Beach

Englewood Lake

Subject(s):

Pools, Great Wolf Lodge, Oceans of Fun

In Englewood Park, Englewood Road and North Troost Avenue

Heritage Park

16050 Pflumm, Olathe

Kill Creek Park

11670 Homestead Lane, Olathe

Klapmeyer Lake

In Klapmeyer Park, West 126th Street and State Line Road

Lake of the Woods

In Swope Park, Gregory Boulevard and Oldham Road

Lakewood Greenway Lakes

In Lakewood Greenway, Northeast 46th Street and North Norton Avenue

North Terrace Lake

In Kessler Park, Chestnut Trafficway and Cliff Drive

Penn Valley Lake

In Penn Valley Park, West 27th Street and Broadway

Pierson Lake

55th Street and Douglas, Kansas City, Kansas

Shawnee Mission Park Lake

79th Street and Renner Road, Shawnee

Smith Lake. In Smith Park, East 135th Street and Prospect Avenue

Spring Valley Lake

In Spring Valley Park, 27th Street and Brooklyn

Thomas S. Stoll Memorial Park

12500 West 119th Street, Overland Park

Troost Lake

East 29th Street and the Paseo

Wyandotte County Lake

91st Street and Leavenworth Road,

Kansas City, Kansas

Giddy'up Guppies

Kids Fishing Rodeo

This 10th-annual event for kids 12 and younger kicks off Saturday, June 16, at Shawnee Mission Park Lake (79th Street and Renner Road, Shawnee). Registration for the two-hour contest begins at 8 a.m. near the marina, where the first 100 lucky kids get goodie bags filled with fisher-friendly booty. After the competition, prizes go to young buckaroos who wrangle the biggest and heaviest catch. Call 913-438-8075, ext. 1362, for more informatiaon, or e-mail the park ranger at info@jcprd.com.

Kids Fishing Derby

On Saturday, June 23, kids ages 5 to 15 are invited to the Kansas City Parks and Recreation and Urban American Outdoors Second Annual Kids Fishing Derby at Spring Valley Park (27th Street and Brooklyn). Grown-ups must preregister and accompany the young participants gunning to catch the most fish. Organizers provide the worms, but fishers need their own rods and reels. This free event runs from 9 a.m. to noon. Call 913-334-5177 for more information and to register.

Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead

138th Street and Switzer in Overland Park. A scenic sanctuary for flora and fauna, the Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead holds its third fishing tourney on Saturday, August 25. Admission is $10 a person, and the Web site suggests registering before July 5 because the competition is limited to 60 teams. In this contest, fishers make like Huck Finn with old-fashioned cane poles and a bucket of worms provided by Farmstead. Each team gets two gift bags, and after the two-hour contest, trophies go to the winners of each category. Check-in time is 7:30 a.m. Call 913-897-2360 for more information.

Ha Ha Ha Ha Wipeout!

There's no surf on our turf, but we do have all kinds of lakes to perfect our barefoot water-skiing moves.

Blue Springs Lake Marina

1500 Northeast Bowlin Road, Lee's Summit 816-795-1112

Fishing boats, pontoons and water skis abound on this 720-acre stretch of water. The Blue Springs Lake Marina offers conveniences such as boat rental, concessions, lakeside gasoline pumps, and bait and tackle for sale.

Lake Jacomo Marina

7401 West Park Road, Blue Springs

816-795-8888

On Saturday, June 23, Lake Jacomo hosts "Lake Fest," a family-friendly celebration of all things lake. Festivities include live music, a massive water-balloon contest, boat rides and a fireworks finale. Lake Fest begins at 5 p.m., tickets cost $7 a vehicle. Call 816-503-4876 for more info.

Longview Lake Marina

9898 Longview Road

816-966-0131

Rent a pontoon for an all-day lake party or go tubing on a boat built for speed at this 930-acre stretch of water located minutes away from the metro.

Smithville Lake

17201 Paradesian, Smithville

816-407-3400

This massive 7,200-acre lake is a popular summer stomping ground for jet-skiing, power boating and sailing. Two full-service marinas offer boat and slip rental, fuel and equipment sales. Other amenities include swimming beaches, campgrounds and fishing.r