Peace and tranquility are a bargain at the Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens located on 179th Street about a mile west of U.S. Highway 69. Three hundred acres of land have been dedicated to environmental initiatives that preserve and restore ecosystems while providing educational opportunities for children and adults. Wood chip hiking trails lead through the various gardens, including the Erickson Water Garden, a Xeriscape Garden, a Rotary Children's Garden, a Native American Medicine Wheel, and the Legacy Garden. Concrete paths extending from parking areas allow visitors with physical disabilities to enjoy the rare plant species and varied biodomes that can be viewed on the grounds. An interpretive Environmental Education and Visitors Center at the Gardens offers a peek into the biology of the facility while modeling environmentally-sustainable energy systems in use at the Center.
Families with younger children will enjoy a visit to the Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead located at 13800 Switzer, within the boundaries of the Overland Park Community Park. Named for a local police officer who was killed in the line of duty, the Farmstead is comprised of a petting zoo, farmhouse, a silo with slides, and picture-box gardens. Demonstration gardens depict methods of growing produce such as wheat, corn, and vegetables. The Farmstead is a seasonal operation, opening April 1st and closing for the year at the end of October.
Downtown Overland Park is a great place to wander amid centralized, locally-owned art galleries and interesting shops. The Strang Carriage House in downtown conveys visitors back to the town's beginnings, and the Farmers Market is a feast for the eyes as well as the belly.
Kansas City is just a few minutes away, with attractions as diverse as the Hallmark Visitors Center (the past and present of Hallmark cards), the Harley-Davidson Final Assembly Plant, the Federal Reserve Bank Visitors Center, and the Kansas City Market (an open-air farmers market). The 18th and Vine Historic Jazz District in Kansas City offers a concentrated selection of entertainment venues and museums such as the American Jazz Museum and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
The City of Overland Park has created a gallery space at the Overland Park Convention Center; six art exhibitions are presented each year to supplement the permanent displays onsite. Art at the Center focuses on works of local and regional artists. The city also coordinates a new Sculpture Exhibition at the Arboretum and Botanical Gardens; the juried sculpture show features works distributed throughout the natural beauty of the trees and flowers.
The city is committed to an ambitious public art project incorporating sculpture, lighting design, and landform alteration in accessible spots around the community. Projects on deck include landscape art and sculptures at all gateways to Overland Park, beautification projects at parks that are near high-traffic areas, murals and sculpture along a major transport corridor, and landscape sculpture at St. Andrew's Golf Course.
The H&R Block Artspace at the Kansas City Art Institute features permanent and rotating exhibits. The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City features an international roster of artists who work in all media. A superb Asian collection crowns the exhibits at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, which also boasts nationally-recognized collections of African, American, Native American, European, and ancient art.
Local origins can be plumbed at the Johnson County Museum of History located in Shawnee and housed in a historic school. The museum contains archives documenting the development of Johnson County communities, a research library and an education center. The Arabia Steamboat Museum in Kansas City showcases a cache of well-preserved frontier supplies discovered in the cargo hold of a sunken steamer. The Historic Downtown Airport in Kansas City displays a collection of aeronautical memorabilia and artifacts in Hangar 9, the home of the Airline History Museum.
The greater Kansas City area puts on a great show in the performing arts; Overland Park proper touts its New Theatre Restaurant as one of the best dinner theaters in the country. The cuisine is five-star and the productions frequently feature recognizable stage, film, and television personalities. Martin City Melodrama and Vaudeville Company is a professional theater company in Overland Park, keeping audiences giggling with comedy productions and children's workshops. The Carlsen Center at Johnson County Community College proffers a season that includes 32 special events in six separate series: Center, Celebrity, Vocal Splendor, Dance, Recital, and Family. Internationally-known performers are intermingled with college performing artists in an eclectic mix of opera, jazz, and classical numbers.
Dance and music aficionados can rely on Kansas City to round out the repertoire—the Kansas City Ballet, Kansas City Symphony, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Folly Theatre, and the Music Hall host performances all along the spectrum of the arts. Community-based theater productions are held by the Theatre League in Kansas City, and professional theater performances are offered by the Kansas City Repertory Theatre. Outdoor theater can be experienced in Kansas City at the Starlight Theater and in Shawnee at the Theatre in the Park.
Arts and Culture Information: Overland Park Convention and Visitors Bureau, 9001 W. 110 Street, Suite 100, Overland Park, KS 66210; toll-free (800)262-7275
Comfortable spring temperatures allow for a variety of outdoor celebrations and events, including the farmers market that operates from early April until late September. Vendors of produce, crafts, and art items set up booths near the Clock Tower, attracting hordes of locals and visitors. The Clock Tower is also the scene for a concert series that begins in early April and ends in late September, running in tandem with the farmers market. Spring showers bring more than May flowers at the Arboretum in Overland Park—from mid-May through late October, the botanical gardens and arboretum are the site of a juried Sculpture Exhibition.
