Parks, beaches and places to go around Kansas City

Eight acres of forest, woodland, wetland and prairie are behind this Missouri Department of Conservation center, threaded by short paved and natural trails.

Outdoors

4750 Troost Ave, Kansas City, MO 64110

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

Burr Oak Woods covers about 1,071 acres just north of Interstate 70 and is run by the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Outdoors

1401 NW Park Rd, Blue Springs, MO 64015

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

Burrus Old Mill Park covers about 14 acres and holds the first splash pad the city of Blue Springs built.

Outdoors

• Splash pad

112 NW Woods Chapel Rd, Blue Springs, MO 64015

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

English Landing Park runs about 68 acres along the Missouri River with three miles of walking trails and a disc golf course.

Outdoors

• Playground
• Picnic shelter
• Boat launch

8701 McAfee St, Parkville, MO 64152

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

Fleming Park is the largest park in Jackson County at about 7,809 acres and contains both Lake Jacomo and Blue Springs Lake.

Outdoors

22807 Woods Chapel Rd, Blue Springs, MO 64015

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

Cliff Drive runs about 4.27 miles through Kessler Park, from The Paseo and Independence Avenue to Gladstone Boulevard at Belmont.

Outdoors

Gladstone Blvd and Cliff Dr, Kansas City, MO 64123

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

George Owens Nature Park opened in 1977 and covers about 86 acres of forest, lakes and hiking trails on the east side of Independence.

Outdoors

1601 S Speck Rd, Independence, MO 64057

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

Happy Rock Park covers about 79.8 acres at Northeast 76th and Antioch and carries a 1.3 mile fitness trail around its fields.

Outdoors

• Playground
• Restrooms
• Water fountain
• Lights

7600 NE Antioch Rd, Gladstone, MO 64119

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

Hyde Park covers about 7.46 acres, was created in 1888, and is crowned by the Eagle Scout Memorial Fountain at 39th and Gillham.

Outdoors

3915 Gillham Rd, Kansas City, MO 64111

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

Loose Park is at 51st Street and Wornall Road and holds a lake, a rose garden, tennis courts and Civil War markers.

Outdoors

5200 Wornall Rd, Kansas City, MO 64112

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

This Missouri Department of Conservation area lies south of Highway 50 near Lee's Summit and holds a string of fishing lakes.

Outdoors

• Fishing

13101 SE Ranson Rd, Lee's Summit, MO 64082

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

Lakeside Nature Center is inside Swope Park and runs one of the largest native wildlife rehabilitation operations in Missouri.

Outdoors

4701 E Gregory Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64132

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

Legacy Park carries a trail system, a lake and a disc golf course on the north side of Lee's Summit.

Outdoors

1401 NE Legacy Park Dr, Lee's Summit, MO 64086

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

Macken Park is the largest park in North Kansas City and carries ball fields, tennis courts and a walking track.

Outdoors

2251 Howell St, North Kansas City, MO 64116

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

Maple Woods preserves about 39 acres of old growth sugar maple forest inside the city limits of Gladstone.

Outdoors

2603 NE 76th St, Gladstone, MO 64119

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

Penn Valley Park covers about 176 acres of ground the Santa Fe Trail once crossed and holds the Scout statue and the Liberty Memorial.

Outdoors

Pershing Rd and Main St, Kansas City, MO 64108

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

Pink Hill Park is on the northwest side of Blue Springs and carries ball fields, walking trails and picnic ground.

Outdoors

2715 NW Park Dr, Blue Springs, MO 64015

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

Platte Ridge Park is on Route 371 south of Platte City and carries ball fields, trails and a fishing pond.

Outdoors

• Fishing

17130 Highway 371, Platte City, MO 64079

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

Recreation Park is on the south end of Raymore, bounded by South Madison Street on the west and Hubach Hill Road on the south.

Outdoors

S Madison St and Hubach Hill Rd, Raymore, MO 64083

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

Renner Brenner Park holds a playground and a skate park and serves as a trailhead for the Line Creek Trail.

