As the weather cools down, there are plenty of ways to enjoy the outdoors in Kansas City. While we can’t cover everything, here are some of our favorite spots to spend time outdoors.
The Ernie Miller Nature Center features a new gallery showcasing live plants and animals, highlighting the botanical history of the Kansas City area. The center is open Monday to Saturday from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM. You can even host a birthday party there! Ernie Miller Park offers nature trails and a family-friendly scavenger hunt to explore local wildlife. Remember: take only pictures and leave only footprints. Admission is free.
Address: Swope Park, 4701 E Gregory Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64132 Phone: (816) 513-8960 Website:Lakeside Nature Center
Located in Swope Park, Lakeside Nature Center features the Fox Hollow Trail, a nature center, and Missouri’s largest wildlife rehabilitation center. Enjoy native plant gardens adjacent to the center. Admission is free, and while the center is closed on Mondays, it is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The trails are accessible from dawn to dusk.
Covering 300 acres, the Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens primarily features plants native to the region. The arboretum includes themed spaces such as the Monet Garden, Children’s Garden, and Sculpture Garden. Various events are hosted throughout the year, including wine tastings, movie nights, and immersive performances like Terra Luna. Admission is free on the first Tuesday of each month; otherwise, children five and under are free, children aged 6-17 are $2, and adults are $5. Tickets can be purchased at the Longhouse Visitors Center or online.
Burr Oak Woods Conservation Area encompasses 1,071.4 acres of diverse landscapes, including steep hills, prairies, and restored woodlands. The nature center is open Tuesday to Saturday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, while the trails are accessible from 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM. To reach Burr Oak Woods, take Highway 7 north of I-70 for 1.1 miles, then west on Park Road for 1 mile. Admission is free.
Park Layout Map – Powell Gardens
Powell Gardens
Address: 1609 N.W. U.S. Highway 50, Kingsville, MO 64061 Website:Powell Gardens
Powell Gardens features 970 acres of managed gardens and trails, with various themed areas such as The Heartland Harvest Garden and The Fountain Garden. The garden hosts numerous events, including pumpkin painting and immersive performances like “Dark Forest.” Currently, the Gardens are open Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, but hours may vary seasonally. Admission fees vary; please check their website for the latest information and events.
Football season is here, and the town is painted red every weekend. One of the best places to hold a watch party is in your outdoor living area. As you get ready to entertain, here are some things you can do to be prepared.
Lighting
The sun has started going down earlier. Check all your lights to make sure your guests won’t get lost, stumble over a plant, or end up in the pool. If the lights have gotten knocked about while you enjoyed your landscape during the summer, spend some time aiming the lights so they illuminate the correct spots again. Now is also a good time to run a damp cloth over the lights while they are off and cool to clean the lens. You want them as bright as possible, and a dirty lens prevents that.
Gas
Do you have a gas BBQ grill or fireplace? Now is a good time to check that the gas in each works. If you use propane, don’t forget to fill the tanks and get some extra. You don’t want the BBQ grill to stop cooking at the worst time possible.
Food
What is a party without food? With an outdoor kitchen, you can cook while you visit with your guests. A BBQ island is another good move so you can cook and talk to the boys.
Drinks
BBQ goes best with beer. We can install a beer trough that you can fill with ice and beer so your guests can grab one and go. Sodas and water will work, too, for the little ones. Beer troughs keep guests out of your refrigerator while you are trying to cook.
Entertainment Center
Of course, the entertainment center is key to watching football. We can mount a giant television on a wall so your friends can see every detail of the game and each play. We can mount one over a fireplace if you want to enjoy a nice fire while you watch the Chiefs win.
Stereo
Television isn’t much fun without sound. You will want a world-class stereo system to play music during the day and broadcast the television sound during the watch party. We can install a great outdoor system, which uses special weatherproof components to withstand the various elements of our Midwest climate.
We Can Help
Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping can help check your lighting, gas, entertainment center, and stereo. We can install everything from a wall to a complete kitchen and living room for you and your friends to use. Give us a call at (816) 825-2524 or schedule a consultation for more information. Go Chiefs!
With football season starting up, we know you will be having watch parties at home. Want to up your game this year? Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping can help you put on a great party in your outdoor living space!
