KC swim academy is the swim lesson division of Team Unify- a club swim team. During the summer…read morethey offer swim camps M-Th x 2 weeks 30min each. During the school year they have weekly lessons on Sunday. Group lessons are $22 per lesson, and there are a max of 4 kids (but most of the time my kids were in groups of 2 or 3) also if there were 4 kids they usually had 2 instructors per group for the younger kids. I really like the fact that they did not use any swim 'backpacks' like the lessons we had at the YMCA. Suzanne is the director and is so nice and helpful. Most of the instructors are high school kids that swim on the team. They have recently added infant survival (and I believe it is one of the few places in the city that offers it). If you have an infant - I would highly recommend these lessons. They will be an expert swimmer by 3. If you kids are toddlers, you might consider private lessons first. I found we got a lot more out of the group lessons after a few private ones first. We had our lessons at the Shawnee Mission East HS pool, but I think they offer them at a few others during the summer. This is a very well run group and if you have a kid that swims and you want to improve his stroke, they'll do a great job.

We visited the Blue Valley Rec Center for the first time a few weeks ago for a friend's child's…read morebirthday party. When I first parked and walked in I noticed that the building felt a bit dated. I do think it could benefit from a bit of a facelift, but the gymnastics area where the kids played during the party (while hitting me hard with 90s nostalgia) was super fun for the kiddos and kept them entertained for the hour or two they spent playing. I found the room for the party to be clean and well set up. It's nice that it's such a big room so you can accomodate a large group. I'm not sure if you can just take kids here to play for a fee or not, but if you can it might not be a bad place to explore on a cold or rainy day to get the wiggles out!

Good yoga classes, only 12 people with a capacity of 25...maybe just got lucky because it was…read moreMonday night. Appreciate the fact that they provide blankets and straps. Yoga flow is highly recommended for someone getting back in formal yoga again.

It's been a journey getting our kiddo to become an independent swimmer. We started out like many…read moreparents do enrolling her in swim lessons around age two or three to start. Those lessons were through the city, and we could never get her excited to attend. Most classes ended in tears, and she was adamant about not returning. Last summer we made really good strides at my parent's neighborhood pool and since my mom was a competitive swimmer and lifeguard back in the day she got pretty good instruction from her, which helped build her confidence back up. Flash forward to this winter, and I'm realizing that the clock is ticking on summer and our almost five year old really needs to up her game if she's going to attend pool parties and play with her friends once the weather warms. Enter: Aqua-Tots. To be honest I'm not sure I would have taken the plunge on an expensive little kid swim school had I not known folks that took their kids here. Aqua-Tots was recommended by one of our daughter's friend's parents and while pricey (it's around $30 per 30 minute lesson) I do think it's worth it overall. I was worried with the price point, and that it's a swim school in a suburban strip mall, that it would feel very impersonal and business like - like they would be trying to churn out as much money as possible. While I'm sure they are trying to make money, I don't feel like they are money gauging here. We've been going for probably two months now and I'd say even after the first lesson the front desk staff made a point to know who our daughter was and greeted us warmly each time we walked in. They even checked in with us to just see how it was going, how she's adjusting to lessons, and took the time to listen to her feedback, which I thought was super sweet. You can tell that they are engaged with their work and are good at it, which is partially why it costs $$ to go here, I think they likely actually pay their staff well. Now onto the lesson itself. The class sizes are capped around four kids which is great as they each get a good amount of personalized attention. The pool is kept warm so no tears getting in, and the teachers do a great job at keeping it fun for them. We've had a few tears going in here and there, and a few tears with going under the water, BUT she still likes going for the most part, and she loves her teacher. The bottom line here is that Aqua-Tots is expensive, there's no way around that fact, but they will teach your child to swim, they know how to coach young children, and they will do it in a supportive and welcoming environment.

This place is awesome!…read more First, there's a lot to do: -Totally little kid friendly area. They call this the zero depth area. Two kinds of slides, interactive fountains and fenced in. -Lap Swim area - even during peak hours, they maintained a few lanes for lap swimmers. -Normal "pool" areas varying from 3ft to 6ft. -A "lillypad" challenge. Put your ego aside because the kids will kick your butt, but it's super fun. -Diving boards (low and higher - I think apx 3 m) -Aqua wall (like a rock wall) -two slides Note: What I love about the slides, they have double tubes so you can take your little one with you. This policy/allowance SAVED THE DAY -Lazy river So why is that important? Because you can keep rotating through the various activities and really enjoy a good, long time there. Finally - their staff is top notch. Super helpful, engaging, nearly always smiling. Shawnee is lucky to have this place! It's worth the drive!

