You MUST go here!! It's only about an hour's drive straight north of KC into beautiful, rural Gower, Missouri.
The road is twisty, surrounded by incredible trees and farms. The iris farm appears kind of out of nowhere, and you just park on the grass in front of the main building, and go explore acres upon acres of irises. Every color combination you can imagine of irises! They're soooo ridiculously beautiful. They all have really cool names too- Calypso Music, Millenium Meltdown, Crystal Falls... They're so fun and creative.
Admission is free! The main building sells iris bulbs and a few gardening supplies and accessories- they also have cold drinks, which is great since prime iris viewing season is May & June, and it can get hot. There's plenty of seating (although it could use some cleaning,) on the porch and a few wrought iron chairs in one section of the iris farm, if you need a break.
This place is great for kids- there is a big lake, a lily pond, a few small stone waterfalls, lots of paths, fun quirky artwork, a dog that runs around, peacocks, Guinea hens... It's just a really cool little slice of rural America.
The town of Gower is fun, too- cute little tiny downtown area with some cool shops, and an old fashioned diner with a huge selection of amazing pies.
Allow yourself at least an hour to tour the iris farm- there are SO MANY IRISES here!
Follow them on Facebook too. They post pics of all the irises with info about them and their heritage. You can also buy iris bulbs directly from their website. read more