Top Shawnee Venues

• Spaces for 40-200 Guests
• 2 Barns
• 2 Historic Spaces
• 1 Meeting Space

Thompson Barn occupies a restored early-20th-century barn on the historic Lackman-Thompson Estate in Lenexa, Kansas. What was once a working farm building has been transformed into one of Johnson County's most sought-after event venues, offering a distinctive combination of rustic character — soaring wood beams, a rounded ceiling, and original brick walls — and modern functionality. The centerpiece of the facility is the Main Hall, a 2,280-square-foot space that accommodates up to 200 guests for weddings, receptions, galas, and corporate gatherings. A 16-by-36-foot dance floor anchors the north end of the hall, and the rental includes tables, chairs, A/V equipment, and a dedicated on-site concierge for the duration of every event. Three downstairs meeting rooms, an atrium, an outside patio, and a warming kitchen round out the full-facility offering, which accommodates up to 200 guests across all spaces combined. Thompson Barn welcomes outside caterers and a broad range of vendors, giving planners flexibility in how they configure the event experience.

• Spaces for 300 Guests

Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art is a free contemporary art museum in Kansas City, Missouri, available for private events including corporate gatherings, rehearsal dinners, wedding showers, weddings, and holiday parties. Three spaces are available for rental. The Museum Atrium is the museum's central gathering space, rising to an articulated skylight 22 feet high and featuring monumental art installations as part of the annual Atrium Project. The Café Gallery is an intimate dining space with a site-responsive installation of more than 100 paintings by Frederick James Brown. The glass-enclosed Courtyard is filled with natural light and architectural interest. The Café Gallery can also be reserved as a private dining space through Oil on Linen, the museum's on-site restaurant.

• Spaces for 150 Guests

Cellar 222 is a Tuscan-style wine cellar event venue in Kansas City, Missouri. Established in 2010, the 6,000-square-foot space features hand-cut travertine flooring, Italian forged iron lighting, a natural stone fireplace, and 11-foot ceilings — details the venue credits as ideal for event photography. The venue books exclusively, one event per day. Each rental includes six hours of event time, tables and chairs, a 14-speaker sound system, a DJ and live band stage with dance floor, and access to a private VIP/bridal suite. Cellar 222 operates on a BYOB basis and permits any licensed caterer, giving planners flexibility on two of the largest line items in an event budget. Cellar 222 has hosted weddings, rehearsal dinners, corporate functions, birthday and anniversary celebrations, and charity events since its founding. The venue serves as an explicitly LGBTQ+-inclusive host and has earned The Knot Hall of Fame recognition spanning 2011 through 2024.

• Spaces for 30-1,800 Guests
• 1 Restaurant
• 1 Bar
• 7 Total Spaces

The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts opened in 2011 in downtown Kansas City as a cultural cornerstone for music, opera, theater, and dance. The center is home to three resident companies — Kansas City Ballet, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and Kansas City Symphony — and opens its doors to private events across eight distinct rental spaces. The Brandmeyer Great Hall, a four-level glass lobby, accommodates up to 450 seated or 1,000 reception guests with views of the Kansas City skyline. The Muriel Kauffman Theatre seats 1,800 and includes a 5,000-square-foot stage equipped with a 40-by-22-foot presentation screen. Helzberg Hall, with 1,600 seats and concert-quality acoustics, suits large presentations and on-stage dinners. More intimate options include the Founders' Lounge (80 seated, 125 reception-style), the upper-floor balconies, and two reception suites, each accommodating up to 30 seated or 60 for a reception. The events team supports corporate gatherings, galas, wedding receptions, fundraisers, and meetings, with custom pricing available through direct inquiry.

