Spring is here to stay in Kansas City (knock on wood!) and from the look of our bustling local parks, we're all ready to spend some quality time outdoors. 👫⛲🌳
If you have a yard to tend, you're likely picking up where you left off in the fall, welcoming back your budding perennials or prepping to spruce up your garden with new blooms. 👩🌾 🌼
But for those of us with garden envy, how about an outing to celebrate the start of spring — and maybe even see some other smiling faces, too? 😊
The Kansas City metro has several spaces where you can stretch your legs, feel the sun on your face and smell the roses. 🌹 In addition to Loose Park and Swope Park, which offer some of the most stunning green spaces in the city, here are some other spots cultivated for maximum warm-weather enjoyment. 🌞
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| Muriel McBrien Kauffman Memorial Garden
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This 2.5-acre park on Rockhill Road is maintained by Powell Gardens and features both local and non-native plant species. The garden is open year-round with an ever-changing assortment of blooms and in-season plant life. 🌷
Stone walls, fountains and bronze sculptures make this a hotspot for gorgeous photos. ⛲ 👰 📸
During the pandemic, the garden is open 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Admission is free, but the number of visitors is monitored at the entrance to allow for physical distancing. Face masks are encouraged. 😷👍
📍 Muriel McBrien Kauffman Memorial Garden: 4800 Rockhill Rd, Kansas City, MO 64110
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This botanical garden 🌸 and park sits on 970 acres in Kingsville, Missouri, and hosts an active calendar of events. 📅
One very popular festival is the Bloom Fest that runs through Sunday, May 9. 💐 The festival features work by both visual artists and container artists. Tickets to the Bloom Fest as well as to a Mother’s Day Picnic can be purchased here. 🎟️
Powell Gardens also offers a series of Gardening 101 and Work & Learn sessions, where you can get your hands dirty while learning how to plant a butterfly garden 🦋 and much more. See their list of events here.
During festivals, non-members are asked to make daily online reservations to control capacity. General admission when there’s not a festival is $10 for adults, $8 for military, $9 for seniors 60+, $4 ages 5-12, and free for children 4 and under.
📍 Powell Gardens: 1609 NW US Highway 50, Kingsville, MO 64061
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| Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens
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Boasting more than 1,700 species of plants 🌿 in a variety of landscapes, the Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens offers hiking trails and even hosts local events such as wine tastings. 🍷
In addition to its botanical gardens, you can explore the various ecosystems and local plant species spread across 180 acres of prairie land. 🌾🌳 More upcoming events include nature story time on Thursday, May 6 and yoga in the garden on Saturday, May 8. 🧘 Keep an eye on its website for more information and future events.
Guided tours are $10 plus the price of admission. Entry is free to children 5, $1 for ages 6-12, and $3 for 13 and older. The park is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. most days of the week.
📍 Overland Park Arboretum: 8909 W. 179th Street, Overland Park, KS 66013
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| More Adventures in Kansas City
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|  | Conferrin' With The Flowers: A Year of Native Garden Maintenance
| |  | Beginner Container Gardening
Looking to start your own container garden, but need some help? Join Wander Woman Kansas and Johnson County Extension Master Gardeners on May 12 at 6:30 p.m. for a free online event discussing the basics of container gardening. Register for the event online.
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