The Kansas City, Missouri Parks and Recreation Department offers some beautiful outdoor venues for your wedding ceremony. With 220 parks, located all over greater Kansas City, you are sure to find one that fit your needs. From neighborhood parks to lakes, fountains, trails, golf courses and even a Zoo, the Kansas City, Missouri park system provides a wide array of settings and venues from which to choose.  Listed below are some of the more popular wedding ceremony venues.

*Note: Generally, just ceremonies are performed in our parks (due to alcohol restrictions, late evening hours, etc.), but we have also listed below several reception sites that are under KCMO Parks and Recreation and our partners.  If you would like to reserve a park for your wedding ceremony, please fill out this " Event Request Form" and submit form to shannon.dooley@kcmo.org or call 816-513-7500 and ask for Marketing.

Jacob L. Loose Park and the Laura Conyers Smith Rose Garden, W. 51^st Street and Wornall Road. The Rose Garden is the most popular wedding location, but Loose Park also offers a quaint pond area for smaller wedding ceremonies. For details, reservations, or more information, call 816-784-5300.

Shoal Creek Living History Museum in Robert H. Hodge Park, 7000 NE Barry Road, offers a unique setting with both an indoor and outdoor option. Shoal Creek Living History Museum is a village of 15 authentic 19th century buildings. The buildings date from 1807-1885 and include log cabin and clapboard structures to an antebellum brick mansion home. Available for wedding ceremonies, is a church, which can seat up to 125 guests, or you may set-up anywhere within their grounds for an outdoor ceremony. For more details, call 816-792-2655.   

Mill Creek Park – 47^th and J.C. Nichols Parkway on The Plaza, home of the famous J. C. Nichols Fountain.

Frank A. Theis Park – Volker Boulevard and Oak Street, rests alongside Brush Creek, a waterfall, and the William Volker Memorial Fountain on the South side, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art to the North, and Kauffman Memorial Gardens to the parks East side.

Southmoreland Park – Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevard and Oak Street, just to the west of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Nicely shaded park, lots of tree coverage. The park is not available, Memorial Day through mid July due to the annual Shakespeare Festival every year.

Anita B. Gorman Park – N. Holmes Street at NE Vivion Road, home of the Northland Fountain. One of the few fountains that are funded to flow all year long, Anita B. Gorman Park and the Northland Fountain offers a pretty spot for ceremonies. 

Swope Memorial in Swope Park – 6900 Swope Memorial Drive, just northwest of the golf course clubhouse. Sitting up on a cliff, overlooking Swope Park and the Kansas City Zoo, this is a very picturesque location. If you want privacy, this location should be your first pick. Due to limited parking, you may be asked to bus in (think trolley or limo bus) your guests from your reception site, especially if wanting a morning or mid-afternoon ceremony. This location is not recommended if you have more than 150 guests.

Richard & Annette Bloch Cancer Survivors’ Park – Roanoke Parkway and W. 47^th Street, on the west side of The Plaza. Ideal for a smaller ceremony, this location provides veined pergolas on its south side and a convenient Plaza location if your reception is in a nearby hotel.

The Concourse in Kessler Park – Gladstone Boulevard & Benton Boulevard, curved stone colonnades to the north and a fountain to the south, make this a beautiful location. Located in historic northeast Kansas City, right by the John F. Kennedy Memorial, this would make a nice location during the daylight hours.

Spirit of Freedom Fountain or the Hillside Fountain (waterfall) – Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevard at Cleveland Avenue. Situated along Brush Creek, either of these water features would provide a beautiful backdrop for your ceremony.  

Remember, these are just some of the more popular wedding locations your Kansas City, Missouri Parks and Recreation Department has to offer. You may have another park that has a special meaning to you. Perhaps where you had your first date or where he popped the question? Call the numbers listed, if interested in any of the above locations. If a number isn’t listed, please call 816-513-7675 for more information. The best thing for each future bride and groom is to go visit a location, and decides what works best for their big day.

NOTE: The Kansas City, Missouri Parks and Recreation Department does not permit events within our boulevards. Although we know there are some beautiful structures within our boulevards, the liability issues due to traffic, are not conducive to host an event.

RECEPTION SITES (ALCOHOL ALLOWED):

Shoal Creek Golf Course, NE 89^th Street & Shoal Creek Parkway, 816-407-7242

Starlight Theatre, Swope Park, 816-363-7827

The Kansas City Zoo, Swope Park, 816-513-5800