• Spaces for 220-250 Guests
• 1 Historic Space
• 1 Loft

The Bride and The Bauer occupies the historic Bauer Building in Kansas City's Crossroads Arts District — a structure with roots dating to 1902, when it was founded as Bauer Machine Works. Over more than a century, the building moved through industrial, theatrical, and arts uses, serving as part of Kansas City's Old Film Row in the 1930s and later as home to The Arts Incubator of Kansas City beginning in 2003. Today it houses artist studios, design firms, and creative businesses alongside its event spaces, giving the venue its distinctive character: art, authenticity, and a lively spirit. The main event floor spans 2,920 square feet with ceilings reaching 10.5 to 11 feet, accommodating up to 220 guests seated or 250 for a cocktail reception. The Parlour, an additional 1,000-square-foot space, provides flexibility for ceremonies, cocktail hours, and bar overflow. A fully equipped catering kitchen, professional sound system, bridal suite, and groom's lounge round out the offering, with the venue operating an open catering policy that allows clients to work with the caterer of their choice.

• Spaces for 125 Guests

Affäre is a modern German fine dining restaurant in Kansas City's Crossroads arts district, opened in May 2012 by husband-and-wife team Martin and Katrin Heuser. The kitchen centers on seasonal, farm-to-table cuisine shaped by German culinary tradition, rotating menus throughout the year to reflect what is freshest from local Kansas City farmers and small wineries. Executive Chef Martin Heuser trained in Germany, earned a Master Chef Diploma, and holds a bronze medal from the Culinary Olympics. Sommelier Katrin Heuser brings expertise she developed through the International Sommelier Guild, guiding the wine program alongside the seasonal menu. For private gatherings, Affäre offers both an intimate indoor dining room and a tranquil courtyard recognized as one of the most beautiful outdoor dining spots in Kansas City. The events team works directly with guests to develop custom menus suited to the occasion, accepting inquiries by phone or email.

• Spaces for 640-1,500 Guests
• 1 Landmark
• 1 Theater
• 1 Historic Space

The Midland is a historic theatre in downtown Kansas City's Power & Light District, originally opened in October 1927 as one of the largest movie theatres in the Midwest. Following a multi-million dollar renovation by AEG Presents and The Cordish Company, the venue now hosts private events for groups of 100 to 1,500 guests. The building's original grandeur — more than 500,000 feet of gold leaf, five Czechoslovakian hand-cut crystal chandeliers, and irreplaceable wood and plasterwork — remains intact alongside a state-of-the-art theatrical lighting system and concert-quality sound managed by an in-house professional production team. The main theatre accommodates seated dinners for up to 640 guests or standing receptions for up to 1,500, with a customizable tiered floor and a 1,700-square-foot dance floor. Additional spaces — the Chandelier Bar and the Aristocrat A' List Lounge — offer dramatic city views for smaller gatherings. Located within walking distance of five major hotels in downtown Kansas City, The Midland has hosted more than 2,000 events and welcomed over one million guests since its renovation.

• Spaces for 16-130 Guests
• 1 Bar
• 3 Hotels
• 3 Total Spaces

Ambassador Hotel Kansas City, Autograph Collection occupies a 1920 neoclassical building — a former bank listed on the National Register of Historic Places — in downtown Kansas City at 1111 Grand Boulevard. The property pairs original marble architecture with contemporary design to create a setting suited to corporate gatherings, social celebrations, and weddings. Three event spaces totaling more than 3,100 square feet are available for private use. The Grand Ballroom seats up to 104 guests for dinners or accommodates 130 for standing receptions, with views of downtown Kansas City. The Founder's Room is a 500-square-foot boardroom configured for up to 16, equipped with an 80-inch wall-mounted monitor and full A/V. Lonnie's Reno Club — a 1,110-square-foot jazz lounge with a historic character — offers private buyout for up to 75 guests and is frequently used for rehearsal dinners and intimate celebrations. A dedicated event planning team provides a single point of contact throughout the planning process, and in-house catering is available for all events. As part of Marriott's Autograph Collection, the hotel also offers group room rates and Marriott Bonvoy event points for qualifying gatherings.

