Overland Park: Nature, Culture and Local Insights

Overland Park offers travelers a variety of starting points for planning: you may be interested in gardens and trails, sports facilities, regional history, science, art or local food. Each place has a different focus. You can tailor your choices to the topics that matter most to you during your stay.

Gardens, Plants and Trails

The Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens spans 300 acres and features 1,700 plant species. Nearly six miles of scenic trails complement the plant collections. The acreage and trail length convey two different aspects of the grounds: the diversity of the plants is one focus, while the trails offer a way to explore the grounds. Access to the trails may vary seasonally.

Farmers Market and Food

At the Overland Park Farmers Market, you can find local seasonal fruits and vegetables, meat, cheese and prepared foods. Offerings from individual vendors may vary. For more than 40 years, the market has brought the community together around farm-to-table food in Downtown Overland Park. It combines a specific selection of foods with a long-standing role in local community life. If you are interested in regional products, this focus offers a different perspective on Overland Park than its museums or gardens.

Sports and Activities for Children

The Scheels Overland Park Soccer Complex spans 96 acres. The facility has twelve full-size, illuminated artificial turf fields. These figures describe the size and amenities of the soccer complex, giving you a concrete point of reference if soccer is one of your travel interests.

At Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead, children can bottle-feed baby goats. The availability of this activity may vary seasonally. The farmstead also has a fishing pond; fishing conditions and fees may vary. This gives visitors two different activities to choose from: an animal-related experience and a place to fish. It is a good idea to check the current conditions as you plan.

History and Natural Sciences

The Johnson County Museum focuses on the people, places and turning points that have shaped life in this part of Kansas. Its “Becoming Johnson County” exhibit takes visitors on a visual journey through the region’s development from a prairie town to growing suburbs. Its focus is change: the exhibit looks at how the region has transformed over the course of its development.

The Museum at Prairiefire presents permanent and changing exhibits on paleontology, geology and astronomy. The specific selection of exhibits may change. The Discovery Room focuses on hands-on science learning in an interactive space; programming and exhibit details may evolve. The Wetlands at Prairiefire are located just outside the museum. Winding trails invite visitors to explore a natural Kansas ecosystem. A museum visit thus combines science topics indoors with an outdoor area focused on an ecosystem and its trails.

Contemporary Art and Changing Exhibitions

The Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art displays contemporary works in its permanent collection by artists from the region, across the United States and abroad. The museum also regularly hosts traveling exhibitions, whose dates change over time. The collection offers an overview of works of regional, national and international origin, while the traveling exhibitions regularly bring additional topics to the museum.

These different focuses can help guide your choice of where to stay: plants and trails, soccer, activities for children, regional history, natural sciences or contemporary art each appeal to different interests. If you are looking for a hotel in Overland Park, choose your destination based on what you most want to experience during your stay.

Discover more destinations: Lenexa, Merriam, Leawood, Olathe, Mission, Shawnee.

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