Ask Kansas City parents for their default happy place and many will say Loose Park. Beyond its famous rose garden, the park’s family side shines: shaded playgrounds near the tennis courts, a splashy spray park that saves summer afternoons, and 75 acres of rolling green made for picnics, kite-flying and first bike rides.
The duck pond is a rite of passage (bring quarters of patience, not bread — the ducks are on a diet of park-provided good sense), and the paved paths suit strollers and training wheels alike.
Free, central and endlessly forgiving of short attention spans, Loose Park pairs perfectly with a Nelson-Atkins morning or a Plaza lunch.
Some parks you plan. Loose Park you simply return to, again and again.

