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My Top 3 |
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by Penelope SanMateo
Many people think of Kansas tourism as this flat wasteland in the center of the United States. How wrong they are! Kansas is filled with interesting history, beautiful prairielands, museums, cultural events and attractions and the nicest people anywhere. You can travel in Kansas going from the large city of Kansas City to the little bitty town of Garnett where hospitality is shown in abundance.
Kansas has a number of very small towns such as Selden with a population of 177 as of July 2007. What this means is that there is a lot of open space for people that want to visit someplace they can actually breath without running into someone else in exactly the same spot! Here people appreciate the land and the hunting available. The pheasants are plentiful as well as the hunting farms and ranches that play host to the visitors.
When you visit Atchison you may want to take a ride on the Haunted Atchison Trolley. Atchison has been dubbed the “Most Haunted Town in Kansas” so in conjunction with this the chamber has offered the trolley tours in September and October. These 1 hour ghost tours leave from the Visitor Information Center in the 1880 AT&SF freight depot. One of the homes on the tour is the McInteer Villa which is said to have numerous ghostly appearances from lights going on in the tower where there is no power to figures appearing in the tower windows and in family photographs or footsteps and other noises on occasion as well as slamming doors. There are quite a number of “haunted” houses on the tour and each has a story of its own to tell.
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.
Have you ever thought about being in the Garden of Eden? Well you can be, right there in Lucas, Kansas! This unique “log cabin” was guilt in 1907 by a retired school teacher and Civil War veteran and in the final 31 years of his life created this unforgettable legacy in three parts. The “log cabin” was built with logs up to 27 feet long and cared from limestone. Dinsmoor, the builder, call it “the most unique home for living or dead on Earth.” He gave tours of this 11 room home during his lifetime. Now tours are given daily May through October. Weekends in January & February. Weekdays March, April, November & December. The cost for the tours is just $6 for adults and $1 for age 6-12. The garden is built of limestone and 113 tons of concrete and tells the history of the world starting with its creation. Come and see the 150 figures plus other forms such as insects to 40 ft tall trees in this unique and fascinating garden in the small town of Lucas.
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.
Take the Gypsum Hills Scenic Byway to see the true color of Kansas. Here the hills are filled with canyons, rolling hills, mesas and buttes in stunning color, right in central Kansas. The red cedar tress add a beautiful touch to the terrain. The land is red because it is full of iron oxide which is actually rust. Get off the paved roads to see the real beauty but keep in mind that this is open range so keep your eyes open for animals.
No one can say that those from Kansas don’t have a sense of humor. In the town of Canton there are two water towers, one Hot and one Cold. Now how many towns do you know that would do that? It’s great to know there is such a place in Kansas!
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