Swifties, Kansas City is more than the backdrop to Taylor and Travis’ engagement. Think lush gardens, buzzing outdoor bars and world-class museums—and maybe even a little romance still in the air.
Head to the Electric Park Garden Bar, which sits on the historic grounds of J. Rieger & Co. Distillery and where you can sidle up to the bar to ask for the newly concocted “Passion of a Showgirl” cocktail. Patrons will find a nostalgic menu inspired by the original Electric Park amusement park—which opened in the East Bottoms in 1899—and features frozen cocktails and bites from the Electric Park Garden Bar food truck. Get cozy around fire pits, a swing-set table and lounge seating.
Originally a key site in the Civil War’s Battle of Westport, the 75-acre Loose Park is made for dreamy Taylor Swift-inspired moments, with a tranquil pond, shaded areas and a Rose Garden. Started in 1931 by Laura Conyers Smith with just 120 rose plants, the garden has since blossomed into a 1.5-acre paradise with nearly 4,000 roses across more than 160 varieties.
Over at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, visitors to Kansas City will find an outdoor gem of a different kind—the Sculpture Park, home to the “Shuttlecocks” sculpture by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, Henry Spencer Moore’s “Large Interior Form,” Jacques Lipchitz’s “Return of the Prodigal Son” and “Totem Pole”by Charles Heit and Kenny Mowatt. Plus, there’s a fascinating Glass Labyrinth visitors won’t want to miss.
At the Ewing and Muriel Kauffman Memorial Garden, Swifties heading to Kansas City will find local and exotic botanicals stone walls, flowing fountains and bronze sculptures by Tom Corbin as well as an Orangery, a gathering space filled with seasonal and fragrant plants.
Cafe Equinox, tucked away in the Family Tree Nursery, serves coffee, local brews and pastries amidst a lush, tropical setting.
Swifties can wander Kansas City’s 970-acre Powell Gardens, strolling through rolling meadows, vibrant blooms and peaceful woodlands.
With 1,700 plant species, the 300-acre Overland Park Arboretum & Botanic Gardens is home to themed gardens and serene trails. Perfect spot for one’s own romantic engagement.
