8 Best Towns In Kansas For A Two-Day Recharge
Cottonwood Falls runs three blocks of limestone storefronts up to an 1873 courthouse, and the tallgrass prairie starts a few miles north of it. That combination sets the pace for a two-day trip in Kansas: one main street, one good museum, and enough room to hear yourself think. Lindsborg roasts its coffee in a 1900 blacksmith shop, and Wamego keeps a Dutch windmill that arrived on 35 horse-drawn wagons. Marysville still has the stone barn where Pony Express riders changed horses, and Dodge City rebuilt its Front Street from photographs of the block that burned in 1885. None of the eight towns below has more than 50,000 residents, and each one offers a weekend of museums and quiet walking without asking much of its guests.
Lindsborg
This Swedish-founded town of less than 4,000 residents is known as "Little Sweden," and it wears the name well. It resides in the center of the state and is perfect for a relaxing getaway. Strolling down Main Street will expose you to cute little boutiques and shops, delicious cuisine, and hospitality at town staples like Crown and Rye or The Sale BARn. The Blacksmith Coffee Shop and Roastery, which roasts on site in a 1900 blacksmith shop on North Main, stands as a popular spot for an invigorating cup of java and a baked treat. Make sure you give yourself the chance to visit the Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery to view beautiful Midwestern artisan creations. While staying overnight in Lindsborg, a popular bed and breakfast spot is The Rosberg House. The five-room Queen Anne went up in 1885 for Carl Victor Rosberg, a furniture maker said to have been the first licensed mortician in Kansas. Your stay in Lindsborg is sure to be a memorable one.
Cottonwood Falls
In the heart of the scenic Flint Hills sits this small community of about 900 residents. This well-maintained, heritage-centered town offers a remarkably slow pace of life. Start your journey by taking a quiet walk to admire the Chase County Courthouse, a 1873 limestone landmark with a Second Empire roofline that is still the oldest working courthouse in the state. The prairie itself is a short drive up Highway 177, where the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve sits two miles north of neighboring Strong City with hiking trails and a resident bison herd. The compact, three-block Broadway Street in the historic downtown features limestone buildings constructed in the late 1800s, when Chase County cattle money was at its height. You'll discover historic housing, boutique shops, museums, art galleries, and restaurants like the Grand Central Hotel & Grill. The hotel occupies a restored 1884 building partway up the street.
Wamego
Along the Kansas River sits a community known for its quirky attractions and natural beauty. Wamego City Park is the heart of it, a 12-acre spread with a two-acre fishing pond and a shutterbug's Dutch dream, a postcard-worthy windmill. Dutch immigrant John Schonhoff built it on his farm north of town in 1879. The city took it apart stone by stone in the 1920s and hauled it in on 35 horse-drawn wagons to rebuild on a mound in the park. Be sure to check out the OZ Museum for a dose of pop-culture fun and nostalgia. Then follow the yellow brick road to the Friendship House, a bakery and cafe across from the museum that got its start with flour ground at that same restored mill. Settle in for the night afterward at the Victory Inn Bed & Breakfast on Eighth Street. If you're looking for small-town oddity, Wamego has it in spades.
Marysville
Marysville is an interesting town that acts as home to many unique museums. The best known of them sits at the first home station west of St. Joseph, Missouri, on the Pony Express route. The Pony Express Barn & Museum occupies the stone barn that Joseph Cottrell and Hank Williams put up in 1859 and leased to the mail company a year later, and it still stands on its original site. This is a must-see for any historian or fan of Americana. Trail history is another treasured pastime here. Eight overland routes crossed the Big Blue River at Marysville, including the Mormon Trail and the St. Joe Road branch of the California Trail, and interpretive plaques at Historic Trails Park lay them out beside a full-size replica of Francis Marshall's rope ferry. One of those routes was the Ponca Trail of Tears. In 1877, several hundred Ponca were marched more than 500 miles under military escort out of the Niobrara River country of Nebraska toward a reservation in Indian Territory, and roughly a third of the tribe died within months of arriving. A rail corridor north of town now carries part of that route as the Chief Standing Bear Trail, open to walkers and cyclists.
