Shae and I recently left Kansas after spending about 6 weeks there as the 11th state on our 5 year, 50 state road trip.
My impression of the state before visiting had been that it might be a little boring. I was picturing prairie fields as far as the eye could see and not all that much fun stuff to do.
Having said that, I’d been pleasantly surprised by Oklahoma last year, so I was hoping that Kansas would also be more fun than expected.
As it turns out, that was the case. While it wasn’t my favorite state that we’ve visited, spending six weeks there was certainly more interesting than I’d been expecting with some great museums, breweries, wineries and all kinds of other stuff.
Here’s a look back at some of our favorite – and not so favorite – things from our time in Kansas.
Favorite Accommodation We Stayed At
Stephen – I think the Airbnb property we stayed at in Ness City. Ness City was our first stop in Kansas and arriving that evening to a really cute house started the state off nicely.
Shae – I loved the tiny house we stayed at in Ness City too. It was decorated in a way that felt like home. It was quiet and full of little touches. I really liked the town and surrounding area too.
Favorite Meal
Stephen – It’s a tie for me between Gella’s Diner where I had a tasty sandwich and soup along with good beer and Barleycorn’s Downtown Deli in Wamego where I had a sandwich loaded with all kinds of meat.
Shae – Hmmm… we said a few times “we need to remember this for the favorite meal.” It’s a toss up for me. I LOVED the Roast Beef sandwich from Cuppa Joe’s in Ness City. But I have to give the ultimate meal to Gella’s Diner in Hays. The dill pickle soup and grilled cheese was amazing and I still think about them often.
Most Disappointing Meal
Stephen – Daylight Donuts. We’d seen them all over the state and kept meaning to check them out. We saw another one in Hutchinson just before we left Kansas, so we went there for breakfast. The kolache wasn’t good, the donut wasn’t good, the service was awful – just an all-round terrible experience.
Shae – Daylight Donuts. I don’t even want to talk about it. Usually a donut place that isn’t great can still be redeemed by the donuts. Not so with Daylight Donuts in Hutchinson.
Favorite Free Activity
Stephen – It’s another tie for this one too. The day we visited Castle Rock and Monument Rocks was a lot of fun, as was the day-long road trip we took around central Kansas. A couple of activities that day weren’t free, but a few were.
Shae – It’s tough. I loved hunting for the Toto statues, but the weather that day takes it out of the ‘favorite’ category. I think I’d have to say seeing Castle Rock and Monument Rocks. You drive off the beaten path to see them and it just felt really ‘road-trippy’ – plus we have the super fun memory of worrying if we’d make it out of the mud surrounding Castle Rock.
Oh man… I just realized that the Brown vs. Board of Education National Historic Site was free. OK, that might be my official favorite free activity. It was really interesting and the welcome we received from the park ranger was great.
Favorite Paid Activity
Stephen – This one’s tough and once again I’m going to pick two. Cosmosphere in Hutchinson was one of the most interesting museums I’ve ever visited, but we also had a great time at Stone Pillar Vineyard & Winery when staying near Kansas City.
Shae – How do you choose between Big Brutus (the World’s Largest Electric Shovel), the Sandsage Bison Range (which was donation only so kind of free but we paid), Underground 5K, Cosmosphere, The OZ Museum and the Oz Winery!?
They each have their merits. The experience of running 650 ft underground was incredible. I learned tons at Cosmosphere. The OZ Museum was really interesting and Truffles could come. The wine and company at the Oz Winery made my day! Ugh… ummmm….
I guess the Underground 5K since I was so excited to do it and we’d planned it for over a year. But Big Brutus gets the honorable mention because it was unexpectedly fun.
Favorite Pet-Friendly Activity
Stephen – Our road trip around central Kansas as everything we did that day was pet-friendly.
Shae – I loved that Truffles could come with us to the Oz Museum. But, I think she enjoyed the Mushroom Rock State Park the most.
NO. STOP. FETCH. FETCH WAS DEFINITELY MY FAVORITE PET FRIENDLY ACTIVITY. PAWS DOWN.
Least Favorite Activity
Stephen – Eating at Daylight Donuts.
Shae – Eh, I wasn’t overly impressed with Rock City Park.
Favorite Hike
Stephen – Kansas isn’t really a great place to go for a hike, so I’d have to go for the waterfall at Cowley State Fishing Lake.
Shae – We didn’t really do a bunch of hikes, but the closest thing to a hike was the Cowley Lake Waterfall. It was a fun afternoon and we all enjoyed it.
Favorite Quirky Thing We Did
Stephen – We didn’t see many (if any??) roadside attractions in Kansas other than Big Brutus.
Shae – Visiting Big Brutus I think, since we didn’t make it to the World’s Largest Ball of Twine.
Favorite Memory
Stephen – Not getting stuck in the mud at Castle Rock. We’d slid all the way downhill in the mud and I was concerned we’d be stuck down there in the middle of nowhere with no cellphone service. Shae getting the car back up the hill by driving through the long prairie grass was a relief.
Shae – Definitely our meals at Fetch. I LOVED being there. Excellent food, service, Truffles was treated like a queen. Yes, definitely Fetch.
Honorable mention to our tastings at Stone Pillar Vineyard and Winery – hi Pri!
Second honorable mention to the first night we arrived in Kansas and saw the most beautiful sunset I’ve ever seen.
Funniest Moment
Stephen – When we realized that we hadn’t bought crappy windscreen wipers, but that we’d not removed the covers.
Shae – Figuring out that the windscreen wipers had covers on them. After we’d been driving with them for two weeks and complaining about how awful they were.
Thing We Most Regretted
Stephen – Not climbing to the top of the dome of the Kansas State Capitol building. We took a quick self-guided tour of the building, but hadn’t had enough cash on us for the parking meter outside to stay longer.
Shae – Wasting the calories, money and time at Daylight Donuts. I said I donut want to talk about it!!
Something We Missed And Want To See
Stephen – Climbing up into the dome of the Kansas State Capitol building in Topeka.
Shae – Definitely missing the climb up into the dome. Missing the World’s Largest Ball of Twine. Not getting to try tacos at Toto’s Tacoz in Wamego. The stone fence posts in the northwest of the state. Millfest in May and apple and peach picking at Meadowlark Farm Orchard & Cidery in Wichita in the summer and fall.
Our Biggest Surprise
Stephen – That Kansas was much more interesting than I’d thought it’d be. I was worried six weeks would be too long, but it didn’t drag at all.
Shae – How unexpectedly awesome Kansas was. I really enjoyed so much of our time there.
My Kansas Drinking Game Would Be…
Stephen – Take a drink for every dirt road you drive on. You won’t be wasted, but you’ll have a good buzz going the entire state. (And in case anyone takes my answer too literally, I’m not advocating drink-driving!)
Shae – Take a drink every time someone asks “why are you spending six weeks in Kansas?!”
Summary Of Kansas In 10 Words Or Less
Stephen – Far more interesting stuff to do than you’d expect.
Shae – There’s no place like Kansas – it’s definitely worth a visit!
Kansas Cities We Visited In Order From Favorite To Least Favorite
Stephen – Ness City, Wichita, Topeka, Garden City, Hutchinson, Lenexa/Kansas City, Parsons.
Shae – Wichita, Ness City, Topeka (including Wamego), Garden City, Hutchinson, Lenexa/Kansas City, Parsons (I barely even remembered visiting for this list).
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