Your Glorious Adventure

Luxury Domes at Return to Roots Resort: #1 Glamping near Kansas City

November 1, 2026

Enjoy luxury domes packed with private amenities at Return to Roots Resort for glamping near Kansas City in Butler, MO.

Perfect relaxing getaway in Butler, MO

Slow down and spend a few nights enjoying your own personal hot tub, fire pit, and beautiful geodesic dome with a king-size bed, private bathroom, and kitchenette.

My friend and I both had a highly stressful year, so we were looking for luxury glamping near Kansas City to relax and recharge. We searched for unique domes close to KC, and Return to Roots Resort looked amazing. I was thrilled that when I reached out, they agreed to host our stay.

Return to Roots Resort booking page: use discount code ADVENTURE for 5% off your stay!

Why glamping is so much better than camping

Camping sounds like fun, but it can be a lot of work and honestly a little gross. Glamping gives you the same chance to connect to nature with the comforts of home and instead of camp chores, you have more time to relax. No sleeping on the floor. No wrestling to put up a tiny tent that may or may not keep out the rain, bugs, or critters. No shared, spidery, port-a-potty or going without a shower, hot water, or a/c. Relaxing in the hot tub and popping into Butler for a meal is much more my speed.

We compared several options for glamping near Kansas City and beyond, and Return to Roots had the best amenities by far. Everything felt fresh and clean, and all the spaces were thoughtfully decorated.

Every beautiful and spacious dome has

a king-size bed
climate control
private bathroom with door, full shower, sink, toilet, lighted mirror, and fan
dining table with 4 chairs
2 comfy arm chairs
loft at the top of the dome has even more comfy seating and a great view
adorable combo-record player, CD, aux-in with records
kitchenette with medium-size refrigerator with freezer above with 3 ice cube trays, microwave, coffee maker, and fancy Ninja toaster
standard kitchenware, glasses, mugs, plates, silverware, etc. Tea lovers can heat water in the microwave-safe mugs
kitchen has its own sink and even comes with wax fire starters and long-reach lighter for the fire pit
Wi-Fi

Luxurious exterior

well-groomed gravel pathways lead from the dome to the hot tub grill area and over to the quality, raised fire pit with side tables and 4 Adirondack chairs with built-in cup holders
several different yard games and board games are included
private gravel parking
each dome is within sight of the other domes but positioned so you have a private view out at the soaring sky (and privacy within)
behind each dome is your own private entertaining space
large personal above-ground hot tub
exterior table with 4 chairs
really nice-looking propane grill

Entrance to the Tiki Dome in Butler, MO 3 wooden steps up to a covered entrance with a blue door to a white geodesic dome with flamingos and palm trees around the smaller structure in the background.

Lindsay selfie with a pink sun hat holding a red punch drink in front of luxury Geodesic dome with clear panels on the right and white on the rest with string lights above.

How to pick your themed dome

I recently had the worst airplane travel experience of my life (hello 3 days, 2 flights, 2 rental cars to get home), so I needed a tropical vacation with glamping near Kansas City to recover from my vacation, and I was not getting on another plane for at least a few months. My friend since middle-school, Taryn, was mostly recovered from major surgery and needed to get away and celebrate a promotion.

The 5 O’Clock Somewhere, tiki-inspired dome was just what we needed. It had the cutest tropical, often hilarious decorations, the record player, of course, had Jimmy Buffett as well as a few other fun records, and was the perfect relaxing, tropical getaway with zero plane flights. Pick one of the other options if you need an EV charger. This one backs up to a wooded area for a more authentic campfire feel!

The Fur Seasons is the newest and only dog-friendly dome. The private area behind the dome is fenced in, so your furry friends can get in on all the fun.

The Pop Culture Camp is decorated with nostalgic decor from music, movies, and pop culture.

The Wander Inn is the classic dome with clean lines and with more lodge/country decor.

Selfie with Lindsay smiling holding a drink with a light up ice cube in front of an above ground hot tub with friend Taryn in the hot tub with her own drink. Tiki background with wooden slats and signs at Return to Roots Domes in Butler< MO.

Lindsay in foreground smiling (blonde with hair up and glasses) Taryn friend in blue sweatshirt sitting in Adirondak chair with fire pit in foreground and tiki torch at the right with Geodesic dome at night in background with interior illuminated and blue light reflecting on the exterior at Return to Roots Domes in Butler, MO.

Charming Surrounding Area

While the dome has so many relaxing options you may just want to curl up with a book, s’mores, and some hot tub time, there are also some great things to do if you decide to venture out. This is the perfect location for glamping near Kansas City. Just a short drive to the south of KC, there are delightful small towns to visit on the way down/back and during your stay.

