Ok, so you are now entering the state of Kansas and you are dreading the long, flat boring drive where there is nothing to see or do. Well, wake up and look around! Kansas travel has an extremely interesting history, beautiful prairielands, fantastic museums, cultural events and atrractions and the most wonderful people in the midwest! Going from the large cities like Kansas City to the litty bitty towns of Garnett you will find great people and interesting things to do and see.
Small town Kansas is not a joke. There are a large number of very small towns (under 1000 people) in the state. Just look at Selden with a population of 177 as of July 2007. Now, they may be small but these communities have pride! What the smaller towns mean is that there is more open space to be enjoyed. Here people appreciate the land and all that comes with it, from the fabulous farms to the wheat fields and great hunting. There are farms and hunting clubs available in the state for you to try your luck with the pheasants during hunting season. You'll enjoy the experience.
Ghosts, goblins and scary homes, that's what you can expect when you visit the "Most Haunted Town in Kansas." Atchison not only takes pride in this title but they have the Haunted Atchison Trolley Tour in September and October to take visitors around to the different homes that are acclaimed to be haunted. You will ride on the 1880 AT&SF trolley while seeing houses such as the McIntreer Villa where lights in the tower go on and off and there is not electricity there, ghosts appear in the windows and in family photos. Hear the footsteps that are in rooms where there is no one and doors closing in rooms that are empty. Scary! The one hour tour will show you a number of homes in the community that are claimed to be haunted...come and find out all about them.
If you enjoy the unique you will enjoy Henry's Sculpture Hill near Augusta. Here are an array of sculptures created from steel and/or found objects which will enchant you and entertain you. Since this is a private hill, the creator has stopped giving tours for now because of "maintenance, insurance, old age, and attitude, [but] serious buyers who are looking for original steel sculptures are welcome by appointment." So, if you see something you want to buy, make sure you go and talk to him, otherwise, just look and leave him alone for now. How refreshing to have someone of his artistic talent be so brutally honest.
Want to visit the Garden of Eden? Just think of your Kansas vacation as an opportunity to do just that in Lucas at the "log house" built by a retired school teacher following the Civil War. Dinsmoor took "logs" made of limestone, laid them in the same pattern as timber logs would be placed and created his home. None of the windows or doors are the same size, he wanted the house to have character and attract attention. The construction took 31 years before he was completely done with the house and the gardens where he used 113 lbs of concrete and limestone to create his vision. The 11 room house was shown in tours to those that wanted to see it in his time and still today. To visit the house has a fee of $6 for adults and $1 for kids.
If you are in the Manhattan or Junction City area you may want to stop in at Fort Riley. There are some truly unique things at the Fort like the Stable Tour where you can see the building that was home to the horses of the last cavalry training stables with its original cobblestone flooring. This building was built in 1889 and originally housed 76 horses; today the building is home to the Commanding General's Mounted Color Guard and houses 20 horses. Of course there are new and technological training programs that take place at the Fort but there is so much history to study while there that it could be a more than one day experience.
Flat land right? How about the Gypsum Hills in central Kansas with their canyons, rolling hills, mesas, and buttes? That sure isn't flat and boring! There are red cedar trees growing on the red land that is full of iron oxide so the land is actually red! Take the 42 mile drive from Coldwater to Medicine Lodge on the Gypsum Hills Scenic Byway and you will be surrounded by beauty. Now, when you are off the paved roads and back on the dirt roads keep in mind that it is open range area so watch for livestock. You don't have to get off the paved roads, but it sure is fun if you do.
Hot and Cold water towers dot the skyline of Canton. Here the townspeople used their sense of humor to make them stand out among the usual settings of towers. Just think of how funny they think it is when "city folk" ask if they really do hold hot and cold water! - 15784
Small town Kansas is not a joke. There are a large number of very small towns (under 1000 people) in the state. Just look at Selden with a population of 177 as of July 2007. Now, they may be small but these communities have pride! What the smaller towns mean is that there is more open space to be enjoyed. Here people appreciate the land and all that comes with it, from the fabulous farms to the wheat fields and great hunting. There are farms and hunting clubs available in the state for you to try your luck with the pheasants during hunting season. You'll enjoy the experience.
Ghosts, goblins and scary homes, that's what you can expect when you visit the "Most Haunted Town in Kansas." Atchison not only takes pride in this title but they have the Haunted Atchison Trolley Tour in September and October to take visitors around to the different homes that are acclaimed to be haunted. You will ride on the 1880 AT&SF trolley while seeing houses such as the McIntreer Villa where lights in the tower go on and off and there is not electricity there, ghosts appear in the windows and in family photos. Hear the footsteps that are in rooms where there is no one and doors closing in rooms that are empty. Scary! The one hour tour will show you a number of homes in the community that are claimed to be haunted...come and find out all about them.
If you enjoy the unique you will enjoy Henry's Sculpture Hill near Augusta. Here are an array of sculptures created from steel and/or found objects which will enchant you and entertain you. Since this is a private hill, the creator has stopped giving tours for now because of "maintenance, insurance, old age, and attitude, [but] serious buyers who are looking for original steel sculptures are welcome by appointment." So, if you see something you want to buy, make sure you go and talk to him, otherwise, just look and leave him alone for now. How refreshing to have someone of his artistic talent be so brutally honest.
Want to visit the Garden of Eden? Just think of your Kansas vacation as an opportunity to do just that in Lucas at the "log house" built by a retired school teacher following the Civil War. Dinsmoor took "logs" made of limestone, laid them in the same pattern as timber logs would be placed and created his home. None of the windows or doors are the same size, he wanted the house to have character and attract attention. The construction took 31 years before he was completely done with the house and the gardens where he used 113 lbs of concrete and limestone to create his vision. The 11 room house was shown in tours to those that wanted to see it in his time and still today. To visit the house has a fee of $6 for adults and $1 for kids.
If you are in the Manhattan or Junction City area you may want to stop in at Fort Riley. There are some truly unique things at the Fort like the Stable Tour where you can see the building that was home to the horses of the last cavalry training stables with its original cobblestone flooring. This building was built in 1889 and originally housed 76 horses; today the building is home to the Commanding General's Mounted Color Guard and houses 20 horses. Of course there are new and technological training programs that take place at the Fort but there is so much history to study while there that it could be a more than one day experience.
Flat land right? How about the Gypsum Hills in central Kansas with their canyons, rolling hills, mesas, and buttes? That sure isn't flat and boring! There are red cedar trees growing on the red land that is full of iron oxide so the land is actually red! Take the 42 mile drive from Coldwater to Medicine Lodge on the Gypsum Hills Scenic Byway and you will be surrounded by beauty. Now, when you are off the paved roads and back on the dirt roads keep in mind that it is open range area so watch for livestock. You don't have to get off the paved roads, but it sure is fun if you do.
Hot and Cold water towers dot the skyline of Canton. Here the townspeople used their sense of humor to make them stand out among the usual settings of towers. Just think of how funny they think it is when "city folk" ask if they really do hold hot and cold water! - 15784
About the Author:
Kansas has an extremely interesting history, beautiful prairielands, and fantastic museums. Penelope SanMateo write travel articles about tourist attractions in Kansas. Check out the cultural events and attractions and the most wonderful people in the Western Kansas tourism region!