• Spaces for 20-250 Guests
• 1 Ballroom
• 1 Landmark
• 7 Total Spaces

The Kansas City Public Library hosts private events across two Kansas City locations: the Central Library in downtown and the Plaza Branch on Main Street. The Central Library occupies a converted former bank building near the River Market and Power & Light District. Its event spaces include Kirk Hall, a grand first-floor hall with high ceilings, elegant columns, and marble floors that accommodates up to 250 guests for receptions and weddings. Also on site are the Helzberg Auditorium, a flexible multi-configuration space for up to 200 guests; a rooftop terrace suited for outdoor receptions; and the Durwood Film Vault, a 28-seat private screening room converted from the building's original bank vault. The Plaza Branch, on the southern edge of the Country Club Plaza, houses the Truman Forum Auditorium — a 222-seat fixed-seat venue with a built-in audio-visual system and views of Brush Creek — along with two additional conference spaces for smaller gatherings. Rentals at both locations include room setup, audio-visual support, and library personnel on-site. Catering is coordinated through a curated list of approved vendors. Extended hours and guest parking arrangements are available for special events.

• Spaces for 250 Guests

The Venue at Willow Creek is an all-inclusive event venue set on 10 acres of tree-lined ridges and meadow views in Kansas City, Kansas. The property features both indoor and outdoor ceremony spaces, including a creekside ceremony location, a garden patio with café lights, and a stone firepit — alongside a main reception hall with stained concrete floors, high ceilings, and a full wall of glass sliding doors. The venue handles catering, bar and mixology services, and décor in-house, offering clients a single point of coordination from planning through event day. Rentals include farm tables and Mahogany Chiavari chairs, ceremony chairs and arbors, bar glassware, and access to rental décor, along with an onsite day-of manager. Getting-ready suites are available on the property, and a paved, lighted parking lot serves guests on arrival.

• Spaces for 200-300 Guests
• 1 Outdoor
• 1 Country Club

St. Andrews Golf Club is a public golf facility operated by the City of Overland Park, Kansas, situated on 280 acres along 135th Street — land that dates to the early 1970s when city leaders secured a Land and Water Conservation Fund grant to establish recreation space for the growing community. The course is recognized as the most popular 18-hole layout in the Kansas City metro, set among an Ozark-style landscape of tree-lined holes. The Highlands Room is the club's dedicated event space, featuring vaulted ceilings and panoramic windows overlooking the golf course. The room accommodates up to 200 guests seated with a dance floor, or up to 300 for a cocktail reception, and includes access to an outdoor terrace. An outdoor ceremony area with white chairs and an archway is available for weddings. Rental packages include tables, chairs, linens, and glassware, plus a projector, screen, and sound system. A dedicated wedding coordinator and a private bridal room are provided for wedding events. All catering is handled by the club's professional culinary team, with custom menus and packaged options available. The space is suited for weddings, corporate retreats, holiday parties, and private celebrations from 25 to 300 guests.

• Spaces for 300 Guests
• 1 Museum
• 1 Landmark

Say "I do" at the Zoo! We've got several options for weddings and wedding receptions. Get married at the beach within reach! Sea turtles, sea otters, sharks, and more! Your evening can begin with a ceremony in the heart of Sobela Ocean Aquarium, which will double as your reception venue. Get married by the penguins and have your reception under the Aurora Australis. Your evening can begin with a ceremony on the penguin ice shelf with up to 10 guests. The remaining guests can witness this special moment from the warm cover of Aurora Australis in the entryway rotunda, which will double as your reception venue. A birthday party at the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium guarantees a wild time for all your guests! Join us for a celebration like no other! These small but mighty animals will bring extra pizzaz to your birthday party. Zoo staff will provide a 20-minute up-close animal experience with two of our small species of ambassador animals in their presentation habitats. These small species include a mixture of the following: bugs, frogs, reptiles such as small tortoises or small snakes, and mammals such as sugar gliders or a hedgehog.