Outdoors

• Playground

2901 NW Vivion Rd, Riverside, MO 64150

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

This riverfront park covers about 17 acres downtown and carries sand volleyball courts and a stretch of the Riverfront Heritage Trail.

Outdoors

1298 E Riverfront Dr, Kansas City, MO 64106

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

Smithville Lake spreads across Clay and Clinton counties and its parks are run day to day by the Clay County Parks Department.

Outdoors

• Fishing
• Boat launch

16311 DD Highway, Smithville, MO 64089

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

Swope Park covers about 1,805 acres and holds the Kansas City Zoo, Starlight Theatre and Lakeside Nature Center inside its boundary.

Outdoors

3999 Swope Pkwy, Kansas City, MO 64132

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

Wallace State Park covers about 573 acres around six acre Lake Allaman, seven miles south of Cameron in Clinton County.

Outdoors

• Fishing

10621 NE Highway 121, Cameron, MO 64429

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

A paved trail runs about 3.8 miles around the 100 acre lake here, and the 1860s woolen mill still holds its original machinery.

Outdoors

• Fishing
• Boat launch

26600 Park Rd N, Lawson, MO 64062

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

Weston Bend State Park covers about 1,133 acres on the east bank of the Missouri River with hiking and biking trails.

Outdoors

• Picnic area

16600 Highway 45 N, Weston, MO 64098

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

Clay County runs two public swim beaches at Smithville Lake, one in Camp Branch Park and one in Little Platte Park.

Outdoors

Collins Rd, Smithville, MO 64089

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

Lake Allaman is a six acre lake inside Wallace State Park with a public swimming beach on its shore.

Outdoors

10621 NE Highway 121, Cameron, MO 64429

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

Longview Lake keeps a beach set aside for swimming, sunbathing and picnicking on the Raytown Road side of its 930 acres.

Outdoors

11101 Raytown Rd, Kansas City, MO 64134

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

A sand swimming beach is at the north end of the lake at Watkins Mill State Park, beside the picnic ground.

Outdoors

26600 Park Rd N, Lawson, MO 64062

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

Blue Springs Lake covers about 720 acres on the eastern edge of Jackson County and keeps a swimming beach separate from its boat water.

Outdoors

• Boat launch

1700 NE Bowlin Rd, Lee's Summit, MO 64064

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

This conservation area ramp reaches the Missouri River at about river mile 342, roughly eight river miles below La Benite Park.

Outdoors

• Boat launch

Cooley Lake Rd, Orrick, MO 64077

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

This four lane concrete ramp is mid lake on the south side of Smithville Lake, off Crows Creek Road, with docks and paved parking.

Outdoors

• Boat launch
• Parking

4601 Crows Creek Rd, Smithville, MO 64089

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

Lake Jacomo covers about 970 acres inside Fleming Park and carries three boat ramps along with the largest marina in the area.

Outdoors

• Boat launch
• Fishing

7401 W Park Rd, Blue Springs, MO 64015

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

A one lane concrete ramp with gravel parking is in the northeast corner of Smithville Lake at the west end of the 240th Street bridge.

Outdoors

• Boat launch
• Parking

SW 240th St, Smithville, MO 64089

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

Paved and natural surface trails follow the Blue River through the 2,267 acre Blue River Parkway, from Swope Park to the county line.

Outdoors

11500 Blue River Rd, Kansas City, MO 64134

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

This paved path runs about 8.2 miles through the Northland, from north of Route 152 down to Homestead Park in Riverside.

Outdoors

• Paved path

2901 NW Vivion Rd, Riverside, MO 64150

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

This 15 mile paved and unpaved path runs through eastern Independence, from Blue Mills Road on the north to Lees Summit Road on the south.

Outdoors

21910 E Old Blue Mills Rd, Independence, MO 64058

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

Independence keeps a leash free zone inside Fairmount Park, in the Fairmount neighborhood on the city's west side.

