Kansas City has more outdoor water fountains than any other in the country. Water fountains were a significant characteristic of Kansas City since it was founded in 1821. There are more than 200 public outdoor fountains in Kansas City. These fountains begin to flow every year on “Greater Kansas City Day.” Visitors are shown some of the most famous fountains through guidebooks and walking tours.

Crown Center Square Fountain is one of the most well known water fountains in Kansas City. It has a distinctive design with its 49 jets which shoot water 25 to 60 feet into the air. Lighting shines through the shooting water making it look impressive and beautiful. It’s about 2,000 square feet and sits in a cobble stoned portion part of the square. You’re allowed to get in the water in the Crown Center Square Fountain. This fountain is a gorgeous display. Water is recycled into this fountain at 2,200 gallons per minute.

Sea Horse Fountain or Meyer Circle is an older fountain in Kansas City. A developer named J. C. Nichols brought the center sculpture for this water fountain in Venice, Italy where it stood for over 300 years. The Sea Horse Fountain is 16 feet high and was finished in 1925. It has a two-tiered bowl being held by three cherubs, a dolphin and 3 seahorses. At the top of the Italian marble bowl there is a child and dolphin. It sits at an intersection of two beautiful boulevards.

One of the largest water fountains in Kansas City is the Firefighters Fountain. It has an 80-foot span basin which holds 76,000 gallons of water. The Firefighter Fountain was dedicated only recently and memorializes the firefighters who have given their lives in the line of duty. Kansas City fire trucks were called to put out a burning pickup truck at a construction site in November 1988. Explosives inside several trailers near the pickup truck killed six firefighters. An outdoor fountain was the choice for a memorial.

A statue of two bronze firefighters in action is in the middle of the basin.  Water jets on the edge of the basin stream water from 48 real brass nozzles stream water toward the center.  It has the image of water being sprayed from a fire hose.   Short pillars are located in a semi circle behind the fountain.  The names of every firefighter in Kansas City who tragically died in service are imprinted into the granite.

A recent addition to the many water fountains in Kansas City is the Children’s Fountain. In the beginning of the nineties, an idea came about to celebrate the children of Kansas City. A park was chosen for this water fountain in North Kansas which is north of the Missouri River. It’s called the Anita Gorman Park and is triangular in shape. You can see the park from roads east and west. Area children were used as models for the sculptures by local sculptor Tom Corbin. The sculptures are in a 100 feet by 60 feet pool of water. They are positioned in a way that water shooting up from nearby jets overlaps them. These statues show the commitment of Kansas City to its children.