I'm a long time Johnson County resident and live not far from this pool. I used to bring my…read moregrandkids for years and had a membership. This is the first time I've been back in probably four years. We tried out there twilight hours for the pool, which are from 6 PM to 8 PM. It seems to be the least busiest and also it's not blazing sun, and there's more chairs to choose from with umbrellas at that time. I brought my 12 year-old granddaughter, my eight-year-old granddaughter and my six-year-old granddaughter. They had a great time in the pool, but there were several things they were disappointed by. They wanted to go down the lazy river in one of the Floaties and even though there weren't that many people they did not have very many Floaties to use. Also, they had the slide closed down that you go down with on the Floaties. They did have a good amount of lifeguards who are paying attention. I think the one negative it seemed like there were no adults on the premises, it was all teenagers. Now I will say that the teens were doing their job and we're not messing around and very attentive. But I do believe they need an adult to handle unruly people or people trying to sneak in to the pool without paying. There was a line to get in at the 6 PM twilight hours. And everyone was waiting patiently, but there was only one teenage boy at the checkout. There were three adult women in their 20s, who clearly went around the line and snuck in the side door and were bold about it. I do believe that the young man saw them and just didn't want to deal with them. When I got up to the cash register to pay, he was friendly and he asked if I was a resident of Shawnee and I said yes, and he asked to see my drivers license which I have no problem with. I think that's a good thing but it's still irritating that he knew they had snuck in and did nothing about it. I paid by Apple Pay and then I got one lifejacket for the smaller granddaughter and the other granddaughter who is a brought her own. I found a seat easily and watched the kids enjoy the water. The pool seemed clean and fresh. The bathrooms were another matter, the women's bathroom was a mess, and I tried to put my purse in a variety of lockers on the outside that did not work. I finally found one that worked with my lock that I brought so that I could swim. I enjoyed the pool as well and most people behaved themselves. There will always be some kids that they need to blow the whistle on about rules that need to be obeyed for the safety of others. And the last comment I have was, I was sitting in a chair by the lazy river, watching the grandkids go by and there were what appeared to be older teens. There were two girls and one boy. The girl punched the boy and proceeded to call him racial slurs in a negative connotation, (she was the same race). She kept hitting him and he did not hit her back and he just tried to hold her wrist to prevent it. The lifeguard clearly saw what was going on and did not blow the whistle or say "Hey, stop that or you're going to have to leave. " He clearly just turned his back on it and did not want to deal with it. The other girl was embarrassed and saw everyone looking, and she de-escalate the situation. So that was concerning to me because what if it was a larger crowd that got into an altercation around all of the children that were there. I absolutely know that the lifeguards could not handle the situation and they would have to leave their posts which then leaves the swimmers at risk. They need to definitely have an adult or several on the premises, particularly a security guard to make people think twice about their actions.

I love how the "big kid" and "little kid" areas are separated by the lazy river where most adults…read morewanted to be, including me! Many areas are provided for those that don't necessarily want to swim or be involved in pool activities, but still be in the water. I love the padded splash pad for the littles, then the multiple streams of water throughout the "little kid sections" with two different types of slides. Then in the "big kid" section there's the pool for those that are older and I'm certain adults can enjoy it as well! In the general pool area there are built in basketball goals and in the diving pool there's a rock climbing wall....my first time seeing a wall at a pool. We came here with our 2 year old and she was asleep by the time we made it home, so it's safe to say she had a great time! This aquatic center was recently renovated and it was definitely money well spent, very inclusive and fun for all ages! Can't wait to spend more summer days here cooling off.

We were visiting from the west coast and needed a pool to lounge around at-this pool worked great!read more

Great place for your kids to learn to swim. Best bang for your buck. Quality instructors at a…read morereasonable price.

I go here for my scuba lessons. It's a bit of a drive for me, but I don't mind it because the staff…read moreis friendly. The pool is heated and has both a shallow and a deep end. It seems pretty equipped with all the gears one would need to have scuba lessons and the instructors really know their stuff. The restrooms and changing areas are clean and there is also a galley kitchen and conference room to hold teaching classes. Also, you should stop by their shop to purchase a few accessories for your next diving trip. This place has a little bit of everything!

We had a really great time at the Prairie Village Swimming Pool. There's plenty to do compared with…read morea typical community pool, including a high diving board, a lower diving board, and three different water slides. The variety made it fun to stay for several hours without getting bored. The pool area was well maintained, the water felt clean, and the staff and lifeguards were attentive. There was enough space for both swimming and relaxing, even with other families there. It's a great place to cool off on a hot summer day, especially for anyone who enjoys diving boards and slides. The admission price was reasonable for everything the facility offers, and I would definitely come back again.

I took my grandkids- we had a great time! The facilities were clean and the pool was refreshing.read more

The manager lifeguard literally came up and said he would "bend the rules" for another child that…read morewas the same height as my child. Would not for my child when I asked after watching another parent ask. Just another Lawrence thing that's a joke rn

I'm not a beach person, but when you take them for granted and then move half a country away from…read moreany, you start to miss them! You need a fix of the sounds of splashing and screams and the smells of suntan lotion and fried foods and the sun on your...well, at the end of your towel if it must be anywhere near your person (I am a shade lover). Really, I've always been more into pools than beaches. Sand is gross and waves and jellyfish (and SHARKS!) often make swimming impossible (NB: I am just trying to make myself feel better about missing access to a coast). When I was a kid, the highlight of my summer were the daily trips to one of the county pools, where I'd spend hours swimming to the point where I'd leave with a lung ache from the chlorine. The Outdoor Aquatic Center is a lot nicer than the pools I went to growing up. I spent many an afternoon here last summer. Sometimes, I'd get lucky and grab a chair in the shade of an umbrella (hello, beach!), but if none were available, I'd spread out my towel in the shade of the trees. Really, an idyllic way to spend a summer day. The pool has very carefully sectioned off areas according to water level. As most of the time I was in the pool hanging out with a 7 and 3 year old, we'd be in the shallow area, which is very kid-friendly, with fountains and waterfalls. In the other areas there are 2 awesome slides/flumes and diving boards. I can't lie. Part of me was dying to be a kid again so I could ride down that corkscrew flume! There are lockers, as well as a snack stand that is pretty cheap. The most awesome thing? It costs $4 to get in! $3 for those under 5 and over 65, but if you know you're going regularly, a season pass will only set you back 20 bucks per 30 days (162 bucks for an annual pass that includes the Indoor Aquatic Center). Surely this isn't much more than it cost back when I was a kid (trust me, this is a very long time ago).