Outdoors

• Off-leash area
• Dogs allowed
• Picnic shelter

300 N Home Ave, Independence, MO 64053

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

Stocksdale Park holds a three acre fenced dog run along with the 18 hole Bad Rock Creek disc golf course.

Outdoors

• Off-leash area
• Dogs allowed

901 S La Frenz Rd, Liberty, MO 64068

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

This was the first dedicated dog park in Kansas City, opened in 2004, with a separate 1.8 acre run for small and older dogs.

Outdoors

• Off-leash area
• Dogs allowed

29th St and Wyandotte St, Kansas City, MO 64108

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

The Central Library is at 10th and Baltimore in a former bank building, and its parking garage carries the Community Bookshelf mural.

Indoors

14 W 10th St, Kansas City, MO 64105

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

The Plaza Branch is at 48th and Main, a short walk from the Country Club Plaza shopping district.

Indoors

4801 Main St, Kansas City, MO 64112

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

The Raytown branch is one of more than thirty Mid-Continent Public Library locations across Jackson, Clay and Platte counties.

Indoors

6131 Raytown Rd, Raytown, MO 64133

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

Woodneath is the Mid-Continent Public Library branch built around an 1855 Northland farmhouse, and it houses the system's Story Center.

Indoors

8900 NE Flintlock Rd, Kansas City, MO 64157

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

Adventure Oasis is the outdoor water park run by Independence Parks, Recreation and Tourism on the south side of town.

Outdoors

2100 S Hub Dr, Independence, MO 64055

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

This city community centre near 18th and Vine carries an indoor pool, and that pool was closed for maintenance when this row was checked.

Indoors

1600 John Buck O'Neil Way, Kansas City, MO 64108

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

Summit Waves is the outdoor aquatic centre run by Lee's Summit Parks and Recreation, beside Harris Park downtown.

Outdoors

120 SW Blue Pkwy, Lee's Summit, MO 64063

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

The Tony Aguirre centre on the Westside carries both an indoor pool and an outdoor pool under Kansas City Parks and Recreation.

Indoors

2050 W Pennway St, Kansas City, MO 64108

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

Founded in 1986 as Save-A-Connie, this hangar museum at the downtown airport tells the story of the United States airline industry.

Indoors

201 NW Lou Holland Dr, Kansas City, MO 64116

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

Built in 1856 as the base of the Russell, Majors and Waddell freighting company, this house stands about sixteen feet from the Kansas line.

Indoors

8201 State Line Rd, Kansas City, MO 64114

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

The American Jazz Museum is at 18th and Vine and runs the Blue Room and the Gem Theater alongside its galleries.

Indoors

1616 E 18th St, Kansas City, MO 64108

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

This River Market museum holds the cargo of a steamboat that sank in the Missouri River in 1856 and was dug out of a cornfield.

Indoors

400 Grand Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64106

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

Established in 1958, the site preserves the 1861 Civil War battlefield and the Oliver Anderson house that stood in the middle of it.

Indoors

1101 Delaware St, Lexington, MO 64067

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

The painter George Caleb Bingham lived here, and the Waggoner family held the 19 acre estate for 97 years afterward.

Indoors

313 W Pacific Ave, Independence, MO 64050

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

The National Park Service runs Truman's house on Delaware Street, the home he and Bess lived in before and after the White House.

Indoors

219 N Delaware St, Independence, MO 64050

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

The first presidential library built under the 1955 act, it holds Truman's White House office replica and his grave in the courtyard.

Indoors

500 W US Highway 24, Independence, MO 64050

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

This is the farm where Jesse and Frank James were born and raised, north of Kearney in Clay County.

Indoors

21216 Jesse James Farm Rd, Kearney, MO 64060

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

John Wornall built this Greek Revival farmhouse in 1858 from bricks fired on the property, and it served as a Civil War field hospital.