"Jazz in the Woods" is a three-day music festival held in June on the grounds of Corporate Woods office park. Local and national jazz artists perform in Overland Park, with the proceeds going to several charities. The Downtown Overland Park Days and Art Festival in late June revolves around the resumption of an outdoor farmers market. The Fourth of July is celebrated with a bang at SpiritFest, a three-day party featuring local cuisine, three entertainment stages, and a midway.
Cooler fall temperatures bring street fairs and celebrations all around the area. The Kansas City Renaissance Festival in nearby Bonner Springs starts in early September and runs for seven weeks. Overland Park's Annual Fall Festival also occurs in late September and features art and craft booths, food vendors, and street entertainment in downtown Overland Park.
The winter holidays are kicked off in November with the Annual Holiday Market in the Farmer's Pavilion downtown. Vendors offer seasonal arts, crafts, produce, and holiday gifts on Saturdays throughout the month. The Mayor's Lighting Ceremony in mid-November features carolers, cookies, and Santa Claus as the city's communal tree is lit.
Overland Park's proximity to Kansas City allows sports fans to immerse themselves in professional and amateur sports all year long. The Kansas City Chiefs play in the Western Division of the National Football League American Conference, with home games taking place in the Arrowhead Stadium off I-70. The Kansas City Knights were a founding franchise in the American Basketball Association; home games are played in Kemper Arena from mid-November through mid-April. For the Kansas City Outlaws, the floor of the Kemper Arena is converted to an ice rink to accommodate United League Hockey play. Indoor soccer rounds out the winter season, with the Comets competing in the Major Indoor Soccer League from October through March.
Soccer heads outdoors for the Wizards' season—the team plays home games at Arrowhead Stadium and competes in the Major Soccer League. Summer brings baseball, and Kansas City is home of the Royals. The independent Northern League is also represented by the Kansas City T-Bones.
The newest spectator sport in the area takes place at the Kansas Speedway; completed in 2001, the raceway attracts NASCAR events.
Classes in tai chi, yoga, aerobics, and weight training are offered through the Parks and Recreation department of the City of Overland Park, which also coordinates youth and adult team sports in season. The city maintains the Indian Creek Trail for bikers and hikers, which winds for almost 17 miles along Indian Creek as it passes through Overland Park on its way to a convergence with the Tomahawk Creek Trail system.
The Overland Park Skate Park was created in 1997 through the efforts of an Overland Park Community Resource Officer who saw the need for a safe place for youth to skate. The park challenges users with jumps, ramps, and rails based on the urban landscape often frequented by skaters.
The city operates two public golf courses. St. Andrew's Golf Club is an 18-hole course that underwent a renovation in 1997 that was guided by LPGA player Carol Mann. The front nine holes feature wide fairways with some water hazards, while the back nine are characterized by tighter fairways, doglegs and bunkers. The Overland Park Golf Club offers 27 regulation holes that form three 18-hole courses. Putting greens, chipping greens, a grill and a pro shop round out the amenities at the Overland Park Golf Club. Both public clubs provide adult and youth instruction and leagues.
Johnson County coordinates a wide variety of sports and recreation programs, ranging from nature centers, to golf courses, to stables. The Ernie Miller Park and Nature Center in Olathe contains 114 acres of diverse habitats, trails, a wildlife viewing room, and an aquarium. Outdoor Discovery Camps are offered for younger naturalists. Also located in Olathe is the TimberRidge Adventure Center—in addition to a professionally-facilitated challenge (ropes) course, the center provides opportunities to hike, fish, and practice archery skills. Anglers can also cast lines at Regency Park Lake in Overland Park; three acres of surface area shelters channel catfish, bluegill, hybrid sunfish, green sunfish, and largemouth bass.
Overland Park is home to two enclosed malls: Metcalf South Shopping Center is anchored by Jones Store Company and Sears, while Oak Park Mall is a 187-store facility anchored by Nordstrom's and Dillard's stores. The Hawthorne Plaza contains a collection of upscale shops, and a walk in downtown Overland Park will take shoppers by unique locally-owned antique stores, art galleries, and specialty stores. Overland Park's proximity to Kansas City means that locals and visitors are within easy reach of more than 90 shopping centers and 38 shopping plazas.
Barbecue figures largely on the menu of local eateries in Overland Park. Approximately 46 restaurants offer barbecue in one form or another. Mexican-American cuisine is also well-represented, with more than 50 establishments. Asian restaurants are almost 80 in number, and Italian food is served at 32 eating places. Other culinary offerings include French, Cajun, Greek, Indian, Irish, and Jewish fare. Coffee houses run the gamut from chain franchises to locally-owned espresso bars.