OLATHE, Kan. — A lakefront beach and marina renting kayaks and canoes will be among the main draws Saturday when renovations to Lake Olathe Park open to the public.
Leaders in Olathe, Kansas, spent the past four years designing and building additions to the park surrounding the 170-acre lake south of West Santa Fe Street and west of K-7. In 2015, voters in Olathe renewed a 1/8 cent sales tax to collect money for parks. The city mostly used money from that tax to fund the roughly $20 million project.
“It was time as growth continues to come out [west], we wanted to make sure we did something to this lake to make people want to be out here,” said Parks and Rec Project Manager Mike Latka.
He said the park surrounding Lake Olathe had been a passive park for years and the city wanted to transform It into more of a destination.
New amenities include:
- The metro’s first nature playground, a playground made from rocks and trees from around Lake Olathe.
- A beach with lockers, showers and restrooms.
- Johnson County’s first aquapark, which is an inflatable obstacle course floating on the water near the beach.
- A marina renting kayaks, paddleboards and other non-motorized boats.
- A spray ground for children.
- Eagles Landing, an event space available for rent with a patio overlooking the lake. It should open for events in the fall.
- An outdoor amphitheater located between the marina and Eagles Landing on the east side of the lake to hold concerts on a lawn looking at the lake.
- A fishing pavilion is under construction.
- An 18-hole disc golf course should open in the fall.
It is free to visit the park, but the city does charge a fee to use the beach, aquapark, and to rent boats from the marina. For information on hours, prices and park location, click here.