BBQ
What is a party without food? In Kansas City, that means BBQ! The best BBQ is made outdoors on a grill or in a smoker. We build standalone grill stations with room for storage or full kitchens with grills and smokers included. The full kitchen has a roof on it, so if it rains, your food won’t get soggy. You can also use it to make the other dishes for your party without missing the action.
Beer
Good BBQ is best enjoyed with an ice-cold beer. We can put a beer trough in your kitchen where your beer will stay ice cold. Your guests can grab one without having to get in line at the refrigerator! Beer troughs keep other drinks cold, too.
Big Screen TV
What is a watch party without a big screen TV? Nobody wants to have to crowd around a small screen. We build walls that can hold a big screen TV complete with a waterproof covering over it. You can choose from a retractable mounting or a permanently visible one. We often build a fireplace and mount a big screen TV over the mantelpiece.
Audio
A big-screen TV is worthless without a great audio system. We can build a system that includes audio for the TV, radio, and other music. When the big game isn’t on, your guests can rock to whatever tunes you like. We use outdoor audio systems with heavy-duty, concealed cables, so your system will work for years to come.
Comfortable Seating
Nobody wants to sit on hard, uncomfortable seats. For a great party, you need great furnishings. Check out our article on furnishing and staging your outdoor space. Be sure to buy furnishings designed for the outdoors so they last longer.
Shade for Day Games
Sitting in the hot sun gets very uncomfortable very fast. Plan on some shade for your guests to sit under. Don’t rent a tent. We can build you everything from a full roof to a pagoda you can cover with vines for extra shade. We can even build walls or enclose your room with a screen to keep out the cold and insects.
Light for Night Games
You don’t want your guests to stumble around in the dark. That isn’t fun, and someone could hurt themselves. We can install great lighting options so your guests can see, but the light doesn’t overwhelm the TV screen or cause glare. We even have some options you can turn red for game day.
Outdoor Games
Outdoor games are a great way to pass the time while you wait for the game to begin. Games also give kids a way to burn off energy so they will be quiet during the game. Great outdoor games include flag football, corn hole, and bocce ball. Scavenger hunts are fun for all ages, depending on the difficulty of the hunt.
Guests
You can’t have a party without guests. Are you going to have a small, intimate gathering or a large event? Family and close friends or the neighborhood? Plan to have an entrance into your outdoor living area where guests don’t have to go through the house. We can build paths to lead your guests right where they need to be.
We Can Help
Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping is a full-service landscape design, landscape construction, and landscape management company. We can design and install your landscape as well as maintain it for you. Schedule a consult today.
Need your landscape spruced up before a big event? Contact Lauryn Pitts, our garden care specialist, to get on our schedule.
“I have to hand it to you; I have had a lot of landscapers out here. This is the best experience I have had with any of them, and you do the best job, too.”
Royal Creations was founded in the summer of 2013 with a vision and a mission. As Andrew Wright explains,
“We started the business to better serve our clients as well as our employees. We believe that the customer experience is as important as the design and craftsmanship of the project, and we are continually striving to improve the experience for our clients through our core values. We also believe that our team members inherently want to succeed and that it is our responsibility to define how success looks. Therefore, we are continually developing our team’s skills in the field as well as the culture and mindset which directly reflects in the customer’s experience.”
Relationships First
We believe in building strong relationships with our clients, staff, vendors, and referral partners. Together we are all working to create great experiences for one another and help one another grow and improve over time. We know that we could not build such wonderful outdoor spaces without a successful collaboration between all involved.
To that end, our company promise is “We strive to give our clients the best experience and craftsmanship possible.” In service of that, we:
Meet deadlines
Are on time for our appointments
Do it right the first time
Are careful not to damage your landscape while working
Work hard from arrival to leaving
Leave your landscape better than we found it
Connecting Clients With Nature
More and more research shows that a connection with the earth, nature, and each other benefits the mind, body, and spirit. Our vision is to help people develop stronger relationships with the outdoors and each other. The best way we have found to do that is to design and implement a superior landscape that our customers can enjoy. We feel so strongly about this that we have made it our mission to make the exterior spaces of homes more livable and enjoyable for the families that we serve.