• Spaces for 130-400 Guests
• 3 Event Spaces

The Venue in Leawood is an event and meeting center in Leawood, Kansas, offering more than 11,000 square feet of interior space for weddings, corporate gatherings, and private celebrations. With over ten years of industry experience, the venue accommodates groups ranging from 20 to 400 guests across two configurable multipurpose rooms and a 2,000-square-foot outdoor patio. The Parkway Room seats 20 to 130 guests and suits smaller ceremonies, corporate meetings, and intimate receptions. The Plaza Room scales up to 300 guests and handles larger weddings and banquets. Both rooms can open together for events of up to 400 guests. Each space features state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment and polished concrete floors. The venue operates as an all-inclusive event center, with a fully equipped in-house kitchen offering customizable catering packages. A bridal suite is available for wedding parties, and complimentary parking is provided on-site. The building sits at 135th and Roe near Highway 69, with several hotels within close proximity.

• Spaces for 300 Guests

Falcon Lakes Golf Club is a public golf and event venue in Basehor, Kansas, about 25 miles northwest of Kansas City. Opened in 2002 and designed by golf course architect Jay Morrish, the facility features a links-style layout with zoysia fairways and large, undulating greens set around the namesake lakes. The Venue at Falcon Lakes occupies the upper level of the clubhouse and opens onto a wraparound covered deck with panoramic views of the golf course and water. The space includes a main banquet room suitable for sit-down dinners, presentations, and dancing, plus an adjacent bar and cocktail area. The club hosts weddings and rehearsal dinners, corporate gatherings, and private parties including birthdays, reunions, anniversary celebrations, and holiday events. In-house catering and bar service are available with customizable food and beverage packages. The space is equipped with state-of-the-art A/V equipment and WiFi, and the property is ADA compliant. Tables and chairs are provided with every booking.

• Spaces for 150 Guests

The Gardens at The Kelly Gallery is a private garden estate in Overland Park, Kansas, designed by portrait photographer and artist Kelly Daniels. Set across ten acres, the property features a curved stone bridge overlooking an intimate lake with a large willow tree, English garden walkways, and a variety of ceremony sites including three gazebos — all of which have been featured in Midwest Living Magazine and Kansas City Homes and Gardens Magazine. The venue hosts weddings, receptions, bridal showers, and other celebrations for up to 150 guests, with the capacity varying from 30 to 150 depending on the chosen space. A large reception tent with a permanent wood floor, chandeliers, and festive party lighting anchors the property's main gathering area. Only one event is scheduled per day, giving each group private access to the full grounds from morning setup through the close of the celebration.

• Spaces for 56-300 Guests
• 4 Event Spaces
• 4 Meeting Spaces

The Gladstone Community Center, operated by Gladstone Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts, offers a dedicated 4,000-square-foot banquet facility for private events of all sizes. The center accommodates birthday parties, wedding receptions, family reunions, business meetings, and private gatherings — both large and small. The full banquet space seats more than 250 guests for a seated dinner and up to 300 in theater style. For smaller occasions, it divides into three separate rooms — the Gashland, the Gladstone, and the Linden — each approximately 1,200 square feet and suited for up to 56 guests. The Linden Room features a dedicated dance floor. Every space includes complimentary WiFi, drop-down projection screens and projectors, a sound system, and tables and chairs. A fully equipped caterer's kitchen — with an oven, warming oven, refrigerator, freezer, and ice maker — and semi-covered patio access round out the facility's offerings. A preferred caterers list is available to help renters plan their event.

