Kansas City Mansion Has Backyard Full Of Waterfalls, Caves And Scuba Diving Tunnels

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This extravagant mansion includes fountains, cascading waterfalls, caves, pop-up holes and even underground scuba diving tunnels.

The Kansas City mansion is worth roughly $12 million and you would never really have to leave home if you owned it…ever!


The very ambitious mansion could easily double as an amusement water park. The massive 17,755-square-foot home is a one-of-a-kind wonderland that has been nicknamed, The Spirit of Avalon.

It comes packed with very lush and expansive grounds, as well as loads of luxurious amenities and thrills – some of which include fountains, cascading waterfalls, grottos, pop-up holes, even underground scuba diving tunnels.


The Spirit of Avalon is located in Northwest Johnson County and is currently owned by Lyn Shaw, who built the house with her late husband, Dennis Langley. Langley worked as an energy executive.

He was also a scuba diving enthusiast, and he once served as a speechwriter for then-Senator and current presidential candidate, Joe Biden.






When it came to this property, the couple went all in putting their mark on the place. The eccentric property consists of the main house, a detached four-car heated garage and carriage house, as well as another “generator garage.” The grounds are made up of a lush 18 acres of trees, gardens, water features, statues, and wildlife.

There’s also a gym and tennis court, while the grounds around the estate are also paved with miles of walking paths and golf-cart paths.


Here is some of the write up on the realty website when the home was on the market. 

The main home features a load of interior amenities, including natural rock-inspired living and entertaining spaces, large and light-filled rooms, multiple commercial-grade kitchens complete with a butler’s pantry, a wine cellar, wet bars, two-story office, turreted library, conference rooms, and a recreation billiards room which has a projection-screen media center.

While all those sound positively divine, it really is the mansion’s waterpark-style perks that make us wish we could afford to live there. There is one breezeway room connecting the library and main home under which a water feature flows – and it’s visible through transparent glass panels on the floor.

The largest grotto plays host to a 30-foot outdoor waterfall, a heated swimming pool, and sauna, plus, an entertainment wet bar. There are scuba diving tunnels, all of which lead to a 30-foot-deep outdoor freshwater pond that comes stocked with exotic fish, statues, and fake fossils – and that is all surrounded by a hot tub, sauna, steam room, wet bar, and convenient exterior bath and shower room.

The water features drain to the mega pond through a large pump system, which recirculates water back up to the elevated bog ponds. This keeps the main pond looking crystal clear. Any scuba diving fans would certainly appreciate the equipment room. There is indoor tunnel access to the concrete-bottom pond, ledges, tunnels, pop-up holes, and, of course, sunken treasures.

The Spirit of Avalon’s design was inspired by contemporary European mansions. Its extraordinary artistic touches are also features of imported antique elements such as the hand-carved dragon doors, a pulpit straight from Salem, Massachusetts, beautiful stained glass windows, appliances, and lantern chandeliers.

And all the bookworms out there would definitely fall in love with the panoramic library turret, which reportedly is the highest point in Johnson County. The home also features a variety of geometric rooms and ceilings throughout, as well as rich woods, and plenty of sculptures.

The primary home was constructed in 1993, while the exotic library addition came later in 2002. The grotto began construction in 2000 and took three years to complete. And there is plenty of expansive heated terraces, verandas, patios, gas fireplaces, fire pits, and torches throughout in order to warm and illuminate the home at night. There are even a few outdoor kitchen areas. That must be fun in the summertime.

The master bedroom suite on the main floor is definitely a treat and spares no amount of luxury as it is complete with everything you could imagine: a steam shower, sauna, Whirlpool tub, giant walk-in closet, laundry room, and a private office/sitting area. There are also three upper-level bedrooms and three lower-level walkout bedrooms. There are also seven full bathrooms plus an additional seven half bathrooms.

The attic was finished with a design for playroom areas. The detached garage is 2,288-square-feet and it includes a carriage house with one bedroom, one bathroom, and a kitchen. It is ideal as an office space or as an official “property command center” office.

If you’re wondering about safety, the entire estate is secured by an electronic security gate, and there is an alarm system with cameras and lightning rods. The 825-square-foot generator garage is fitted with a half bath, server room, and natural gas, and it can power the entire estate during emergencies.

The listing is that of Gary Hosack and Katie Casey of Crown Realty – a Leverage member brokerage. And it is literally the coolest home we’ve ever seen. Now if only we could afford it…

ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF CROWN REALTY