C.R.O.W.N. Values
During our relationship with you, we will follow our C.R.O.W.N. values in our interactions with each other and with you. These values are:
Communication Priority – If we don’t communicate well, it causes problems. We will make sure we understand what you want. In addition, all communications within our company will give every employee that information. If someone has a question, they are empowered to speak up and ask it. There are no stupid questions.
Respectful Attitude – we do not tolerate rude or disrespectful behavior from our employees or clients. Everyone should be treated as a valued person, whether they are the boss, the client, or a ditch digger.
Ownership Mentality – we encourage our employees to own the installation. If they see a mistake or know how to make an installation run smoother, they are encouraged to speak to their supervisor. Employee innovation helps us grow better.
Willingness to Serve – we lead from the front. If we see a need, every one of our employees is willing to pitch in to help. Our employees are in it for the long haul and genuinely want to serve our customers.
Never-Ending Pursuit of Our Potential – our employees continue to grow as people and as skilled craftsmen. We take continuing education units (C.E.U.s) every year to maintain our certifications or gain new ones. We know the latest best practices for our craft. If there is a better way to do things, we want to learn it. We also support employees that want to advance in our company.
Lots of people can put in and maintain a landscape. We put in the training and work to ensure we put in the best landscape for your needs. We also make sure we maintain that landscape to give you endless enjoyment. You should not have to leave home to enjoy nature. Contact Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping today to schedule a consultation.
Know someone looking for a career in landscaping? Be one of the best. We are hiring.
Having a deck can improve the enjoyment of your outdoor living space. It can become a treasured area to spend time with friends or watch the stars. Here are a few things to consider when building a deck.
Plan Your Space
The first step is deciding what you want the deck to do. Is this going to be an intimate area outside your bedroom door or a large place to party? Here are some questions to answer to clarify your vision.
How many people will be using the deck at a time? A deck for two is very different from a place to entertain friends, family, or even potential clients.
What room or rooms will have doors onto the deck? Decks coming off living rooms or dens are more likely to be used by more people than a deck coming off a bedroom or garage area.
What furniture will be on the deck? A few chairs and a grill have a different footprint and vibe than a large table and chairs for dining.
How do you entertain? This helps determine how large the deck needs to be.
Do you need steps or a ramp from the deck to the rest of the yard? If you need a ramp, it needs to slope no more than one inch a foot, or it will be too steep for wheelchair access. Stairs need to be 7 ¾” rise or less to be to code and be easily accessible.
Do you need railings on the steps, ramp, or sides of the deck? Having a railing will enclose the space more than a deck with no railings. Decks above 30” require a railing, but if it is lower you can avoid railings all together. If a railing is required and you want a more open look, there are cable rails and even glass rails that can open up the views to the backyard, lake, or swimming pool.
How much privacy do you want when you are enjoying your deck? Decks can be less private when they are high than when they are ground level with trees around. Privacy screens can also be added to screen between your neighbors.
Do you want the whole deck to be one level, or do you want different levels for different functions? There could be an intimate deck off the bedroom with a lower deck that is expansive and ready for a party. If there are different levels you can also have more shade and possibly waterproof below.
Laying Out Your Design
Now that you have some idea of the size and shape of the deck, it is time to work out a design. The easiest way to do this is to get some graph paper and draw your deck out to scale. It is best to use graph paper as it is big enough to see what you are drawing. Make each square a foot and draw what you want. For smaller projects, 10 squares per inch may work, but for larger decks, with more detail, you may need 4 squares per inch.
To make sure the design will accomplish your goals, draw furniture to scale on another page and cut it out. Lay the furniture on the draft of the deck until you are satisfied you have enough room for it. We recommend a minimum width of 14 feet if you are going to have a dining table for six or more people. Sixteen feet is even better. Make sure you leave pathways that are at least 36 inches wide to get around all the furniture and people.
Materials For Your Deck
Next, decide what materials you want to use to build the deck. There are several choices here, each with some tradeoffs.
Wood is the classic deck material. It comes as pressure-treated or rot-resistant, such as cedar. Right now, lumber is expensive and can be hard to obtain. Wood needs a lot of maintenance to stay nice. It will have to be sanded down once every few years and stained for a dark-colored appearance. If wood is left to weather it will turn a grey color like tree bark.
