Twenty minutes away from downtown's Sprint Center is one of Kansas City's overlooked gems. The Independence Events Center is an intimate 5,800-seat arena — small enough that every seat is good but big enough to attract decent entertainment. While the more lavish Sprint Center still doesn't have an anchor, the Independence Events Center already has a full-time resident: the Missouri Mavericks of the Central Hockey League. Tickets to a Mavericks game are affordable, and the quality of hockey is worth the trek. Unlike Kemper Arena events, paid attendance here does not include birds flying around in the rafters.
