Sheila Kemper Dietrich Park

Such a COOL playground in the heart of KC! The perfect place for an after Science City/Crown Center/Union Station picnic and some more fun.

It was a rainy day and our pool plans had been dashed. We ended up moving our play date to crown center where the kids could explore their free fairytale land exhibit. After running amok with all the other children of KC indoors and having lunch, the rain had let up and we thought it might be good to get some more energy out before heading home. My cousin recommended we stop by this park, which she remembered was close by. To be fair, I had pretty low expectations but I was so pleasantly surprised by this cool spot. First of all, it's not a generic park at all. You've got a giant sea monster made out of concrete and play structure that is made have the look and feel of a pirate ship - it's so fun for pretend play, and such a unique concept for a public park. My kiddo LOVED the sea monster and got such a kick out of it. Aside from that the park is a really good size and you've got a pretty standard playset next to the pirate ship, some swings, and loads of things to climb on, including some play rocks, which I think is a nice touch and sort of compliments the unique nature of this park. 4/5 stars simply because there is some room for improvement - mostly in the restroom area, as they did not look clean/safe, so we used the good ole travel potty for our toddler and made our way home after playing. Overall if you're in the area this is a really fun park for kids and it's worth exploring!

The park's location is convenient to union station / crown center area which is where we headed after our picnic lunch and play. The playground is inclusive with wheelchair access throughout, variety of swings, etc. Some of the equipment doesn't seem to serve much of a purpose ... like the giant blue dragon. It's cool to see but not to be played on. The big pirate ship is accessible but has zero moving parts to enhance play. The climbing rocks have nets in order to get to the top, but once up on the rocks, there's nowhere else to go. I appreciate the efforts to include all but still feel like this park has something missing. There are mature trees throughout but no where near the playground so midday in June was HOT! Parking is free along the nearby streets but tough to find with other area businesses and housing. Restrooms are minimal, flushing thankfully, but typical metal toilets, sinks, etc. They were clean. Picnic tables were metal and in shaded pavilions, perfect to picnic on a hot day. They are right next to the park which is a bonus when kids want to play between snacks or finish food fast and go play. Tennis courts on site looked in saaaaaad shape.