Penn Valley Park

The WW1 museum had a free exhibition of things used in the war.They got volunteers that explained each peace and they are incredibly knowledgeable. Very nice people Go to understand the history.

I needed a run and Nicole took the little one on a walk through the park. Memorial Day Weekend was happening and the street was lined with American flags and War Memorabilia and veterans displaying them. I ran around the park's tower where a line had formed to enter it for views from the top, Penn Valley Lake, Union Cemetary where some people celebrated by a family headstone, the firefighter memorial, and a few others. I even spotted a Coyote. It was a nice and windy day and I enjoyed to logging 8 miles through the paths interlinking the various parks and monuments.

I love the Scout statue. My dog is named Scout partially because of the KC tie in, and the view of downtown is beautiful. Other parts of this park need improvement. People treat it like garbage, literally. There needs to be a little more cleanup and lighting as it's not always the safest park around. I do like what it represents and hope it can trend upwards as KC, and the KC Parks Department continues to elevate their game.

Playing in a kickball league here and am really enjoying it. The field doesn't have any big holes in it and is well maintained. The lighting is also great.The view of downtown from the field IS AMAZING. There is also a good view of the Veteran's Memorialz

In general I would visit the WW1 memorial park and stay close to the monument, Specially if you're traveling alone or with a family. I really enjoyed the world war one Monument and grounds however I really wanted to see the Kansas City scout monument but when I did I was severely disappointed. In order to get to the Scout you have to drive or Walk a half a mile from the monument, the road to the scout is on a one-way road that comes to a dead end(never a good transitional space). I've been exploring Kansas City for weeks now and this was the only time that I felt unsafe, there was graffiti on the walls and on the monument, homeless population on the grounds next to the monument, broken glass on the grounds and at the end of the one-way road it looked like a drug deal is going down. This is very unfortunate because I bet at one time this monument was a great symbol for Kansas City but they have a lot of work to do to clean it up before I would recommend anyone to go to visit it.

Oh where does this beautiful rolling landscape of a park begin and where do the valley's and winding paths end? No, seriously, where are the boundaries of this expansive park right in the heart of our city? All I know is that it consists of The Liberty Memorial, Off Broadway Theater, The Scout statue, some tennis courts, baseball diamonds, walking paths, a dog park and a pond! The memorial sits on a stately, symmetric expanse of land unlike the rest of the park that is full of hills and valleys. Streets and boulevards intersect portions of the park making it confusing as to what is the park and what is not! The view from the memorial facing Union Station is one of the most iconic views of the skyline and one of the best. This park has been home to numerous festivals throughout the years including gay pride, rockfest, spirit fest and on and on and on. For the last couple of years, the north end of the memorial lawn is where thousands of people picnic, listen to the KC Symphony's free *Celebration at the Station* concert and watch fireworks from. There are many areas for picnicking, throwing a frisbee or any number of park like activities one could ever wish for.I bet you have driven through this park without even knowing you were inside the boundaries of Penn Valley Park, yet you were. Don't let it be a mistake, make a point of going and using this gorgeous park in the middle of our city.

Whoa. What happened to the nice park with 5-star reviews? Because when I tried to visit the Scout statue yesterday, this place was disgusting.Upon pulling up and parking, there was trash and litter EVERYWHERE. A busted-up car tire sat by garbage bags beside the parking spaces. Scattered trash made it look like homeless people camped out nearby. Uhh red flag?My husband and I got out of our car (determined to see that statue!) and as we began towards the path, we were forced to walk past the sketchiest truck idling by the sidewalk. I could feel the person sitting inside staring us down as we walked past.We continued on the path to the statue and noticed a group of people smoking hookah right next to it - a big group of people. They had 3-4 hookahs between all of them. At this point I wasn't trying to go crash their party, and take pictures right beside them, so we just decided to leave. What a bummer because the photos of the statue and views are beautiful. Definitely won't be back.

The view of down town from The Scout statue is my favorite in the city. There are lots of festivals on these grounds (as previously stated) but my favorite thing about this park is that it's relatively unknown even to Kansas Citians as a place to just go and hang out. There aren't picnic tables or playground equipment, so it's not that kind of park. It's a good place to grill out, lay out, hike around, kick a ball and take some photographs. It is in essence, a sprawling green space connecting the crossroads and downtown to midtown. This is my favorite park in the city and this is where I go on my lunch break to unwind. There are plenty of places to park and it's fun to almost get lost on the winding roads. When I need a break from the bustle of the city, this is where I go.

Penn Valley Park is a hidden wonder of Kansas City. At night the VERY best view of the city can be seen from the World War I memorial, it is romantic and beautiful. This is where they hold Rock Fest (large rock concert) with 50,000 people so it is larger than you may imagine in the center of Kansas City.The WWI Memorial is only open days but the park is open until late evening. The museum is the ONLY WWI memorial in the country of it's kind so be sure to check it out. The park has walking trails, grass for playing with kids, pets or a nice picknick. I received a parking ticket the last time I went because I think I am a Rock Star so be sure to park properly in a parking space and check out this nifty Kansas City gem :)

What to say that has not previously been said....This is one of the two best parks in KC-midtown area-the other being Loose Park. There are so many activities that you can do from this park-museum, exercise, meditation/relaxation, work that can be done on a park bench, & a quick walk to the crossroads and/or downtown/P&L:)