The Bay Water Park reduced rates while sprayground is under construction

By Tony Madden

The Bay Water Park, the aquatics recreation facility at 7101 Longview Rd., will offer reduced entry rates as Kansas City Parks & Recreation starts its outdoor pool season. 

Visitors of all ages can pay just $5 to cool down at the bay as the spring turns to summer. The city-owned water park, which opened in 2012, normally charges between $6 and $8 based on visitor’s age and height.

The $5 rate comes as the Longview Tract Sprayground, a free miniature waterpark adjacent to the Bay, remains closed. The sprayground is still under construction as crews remodel its pumps, said Don Strother, who manages aquatics recreation for the city’s parks department. 

“That’s a free amenity, so we’re offering a reduced rate to the water park for any and everyone,” Strother said. 

Strother went on to add the Longview Tract Sprayground is the city’s last sprayground that circulates chlorinated water, so it requires maintenance like a swimming pool. The remodel will allow for circulation of fresh water, which will require less maintenance.

Once the project is complete and the sprayground opens back up, The Bay Water Park will resume its $6-$8 pricing structure, Strother said.

Kansas City Parks & Recreation officially kicked off its 2026 Outdoor Pool Season on May 29 with a ceremony at The Springs Aquatics Center in the northland. The celebration featured remarks from Mayor Quinton Lucas, 2nd District Councilmember Lindsay French and Parks Director Chris Cotten. 

More than $400,000 worth of improvements have been made to outdoor aquatic facilities this year, according to the city. That number included $283,500 for inner tube replacements at The Bay Water Park and improvements to the Longview Tract Sprayground, according to a city press release.

For more information about swimming lessons or party packages at The Bay Aquatic Center, visit https://kcparks.org/places/the-bay-water-park/.