Powell Gardens

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Features Birding · Fall Colors · Lake · River/Creek · Spring · Views · Waterfall · Wildflowers · Wildlife

Powell Gardens is a non-profit botanical garden located just east of Kansas City, Missouri. The park's mission is to be an experience that embraces the Midwest’s spirit of place and inspires an appreciation for the importance of plants in our lives. Set on 970 acres of lush, rolling hills and windswept meadows, Powell Gardens offers breathtaking display gardens, interesting architecture, and multiple trails for wandering.

The gardens charge admission. Click here to see the current admission fees.

Before you start your run, make sure you put on sunscreen, bug repellent, and comfortable shoes. Weather at the gardens may change throughout the day, so please check the weather and dress accordingly. There are bathrooms located at the visitor center, near the end of the Woodland and Stream Garden, at the Heartland Harvest Garden, and at the Marjorie Allen Powell Chapel. Each bathroom has a drinking fountain near it for your convenience.

Powell Gardens is known for its spectacular garden displays incorporating native plantings and the Heartland Harvest Garden, the nation’s largest edible landscape. Powell Gardens also is known for its contemporary architecture by the architectural firm originally established by Fay Jones, now Maurice Jennings Architects.This run through Powell Gardens is along a mostly paved path and will take you through seven themed gardens which include the following:

• Visitor's Center Grounds, a formal, seasonal garden.
• The Island Garden which contains the nation's longest living wall.
• The Woodland and Stream Garden which contains peaceful waterfalls, shade from the summertime sun, and beautiful fall colors.
• The perennial garden with seasonal perennials, plenty of benches, and a beautiful view of the lake.
• Landscaping surrounding the iconic Marjorie Allen Powell Chapel.
• The Fountain Garden, featuring seasonal installations.
• Heartland Harvest Garden, the nation's largest edible landscape.

After you finish your run, stop back at the Powell Gardens Visitor Center and enjoy a meal at Cafe Thyme, and shop in the Perennial Gifts gift shop. During the warmer months, you can also stop by Refresh in the Heartland Harvest Garden for garden-to-table fare including refreshing, seasonal homemade popsicles.

Powell Gardens is a Missouri Botanical Garden that showcases a variety of plants from the Midwestern landscape in seven different gardens. The gardens feature flowers, trees, shrubs, waterlilies, an edible landscape, conservatory displays, stunning architecture, and many seasonal festivals and exhibits. Visit powellgardens.org/ for more information about all that the gardens have to offer!

Powell Gardens’ history began in 1948, when George E. Powell, Sr., a prominent Kansas City businessman, acquired the beautiful tract of land that is now Powell Gardens.

In 1917, Mr. Powell left the grounds to pursue a career in Kansas City. He, along with his son George Powell Jr., and others, took over ownership of Yellow Transit Freight Lines, now YRC Worldwide, in 1952.

In 1969, in keeping with his stewardship philosophy, Mr. Powell donated the 640-acre farm to the Kansas City Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America, who used it as a regional camp until 1984.

In 1984, with the University of Missouri’s School of Agriculture as a partner, the Powell Family Foundation began developing a horticultural and natural resource facility called Powell Center with a leading botanical consulting firm, Environmental Planning and Design.

In 1988, official ties with the University of Missouri ended and Powell Gardens Inc., a non-profit organization, was established.