 20 coffee shops in Kansas City are some our favorites!
Events
GloWild Shines Bright at the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium
Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium
GloWild: Time Traveler, presented by Saint Luke's, is in full swing at the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium for its fourth year with an all-new time-travel theme.
Go Wild, GloWild: This immersive nighttime experience features a mile-long path of massive illuminated sculptures crafted by over 150 artisans using 34 tons of steel and 89,000 feet of fabric. Guests journey through nineteenth-century Paris, the American centennial, and futuristic landscapes while enjoying photo opportunities, concessions, and entertainment. Special features include Wednesday access to Sobela Ocean Aquarium and seasonal lanterns.
Fall Illumination: The event runs Wednesday through Sunday from 6-10 PM and takes approximately 60 minutes to complete. Free family activities include tractor-drawn hayrides, an apple festival, pumpkin decorating, carousel rides, and the Time Flies musical dance show, with activities transitioning to winter themes in November.
GloWild runs through December 28th. Get your tickets HERE.
Community
It May Be Fall, But Kansas City’s Weather is Heating Up
KC Daily
There’s a good chance that you’ve seen this meme regarding the midwest’s many season. But right now, we’re in the midst of “second summer”.
Heat of the Fall: The 10-day weather forecast for Kansas City shows temps in the upper-80s through Sunday, October 5th. This is well outside the norm, with the average temperatures for early October in Kansas City usually hovering around 71°.
Seasons Change: Kansas City's currently serving up unseasonably warm weather that's making September cosplay as July. There’s still a chance that temps could reach 90° this week, making it a top 5 warmest start to October. It seems Mother Nature clearly missed the memo about fall's arrival.
How are you feeling about this weather?
KC Daily Picks
In Other News…
🍂 Fall on the Farm: There’s no better way to celebrate the season than with a trip to The Farmer’s House in Weston, Missouri. Every weekend now through November, the Farm comes alive with the sights, sounds, and tastes of fall.*
🏈 Touchdown King: During the Chiefs 37-20 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, Patrick Mahomes became the fastest player in NFL history to reach 250 passing touchdowns.
🚀 The Rocket Returns: The Kansas City Star got an inside look at how the historic TWA Moonliner was moved into the TWA Museum at the Kansas City Downtown Airport.
📈 Business of Sport: Kansas City’s four major sports teams (Chiefs, Royals, Sporting KC, and the KC Current) have officially passed $1 billion in revenue during the 2024-2025 seasons.
⚽️ Soccer for Cell Phones: Verizon announced it would be giving away thousands of free tickets to the 2026 FIFA World Cup to its customers. Learn more.
🙏 Breaking Paywalls: KC Daily will always be free, but producing it is not. Show your support for our newsletter and join our Fan Club to help us stay far away from the dreaded paywall!
*content is sponsored
Tuesday Trivia 🤔
Which season did the Royals finish with the most regular-season wins in franchise history?
P.S. The Royals wrapped up their 2025 season this past weekend with a record of 82-80. We’ll see you in the playoffs…next year. 🤞
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