Indoors

6115 Wornall Rd, Kansas City, MO 64113

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

The museum occupies a former flour mill and covers the Oregon, California and Santa Fe trails that started from Independence.

Indoors

318 W Pacific Ave, Independence, MO 64050

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

This is the only museum in the United States dedicated to the First World War, and the Liberty Memorial tower stands above it.

Indoors

2 Memorial Dr, Kansas City, MO 64108

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

The museum stands in the 18th and Vine district, in the same building as the American Jazz Museum.

Indoors

1616 E 18th St, Kansas City, MO 64108

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

The Ray County Historical Society runs this museum in Richmond, and it keeps a seasonal calendar that closes over the winter.

Indoors

901 W Royle St, Richmond, MO 64085

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

This 1937 Art Deco building was raised around the mineral springs that made Excelsior Springs a resort town, and it now holds city hall.

Indoors

201 E Broadway St, Excelsior Springs, MO 64024

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

The Money Museum is inside the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City on Memorial Drive, next to the WWI museum grounds.

Indoors

1 Memorial Dr, Kansas City, MO 64198

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

The city museum occupies Corinthian Hall, the 1910 lumber baron mansion on Gladstone Boulevard in the historic Northeast.

Indoors

3218 Gladstone Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64123

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

This museum on the UMKC campus holds the largest collection of fine scale miniatures on public display in the world.

Indoors

5235 Oak St, Kansas City, MO 64112

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

The Nelson-Atkins is south of the Country Club Plaza, and the shuttlecock sculptures on its lawn are the city's most copied photograph.

Indoors

4525 Oak St, Kansas City, MO 64111

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

Harvey Vaile built this 31 room Second Empire house in 1881, and it carries nine marble fireplaces across three storeys.

Indoors

1500 N Liberty St, Independence, MO 64050

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

The woolen mill here is the only nineteenth century textile mill in the United States that still holds its original machinery.

Indoors

26600 Park Rd N, Lawson, MO 64062

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

The Brookside market runs on Saturday mornings from May through October in the parking lot on Wornall Road.

Outdoors

6425 Wornall Rd, Kansas City, MO 64113

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

The City Market anchors the River Market district and runs on Saturdays through the year, with Sundays added from spring to December.

Outdoors

20 E 5th St, Kansas City, MO 64106

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

This market runs on Saturday mornings from May through October on the courthouse square in downtown Liberty.

Outdoors

1 Courthouse Square, Liberty, MO 64068

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

The Lee's Summit community centre carries six indoor courts and is beside Summit Waves on Blue Parkway downtown.

Indoors

110 SW Blue Pkwy, Lee's Summit, MO 64063

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

The aquarium is on the south side of Crown Center Square and shares its building with the LEGOLAND Discovery Center.

Indoors

2475 Grand Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64108

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

The 1914 station holds Science City, a planetarium, a model railroad gallery and the city's travelling exhibition hall under one roof.

Indoors

30 W Pershing Rd, Kansas City, MO 64108

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

This 18 acre Raytown park carries four lighted tennis courts, a skate park and a walking track around a fishing pond.

Outdoors

• Picnic shelter
• Playground
• Restrooms
• Fishing
• Lights

9608 Raytown Rd, Raytown, MO 64133

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

The original Chicken N Pickle carries four indoor and four outdoor pickleball courts beside its restaurant on Burlington Street.

Indoors

1761 Burlington St, North Kansas City, MO 64116

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

Lea McKeighan splits into a north and a south side across Chipman Road, with three outdoor pickleball courts and a splash pad.

Outdoors

• Splash pad

120 NE Chipman Rd, Lee's Summit, MO 64063

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026

This 15 acre Raytown park at 59th and Lane carries four lighted tennis courts, a basketball court and a two thirds mile walking trail.

Outdoors

• Picnic shelter
• Playground
• Lights

5901 Lane Ave, Raytown, MO 64133

Official site · Checked September 22, 2026