The Parks and Recreation Department has six Divisions: Administration, Park Maintenance, Aquatics, Civic Centre, Recreation and Shawnee Town. The department is also responsible for the City's cemeteries. The department has 20 full-time employees plus 16 part-time and 145 seasonal employees.

Administration leads the department, assisted by other professionals.

Park Maintenance is responsible for the maintenance of 1010 acres of parkland, two aquatic facilities, 31 parks, 23 shelters, a skate park, the Civic Centre and Shawnee Town.

Aquatics is responsible for the operation of the City's two state of the art aquatic facilities. They offer open swim, swim lessons, birthday parties, pool rentals, the Shawnee Sharks Swim & Dive team and special events throughout the summer.

Civic Centre division is responsible for the daily operation of the Shawnee Civic Centre which houses the Aquatics, Civic Centre and Recreation divisions.  The facility is available for rental to the public for weddings, parties, meetings and much more.

Recreation division offers over 500 programs, classes and events annually for Shawnee residents of all ages.  Staff programs for Sports, Fitness, Dance, Arts & Crafts, Personal Enrichment, Day Trips and Special Events.

Shawnee Town 1929 is a museum allows visitors to experience a typical day in and around the 1920s farm community of Shawnee, Kansas, through authentic collections, exhibits, programs and events.