Composite decking is more expensive than wood but requires less maintenance. It is not as strong as wood. Some composites can weaken and warp, mold can grow on it in shady areas, the color can fade in the sun, and if it is scratched it cannot be easily fixed. Of course, these things can happen with wood also.
PVC decking is all plastic, although it can be made to mimic wood. It does not grow mold, weather, mildew, and resists moisture. It is more expensive than composite decking. PVC decks can shrink and swell with extreme temperature changes.
Pavers are very durable and look very nice when made into a deck. The effect is partly because they are an un-common deck material. We can custom build a paver deck and it will outlast wood and most other materials.
Wooden frames are often used, regardless of the decking material. They are cheaper than steel, but even pressure-treated wood eventually fails. Wood also fades and can look bad without frequent maintenance. Wooden frames are also vulnerable to termites.
Steel frames are more resistant to weather damage than wooden frames are. They are sleek and modern-looking. They are stronger than wood frames. They also keep wood out of contact with the dirt, which makes it less likely to get termites. Of course, they are also more expensive, but they are usually worth it.
Railings come in steel, cable, and wood. Wood railings look good with wooden or composite decking. However, they fade, are negatively affected by the weather, and have to be replaced more often than cable and steal. Cable railings look sleek and modern, however, if the cables run horizontally they can sag over time if users put their feet on them constantly. Steel lasts the longest and can be a good choice for a deck with a steel frame. Glass can also be used to keep open views to the surrounding landscape.
Roofs or Pagodas Both roofs and pagodas provide shade in the summer. A roof can also be used to keep the deck and the stuff on the deck dry. This means you can have some nice extras installed on your deck.
Neat Extras For Your Deck
If you have a roof, you can have things that will ruin in the rain. These include:
Fire features can be nice to sit around at night. They can be used to grill food and marshmallows, to keep warm with, or just to watch.
Built-in heaters can also keep you warm and toasty during the winter. They can extend the seasons for your deck into late fall. Electric infra-red heaters are pretty common in our area.
Television A large screen television can be installed into a covered deck. Think sports-watching parties during the season.
Fans With fans you can be outside and cool at the same time. You can get fans to fit any decorating scheme.
Kitchens Homes in the South used to have summer kitchens in the back of the house so that the heat of the oven and stove would not heat the whole house. You can do the cooking on the deck and keep the house cool.
Lights can keep the party going after dark or start it early in the morning. There are lots of styles to fit a variety of decorating styles.
Electrical outlets Electricity and rain do not mix. A deck with a roof makes it possible to have outlets in a variety of locations. Everyone can charge their devices while enjoying the day on the deck.
Screens A screened-in deck can keep the bugs out of your hair while you enjoy being outdoors. With all the mosquitoes it will be nice to watch the sunset without getting bitten.
Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping has lots of experience working with property owners to help them envision the deck of their dreams. We can walk you through the choices at each stage and, when you are ready, we can have our Blue Crew install it for you. Schedule a consultation with Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping today to get things started.
Great outdoor living spaces should be enjoyed by the whole family. During the last year many of you have started using your outdoor living spaces more often. You may have run out of fun ideas for spending time outside. Here are some suggestions for fun family activities to try.
Cornhole
This is a game where two people alternate tossing corn bags into a hole in the board across from where they are standing. Cornhole has its own standards and tournaments. I will summarize the rules but for the minutia check out the rules on the American Cornhole Association website.
Take two cornhole boards and place them 27 feet apart on a level surface
Stand no closer than the front edge of your board when you toss
Toss the corn bag into the hole
Alternate tosses between the competitors
Each player must pitch all four bags to close an inning
Players then swap boards and score themselves
A bag in the hole is 3 points
A bag on top of the board gets 1 point
The first player or team that receives 21 points by the bottom of a given inning wins
You can buy cornhole boards from the American Cornhole Association or from someone near you. Another option is a family project to make the boards and the corn bags. You will have to go to the American Cornhole Association website for the exact dimensions of everything. You can paint the boards any way you want after sanding the tops very smooth.
