Exploring the Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead
I grew up in the city, Well actually, it was a small town near Kansas City (Bonner Springs) I never had the growing up on a farm experience. I kind of wish that I had, but I know it is a lot of hard work. The Deanna Rose children’s farmstead gives city kids a chance to explore a part of Kansas’ rural history.
The Farmstead originated in 1978 with a few horses and chickens and a small playground and has steadily grown over the years to now include over 250 animals, a replica frontier town, a large vegetable and flower garden, a Native American encampment, petting zoo and a well-stocked fishing pond.
The farmstead is located in Overland Park, Kansas which is a suburb of Kansas City. The farmstead was named in honor of Deanna Rose who was an Overland Park police officer who was killed in the line of duty in 1985. She had a love of nature and animals and naming the farmstead in her honor was a fitting way to honor her memory. While primarily designed for children, the farmstead is also popular with adults as it provides a pastoral stroll in a historical setting.
The farmstead also has a Native American encampment. The encampment was designed by members of the Kanza tribe and contains teepees and an earth mound dwelling. The earth mounds were more prevalent on the eastern side of Kansas which is much more wooded while the teepees could be found in the less forested western side.
The Park has a wide variety of animals many which would appear in midwestern farms such as Cattle, Horses, Pigs, Chickens, Turkeys, Sheep, and Goats.The Farmstead also houses some indigenous but not domesticated local animals such as Buffalo, Prarie Dogs, and Bobcats. Additionally, there are also some birds of prey who have been rescued but were not able to be released back into the wild due to injuries including several species of hawks and eagles.
No matter your age, the farmstead is a fun and inexpensive way to spend a sunny afternoon. A great place to take your children or just feel young at heart.
Looks like a cool place to visit
It really is, even for adults. I enjoy watching the animals and the children interact with each other. I especially like how supportive the community has been, I first went years ago and it was nothing more than a few farm animals and a jungle gym and now it is almost like a miniature zoo