WHY GO THERE:

For Kansas City, 2015 is a year of looking forward while honoring history. While 2014 saw the celebration of milestones for some of the city’s most iconic attractions, 2015 will see the development of what the city hopes to be new signatures for the city.

The downtown will welcome the KC Downtown Streetcar later this year. The streetcar will span the downtown area from River Market to Union Station going north and south, mostly along Main Street. It will serve the numerous businesses, restaurants, art galleries and residences along the way, connecting the downtown area like never before.

The city is booming with more summer events than ever, and it can’t wait to show visitors what it has to offer, now and into the future.

WHAT TO DO:

Kansas City has honored many of its local landmarks, including Union Station, which celebrated its 100th anniversary last year, but this year, the city is honoring some national history.

Fifteen years after the final Peanuts comic strip was published, Worlds of Fun is looking to put people back in touch with Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the strip’s other legendary characters. The 200-acre amusement park has created a Planet Snoopy children’s area. It also has added new features to its waterpark, including Splash Island, a 4,200-square-foot interactive water attraction designed for families, and swan-shaped paddle boats in Buccaneer Bay.

The National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial, 100 W. 26th St., will welcome a new exhibit this summer called “From Sand to Snow: The Global War of 1915,” illustrating the year’s influences on military, political, economic and social ideologies in the nations at war and those remaining neutral on the sidelines.

WHAT TO SEE:

The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, in KC’s 18th & Vine Historic Jazz District , is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2015. The museum gives an incredible glimpse into the African-American baseball league from its origin after the Civil War to its end in the 1950s. The museum will feature special programming, including Silver Slugging Memories, a free exhibition running May 9 through Aug. 31, which details the museum’s rise to national prominence from its humble beginnings in a one-room office.

The Kansas City Zoo, 6800 Zoo Drive, is looking to follow up on the success of its penguin and polar bear habitats and will debut a new Orangutan Canopy habitat this summer.

Designed to highlight the world’s largest tree-dwelling mammal, the 3,400-square-foot outdoor habitat will put the creature’s dexterity and intelligence on full display. With the creation of the new habitat, the current indoor orangutan area will be turned into an “Orangutan University,” where brightly painted walls and colorful climbing structures will create a fitness studio and learning lab for the primates.

EVENTS TO ATTEND:

FOLK ART IN AMERICA

• What: A new exhibit at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art celebrating art made by self-taught or minimally trained artists and artisans working between 1800 and 1925.

• When: March 28-July 5

• Where: Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 4525 Oak St.

KANSAS CITY IRISH FEST

• What: Celebrate Celtic pride with more than 20 entertainers on seven stages, food, drink and kids’ activities.

• When: Sept. 4-6

• Where: Crown Center, 2450 Grand Blvd.

• Admission: Single-day tickets are $10 if purchased in advance and $15 at the festival.

WHAT TO EAT:

You can’t talk about food in Kansas City without first talking about barbecue. The culinary art has developed its own styles and has been perfected by the greats like Henry Perry, Arthur Bryant and George Gates. The Kansas City style is slow-smoked, flavored with dry rub, topped with sweet and spicy sauce and served with a handful of side dishes, including baked beans, coleslaw and white bread. There are more than 100 barbecue restaurants in the Kansas City area, but some of the more legendary establishments are: Arthur Bryant’s, with its flagship restaurant at 1727 Brooklyn Ave.; Joe’s KC (Oklahoma Joe’s), with its original gas station location at 3002 W. 47th Ave.; and Gates Bar-B-Q, which has six locations, including those at 1221 Brooklyn in Kansas City, Mo., and 1026 State Ave. in Kansas City, Kan. Newer additions to the barbecue scene include Q39, 1000 W. 39th St., and Char Bar, 4050 Pennsylvania Ave., in Westport.

Try making it to one of the KC-based barbecue competitions, like the Great Lenexa BBQ Battle, which will take place June 26 and 27. More than 200 judges will taste barbecue from 185 contestants competing for the title of Grand Champion. These events usually include music, children’s activities and lots and lots of food. Admission is $5.

HOW TO GET THERE:

The quickest route is to travel east on Interstate 70. If you want to avoid paying a toll and don’t mind a slightly longer trip, go east on U.S. Route 24/40 to I-70. The fastest route to the city’s south side is heading out of Lawrence east on Kansas Highway 10, then north on Interstate 35.