Bocce Ball
You will need a set of eight large balls and a smaller target ball called the pallina. Each set of four balls has a different pattern or color from the other set of four balls so you can distinguish them by team. You can play on any surface provided there are no obstructions on the court in any direction. Variations in grade or terrain features are considered okay. Competition courts are 91 feet long and 13 feet long. Backyard courts can be any size. A good size is 60 feet by 12 feet. The foul line is 10 feet from each end line and the center court is 30 feet from the end line.
Each team has one, two, or four people and four balls
A coin toss picks the first team up
They can choose either their team’s color or pattern or to toss the pallina
Balls are thrown, rolled, or bounced underhanded
One team rolls or tosses the pallina into play
The toss must cross the center line and stay on the court to count
If it fails to stay on the court, the other team gets to toss it
The team that tosses the pallina gets the first throw of the balls
The goal is to get as close to the pallina as possible
The ball must stay on the court
After the first ball is thrown, the other team throws their ball to get their first ball toward the pallina
Their first ball must stay on court
If a team fails to get their first ball on court, they must continue to try until they get it or run out of balls
Each team gets one throw and then the other team throws
Once both teams have gotten their first ball, the team with the ball closest to the pallina is the “in” team
The other team is the “out” team
The “in” team steps aside and lets the “out” team throw until they get to be the “in” team or run out of balls
This continues until all balls are thrown
That concludes a “frame” and points are awarded
The teams switch sides and do it again
The person throwing the ball must stay behind the foul line for their team
Balls that land off the court are dead until the next frame
If the pallina is thrown or hit out of bounds, the frame ends with no points awarded
One point is awarded to the team for each ball closer to the pallina than the other team’s closest ball
Only one team scores per frame
First team to reach 16 points wins
It is a good idea to read the complete rules at Backyardbocce.com for the subtle nuances that we may not have inadvertently left out.
Scavenger Hunt
This is a fun activity for any age. Basically, you give each team a list of things to find in the outdoor space and the team that finds the most items in the time limit wins. Try this at a local park for more space to spread out.
Teams can be any number from one to about five.
Designate a time limit from an hour for a relatively easy list for younger kids to a longer time for a tough list for adults.
Include some easy-to-find items even if the participants are adults to build confidence.
Once an item is located, it should be photographed for proof it has been found.
Make sure you do not award the prize until you have verified each item was found by looking at the photographs.
Decide if the winning team gets a prize that all members can share or individual prizes for each member of the team, or simply bragging rights.
Make Some Food
After all that running around, your family is going to be hungry. Let each person cook their own hot dog around the firepit. Then for dessert, make some smore’s. Most people know how to make this desert –graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows grilled on a stick. There are some “fancy” ways to make smore’s that are a bit different.
Use another candy bar in place of the plain chocolate bar. It is easier to cut the candy bar into individual pieces if you freeze it then slice it cold.
You can add fruit to the sandwich, especially sliced strawberries or berries.
Add caramel sauce or chocolate sauce to the smore’s
Replace the graham cracker with a cookie or flat ice cream cone wafers
Use Nutella instead of chocolate
You can make Elvis S’mores – graham cracker with peanut butter, banana, bacon, and marshmallow
Put candied bacon on top of the marshmallow for a salty-tangy taste
Host a Sports Watching Party
If you have an outdoor television, you can host outside sports watching parties. The Royals will look great on a large television this spring. Every seat will be a good seat at your house. With an outdoor audio system, the game will sound great, too.
Set Your Outdoor Living Space Up for Success
Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping can install a large screen television and outdoor audio system so you can enjoy your outdoor living space while you enjoy the game. Our trained Blue Crew knows how to install and tune the audio system for the television as well as listening to music outdoors. We can design a customized system to fit your outdoor living space and enhance your outdoor experience.
Need your outdoor living space fluffed up before a big event? We can come out and make sure everything is as close to perfect as is humanly possible. We typically come out the day before the event, so it still looks stunning at showtime.
Don’t have an outdoor living space? We can design one with your landscape and wishes in mind. Once we have worked through the design, our Blue Crew will install it for you, and can even maintain it if you like.
Contact Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping today to help you get your landscape and outdoor living space just the way you want it so your family can get the most out of your outdoor experience.
