Shawnee County Parks Admin Office — Attraction in Topeka

Rating my experience based on a rental. Please be careful when you try and rent a shelter house from them. Back in May, I made reservations for my sons first birthday party which we decided August 28th. At that time, everything was already booked. Other venues around town, the park etc. So I felt lucky I found a shelter house. Come to find out, this was no shelter house I rented. It was an open out door area with benches. Ridiculous. I looked online for photos on their website and Google. And I didn't see a thing. There was no description anywhere of this "shelter house" now I know why it had all day availability. This should not be named a shelter house. I am glad I decided to drive by and see where this location was. I called and asked for a refund because I can not throw his party here. No where to hang decorations or plug in all the crock pots. Not to mention the whole area had trash, glass bottles of alcohol EVERYWHERE. I bet you this is where the homeless people sleep at. When I called for a refund they tried to say its my fault for not reading the description. Well there was no description and I sure as heck would have never "rented" this area for a party. How can you even CHARGE someone for these benches, let alone how can you RENT them? That's so odd. They shouldn't charge you for that kind of area. Then they explained they did tours of the houses. I wish I was told this back in May. I would have asked to see it before I paid for it. Now I'm awaiting a refund we will see if I get it because I'm canceling on short notice but I don't feel at fault here. I guess we are gonna all have to cram at a family members house for the party. Highly...

I’ve had an extremely frustrating experience with Shawnee County Parks and Recreation. I reserved a shelter house for a family reunion and have been trying to get a refund check for the past couple weeks. I’ve emailed my refund request in a timely manner and left multiple voicemails for Jessica at extension 6865 and even contacted a supervisor — but no one has called me back.

To other paying customers: beware of the complete lack of communication and the difficulty in getting a refund. If something goes wrong, don’t expect timely help or accountability. This is money that’s owed to me, and being ignored like this is completely unacceptable. If I don’t hear back soon, I’ll be taking further action.

If this issue is resolved and I receive proper communication and my refund, I will come back and update this review.

UPDATE: 7/31/25- I spoke with a gentleman named Josh in Accounts Receivable, who was extremely helpful. He verified that my refund request had been properly submitted by the Parks and Recreation staff, but when it reached his department, the request was dropped. Josh was very apologetic, took responsibility, and made sure my refund was processed immediately.

To other paying customers: be aware that communication can be a major issue, and getting a refund may take persistence. That said, I appreciate Josh’s professionalism and quick action once he was made aware of...

I’m Brodie’s grandmother. I was there to watch my granddaughter play soccer. When I parked I was in the 4th row from ball park. Didn’t even think about were I was parking. I didn’t see any signs in the lot . I went out to my car after the soccer game and my sunroof had been shattered. I went back to the entrance to talk to some of the workers. They said they couldn’t do anything about it. I went back out to my car and tried to get the glass off. I have fibromyalgia and it is difficult for me to climb. I went back to the front and asked if they could give me some help. The manager told me they weren’t allowed to help in a situation like that. I asked why they didn’t post signs. One of the workers, Rita, was very rude and said the sign at the entrance stated that. I tried to explain to her I went in the soccer entrance and didn’t notice the sign. She started arguing with me and I turn to leave ecause I was in tears and she still was making comments. What was really upsetting was the manager was standing there and didn’t say a word. But there was a couple who saw what happen. They were very nice and helped get all the glass off the top. They suggest I drive over to the car wash and vacuum the rest of. At the car wash there was a young man that saw I was struggling and he finish...