Butler, MO: stroll the historic downtown grab a great dinner at Steiner’s or Tu Casa, $5 wine tasting, wine slushies, and amazing cocktails at Luna Umbra Winery, and don’t miss “Midwest Famous” Koehn bakery (popular with all the locals).

Appleton City, MO: visit 4th Street Fika and chat with the charming owner from Sweden, ride the vintage carousel (Memorial day through Labor day), check out MO’s 3rd oldest Library, and grab a bite at the Rustic Duck restaurant and wedding venue.

Adrian, MO: enjoy a wine flight in the Wine Journal, located inside a historic newspaper building, and grab a delicious breakfast and a pecan pie milkshake at Byrd’s Pecan Delights.

Pleasanton, KS: explore the Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge.

Historic 2 story red brick building with thin white columns and tall windows. Teal table and chairs out front with sandwich board sign. 4th Street Fika name on the window. — 4th Street Fika Coffee Shop

What to bring

Glamping near Kansas City means you can easily pack all your supplies in your car.

Food you can cook over the fire, grill, microwave, and Ninja toaster and don’t forget some snacks and sides, I once just brought meat to cook over the fire and forgot any fruits and veggies 🙂
Roasting sticks for the firepit (for s’mores and hotdogs)
Drinks to stock the refrigerator
Cooler if you want to keep drinks by the grill or hot tub or to bring back meat from the farm nearby
Extra paper plates (our dome came with several, but if you want to skip doing dishes)
Comfy walking shoes and sandals
Swimsuit for the hot tub
Loungewear for around the fire (I love when I can still smell the woodsmoke on my sweater)
Layers for the weather including umbrella or rain slicker if any rain in the forecast
Water bottle
Sunscreen
Bug spray
Personal toiletries
Hat
Book
Binoculars if you like bird watching
Outdoor Bluetooth speaker if you like music in the outdoors (respect your neighboring domes)

What you don’t need to bring because it’s already there

Towels (bath and pool are included)
Blanket
Coffee pot
Shampoo, bodywash, conditioner
Bedding
Kitchenware
You can choose to buy eggs and meat at the self-serve stand nearby (Venmo)
Yard games (unless you have your own favorites to bring)
Firewood (buy bundles for $5 onsite with Venmo)

Tips

Prepare to start a fire. If you are not already a pro, you might watch a video on how to start a fire for the firepit. There is a baggy with little hairy, fire-starting wax bundles and utility lighter. You can buy large pieces of fire wood, but it made all the difference when we collected some kindling (small and medium size sticks) for the second night. I collected my small sticks in the firewood bucket while it was still daylight.
Get to know the different lighting options and switch locations (outdoor string lights, lamps, and various inside lights.) If you are going out to explore the town nearby and will be getting home after dark, leave on a light or two.
If you are doing any activities around the area, check out when they are open, so you don’t miss something fun that closes early or isn’t open on a certain day.
There are some gravel roads leading to the resort, follow the directions from your welcome text to reduce the amount of time on the gravel roads.
It’s just a short drive to go glamping near Kansas City at Return to Roots, but it’s always smart to download the gps map of the area in advance (although I didn’t have an issue with signal.)
Keep an eye out for a text from the resort with the gate code and your dome code.
When leaving the property, stop well back from where the gate swings automatically let you out.
The button at the top of the lock is like the “enter” button to push after your code. To re-lock, enter your code then hold down the button at the top (it may make a lot of clicks, wait until it’s all done and blinks green and red). Give it a little test to see if the lock engaged.
Trash dumpster and self-serve, $5 Venmo firewood (or you can prebook wood with your reservation) for purchase is just to the left when you enter the resort.
Check-in is at 3pm and check-out is at 10am.
To make a fun travel game, everyone in the car should try to moo the loudest whenever you see cows.
These domes are really taking off in popularity, so book early to get your pick of dates and domes.
Try a mid-week stay for an extra relaxing experience and have most of the sights to yourself.
Use discount code ADVENTURE for 5% off your stay!

Return to Roots location in Butler, MO

This premier destination for glamping near Kansas City is located:

1-1.5 hours south of Kansas City (depending on where you are coming from in KC).

15 minutes from Butler, MO

To reduce the amount of time on gravel roads: when you exit at Appleton City / Highway 52, go past County Road 775 (GPS may suggest that route) and instead go to Route YY and then onto County Road 2506 on the right (look for the red gate and Return to Roots overhead archway). My friend’s Apple Maps tried to take us across the street.