Swope Park

Swope Park is Kansas City’s 1,805-acre escape—gifted by Col. Thomas H. Swope in 1896 and still the city’s grandest green space. Wooded trails, open meadows, and picnic shelters make every visit feel new. It’s a recreation hub: two public golf courses, mountain-bike and hiking loops, ballfields, a pool, and the Lakeside Nature Center. Signature attractions anchor it all—the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium and Starlight Theatre—drawing families year-round. History lives here too, from “Watermelon Hill” to longstanding community gatherings. For nature, culture, and play, Swope Park is KC at its best.