• Spaces for 30-100 Guests
• 1 Outdoor
• 1 Historic Space
• 2 Total Spaces

Woodstock Inn Bed & Breakfast occupies a historic property in Independence, Missouri, originally built in the 1890s as a private residence for the Morris Short family. The inn gained particular historical significance as the childhood home of Ruby McKim — a nationally recognized quilter and designer who founded McKim Studios and was later inducted into the Quilter's Hall of Fame. Converted to a bed and breakfast in the 1980s, the property features 10 European-themed rooms with private ensuite bathrooms, each inspired by a different destination including France, Italy, Scotland, England, Morocco, and Greece. For events, the inn offers a private landscaped garden with a fountain that accommodates up to 30 guests for outdoor gatherings and intimate weddings, along with two indoor gathering spaces for meetings, retreats, and social celebrations of up to 30 guests. The entire property is available for full buyout, housing up to 22 overnight guests across all 10 rooms and suites. Complimentary Wi-Fi and free parking are available to all guests.

• Spaces for 50-350 Guests
• 2 Historic Spaces
• 1 Estate
• 2 Total Spaces

The Bingham-Waggoner Mansion & Estate is a 26-room Victorian mansion set on 19.5 acres in Independence, Missouri — recognized as one of the more significant historical sites in Western Missouri. The property is defined by two chapters of American history: George Caleb Bingham, the renowned 19th-century artist and Missouri politician, lived and maintained a studio here where he painted "Order Number 11," his celebrated Civil War-era protest work. The Waggoner family, Pennsylvania millers known regionally for their "Queen of the Pantry" flour, owned the estate for 97 years and oversaw the elegant Victorian renovations still evident today. The grounds sit at the origin of the Santa Fe, Oregon, and California Trails, with wagon ruts visible across an adjacent field. Now a public museum and park since 1979, the estate is available for private events including catered luncheons and dinners, anniversary gatherings, showers, and outdoor celebrations. The mansion itself can be reserved for seated dining for groups of 10 to 50, served with china, silver, and stemware. The Carriage House Meeting Room, on the north side of the property, accommodates daytime gatherings of similar size. The canopy of trees, historic buildings, and park-like grounds — across nearly 20 acres — provide a setting suited to weddings, family reunions, and special occasions.

• Spaces for 100-330 Guests
• 2 Ballrooms
• 1 Outdoor
• 1 Garden

The Pavilion Event Space is a full-service wedding and event venue in Kansas City, Missouri, hosting celebrations from intimate gatherings to receptions of up to 300 guests. The Grand Ballroom anchors the venue with antique bronze ceilings, fifteen Swarovski crystal chandeliers, hickory hardwood floors spanning 6,000 square feet, and a moveable dance floor — configured for seated dinners of up to 300 or adapted for ceremony and cocktail formats. The Jr. Ballroom offers a flexible 1,500-square-foot companion space suited for cocktail hours, photo booths, or intimate ceremonies of up to 100 guests. On the same grounds, The Grove is an open-air chapel accommodating more than 300 guests for outdoor ceremonies, complete with amphitheater surround sound and custom lighting. Packages include 10 hours of rental time, Chiavari chairs, linens, a day-of coordinator, and one in-house bartender. The venue maintains an open vendor policy and allows clients to bring their own alcohol, with no minimums. More than 200 on-site parking spaces and full single-level handicap accessibility complete the facility.

• Spaces for 150-750 Guests
• 2 Hotels
• 2 Ballrooms

Embassy Suites by Hilton Kansas City International Airport is an all-suite hotel offering more than 17,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space across 15 versatile rooms and ballrooms. The property features 237 two-room suites surrounding a signature eight-story atrium, with a complimentary shuttle connecting guests to Kansas City International Airport five minutes away. The Grand Ballroom — the largest pillar-free ballroom in Kansas City's Northland — spans 10,952 square feet and seats up to 750 guests for banquets, galas, and corporate receptions. For more intimate gatherings, the Ambassador Room offers floor-to-ceiling windows that bring in natural light and room for up to 150 seated guests. Meeting spaces were renovated in 2010 and feature flexible configurations alongside full in-house catering and a dedicated event planning team.