Included with admission | 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Lab (Visitor Center)
Calling all budding architects! Cool off and build your own tabletop fort with Lincoln Logs, magnetic tiles, Legos, and popsicle sticks in the Lab.
Fortopia
May 23 – September 2, 2024
Tuesday-Sunday | 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Fortopia, a playful outdoor exhibition comprised of awe-inspiring forts, invites explorers of all ages to uncover Powell Gardens. This vibrant addition to summer in Kansas City encourages outdoor discovery and taps into the nostalgia of childhood fort building.
After opening a public request for proposals, eight forts were selected for the exhibition. Designed to inspire outdoor play, Powell Gardens is excited for visitors to experience Fortopia’s wonder this summer. The fort designers include a team of preschool children, artists, landscape designers, architects, and more. Fortopia opens May 23 and runs through September 2, 2024.
2024 Forts
Visit the Gardens many times to experience the forts in a different light throughout the changing seasons! Nestled on the East Lawn, visitors are encouraged to enjoy the Gardens in a new and playful way. What will you discover as you climb, run, and slide at Powell Gardens?
Box City
Box City designed by City Playcorps
At the end of WWII, areas for children to play were in short supply. Children, being creative, played in bombed out buildings and construction sites. A Denmark designer, John Bertelsen, noticed this and took to creating junk playgrounds or “Skrammellegepladsen.” When these playgrounds made their way to England they were renamed “Adventure Playgrounds.”
Box City is designed by kids playing with boxes and recyclable materials to create their own adventure playground from leftover materials. City Playcorp drew the designs of this fort from previous play events they hosted around the KC metropolitan area. The fort represents cardboard boxes, and all the endless imagination children have with simple items.
Portal
Portal designed by Brandon Kirmer
As one travels through Portal they will experience the transformation, as if venturing off to a different land. The progression exists through the transformation of the different materials, starting within a “blanket” fort and moving through and out into a natural log fort, as if one’s imagination really did take over.
The surrounding landscape from the beginning to the end of the pathway also strengthens the idea of being in a different place suddenly. You start in an opening and end right next to the trees. Where will the portal take you next?
Skully the Pirate Ship
Skully the Pirate Ship designed by the enthusiastic preschool children of UMKC Berkley’s Zoo Room
This immersive fort structure transforms an open grassy lawn into a sea to be traversed by ship using found and reclaimed materials, and a little imagination. Skully the Pirate Ship entices visitors of all ages to climb on and interact with it. Sea monster’s tentacles rise out of the grass to wrap around the ship and provide a variety of climbing and hiding opportunities.
The concept for this fort is the result of passionate preschool children from the Zoo Room at Berkley CFDC at UMKC.
The Beehive
The Beehive designed by Celine & Ceanna Oberlechner (ages 12 & 10)
Sisters Celine and Ceanna enjoy visiting Powell Gardens. They designed The Beehive to represent the important work bees play in plant life. The women designed The Beehive to show how bees help keep the cycle of nature going and contribute to the beautiful flowers and plants on display at Powell Gardens. Bees are magnificent creatures that play a vital role in our world.
The House that Stands on Chicken Feet
The House that Stands on Chicken Feet designed by the enthusiastic preschool children of UMKC Berkley Zoo Room
The energetic and motivated children from the Zoo Room at Berkley UMKC were inspired to create their own magical cottage in the woods after reading a classroom favorite book, Bony-Legs by Joanna Cole. The students sketched ideas, transformed the playground climber, used loose parts on the playground to create prototypes, and discussed the specifics of their plan. The children conceptualized each aspect of this fort from design concepts to building materials.
The Lucky Woodland Find: Morel Fort
The Lucky Woodland Find: Morel Fort designed by UMKC’s Early Childhood Education team
UMKC Early Childhood Education’s Team disseminated a survey to over 100 early childhood education professionals, asking open-ended questions about their childhood memories playing in the wild and building forts. These survey results were analyzed for shared themes and unique experiences to inform the final design that evokes nostalgia for childhoods spent exploring nature and playing in forts.
TreeMendous Experience
TreeMendous Experience designed by DI Build and Kent Schumacher Designs
TreeMendous Experience is born of nature and ingenuity, utilizing remnants from the forest and upcycling abandoned material. This fort brings to light the amazing trees all around us. Viewers will feel the magnitude and awe of trees as they climb up through the tree fort. Inspiration for the design was drawn from multiple personal memories related to building forts in the designers’ youth and all the activities surrounding their time spent there.
Reflection Fort
Reflection Fort designed by Multi.Studio
Reflection Fort serves as a catalyst for the imagination of children, and to inspire the rekindling of this ability in adults. Our team challenged ourselves to create a space using simple materials that can be transformed into something fantastical with the active input and participation of each visitor regardless of physical ability.
NEW IN 2024! More Ways to Play.
Designed with play and discovery in mind, this year’s exhibition includes new activations for the whole family to enjoy. We’re looking forward to seeing you at Powell Gardens, Kansas City’s botanical garden, soon!
Included with admission | 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Play with sound this summer! The Music Station allows kids of all ages to play instruments in an outdoor space during Fortopia.
Included with admission | 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Grab family or friends for some garden competition! Tucked into the fortscape, life-size blocks and games of Jenga, Connect Four, and Ring Toss are free to play on the East Lawn during Fortopia.
Included with admission | 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Uncover a world just below the surface. Powell Gardens newly installed sandbox has buckets and shovels, perfect for playing with sand during Fortopia.
Included with admission | 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
To learn more about art and architecture at Powell Gardens, embark on a self-guided tour! Walk the grounds and enjoy the tour at your own pace. Booklets are available at the front desk, located in the Visitor Center.
Plan your visit to Powell Gardens today.
Once your tickets are purchased online, you will receive confirmation via email. We’re looking forward to seeing you soon!