Fort Scott
This 19th-century military town brings glory days of the past back to life through its restored historic sites and old-fashioned brick-lined downtown streets. The Fort Scott National Historic Site is a restored garrison established in 1842 to police what was then the western edge of the country, and it is sure to astound the historian in you. Once the drill sergeant's whistle fades in your imagination, a relaxing stroll to the Gordon Parks Museum may be just what you need to get back into holiday mode. It honors the legacy of the famed artist, filmmaker, and photojournalist born in Fort Scott in 1912. Downtown holds one more quiet stop in the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes, a free storefront museum built around student history projects, including the one that returned Irena Sendler to public memory. From there, it is a short walk south into the mansion district, where Victorian houses line National Avenue under old shade trees.
Abilene
Abilene combines deep presidential heritage with classic Wild West history at the end of the Chisholm Trail and has been named one of the best historic small towns in America. If you "Like Ike," a great place to embark on your historical journey is the boyhood home of Dwight D. Eisenhower, which sits on the campus that now houses his Presidential Library & Museum. You'll learn about what made him one of the most popular presidents in American history. Your next stop could be a beautifully restored 1905 Georgian estate named Seelye Mansion, a 25-room house built for patent medicine magnate A.B. Seelye and furnished with pieces hauled home from the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, the basement bowling alley among them. Ike delivered ice here as a boy. Once the Wild West motif has tuckered you out, Abilene's Victorian Inn awaits you and your party in the 1887 home of the Hazlett family, whose son, Swede, talked his friend Ike into applying to the service academies.
Atchison
Famously known as the birthplace of the legendary aviator Amelia Earhart, this Kansas town sits perched on the bluffs of the Missouri River and is known for its Victorian architecture. The Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum, the Gothic Revival cottage where she was born in 1897, is a must-see for historians and aviation enthusiasts alike. Couple that with the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum, which features "Muriel," the world's last remaining Lockheed Electra 10E aircraft. For a change of pace, Atchison leans into its reputation as one of the most haunted towns in Kansas, and trolley tours run past its famously haunted mansions during the fall season. Once your heart rate returns to normal and you're ready to relax, head down to the riverfront. Lewis and Clark camped near here on July 4, 1804, and marked the day by naming the stream north of town Independence Creek. Watching the Missouri roll past from the bluff will make you glad you're alive.
Dodge City
For a nostalgic step back into the 1870s, let Dodge City wash over you. You'll swear you can feel the presence of legendary lawmen Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. Fire took the original Front Street in 1885. The Boot Hill Museum began rebuilding the block from old photographs in 1958, and its boardwalk now fronts a saloon, a print shop, and Wild West exhibits drawn from thousands of frontier artifacts. Further to the experience is the Dodge City Trail of Fame. This walking tour through the historic district features bronze statues and sidewalk medallions that highlight this fondly remembered bygone era. Rooms are easy to come by out on Wyatt Earp Boulevard, where the TownePlace Suites by Marriott sits a few minutes west of the museum. These historical experiences are a must before you "Get Outta Dodge."
Kansas At A Slower Speed
Kansas offers a mix of European charm with Wild West history. The sweeping prairie views are not hard on the eyes, either. These are but a few of the towns that will make your visit to Kansas relaxing and reinvigorating at the same time. Kansas has always featured a distinct Midwestern charm defined by historical significance as well as its vast and visually engaging golden wheat fields. The small-town main streets dripping with charm and unique geological wonders like Monument Rocks are the only things that can distract you from its dramatic skies sweeping with color and expanse. Kansas towns offer a quiet, unhurried pace of life, surprising local roadside quirks, and an abundant pioneer history, combining to make them among the most memorable destinations.
