I just got back from a short road trip around Kansas with my mother. We visited a variety of places, some of which are important destinations, and some of which are what might be called roadside attractions. But even the latter are fund and can be educational and interesting.
So I’m going to give you the tale of my trip. I did anothet two years ago and saw an assortment of other places. Some of those I visited again this time, but many were new.
I invite you to tout the trips you’ve made to see the wonders of your own states.
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On Tuesday we started at the following site.*
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Davis Memorial-Hiawatha, Kansas*
Leaving Hiawatha we were about halfway to the next stop when our left rear tire blew out on Highway 36. We’d hardly had time to get the cell phone out when two truckers stopped, and the Highway Patrol showed up. The guys changed the tire in nothing flat. My mom tried to give them something for their trouble, but they didn’t want payment, so she asked if they had a church or charity they favored. The one dude said he supported the Wounded Warrior Project, so mom said use it for that, and he said he would. I don’t think the whole episode took twenty minutes, when it could have been a real trial.
Next we wanted to look for black squirrels in Marysville, Kansas. Didn’t see any, but we visited the county museum, housed in the former courthouse. It was really neat.
http://www.visitmarysvilleks.org/index.html
It may be a wide spot in the road, but the geographic center of the continental US is outside Lebanon, Kansas. There’s a marker, picnic tables, a tiny chapel , a flag pole, and a nice view of the surrounding countryside.
What says roadside attractions better than a humongous ball of sisal twine?
We stayed the night at an older motel in Plainville, KS. It wasn’t one of the new chain types, in fact it had the old-fashioned keys with a numbered placard for your room. Not fancy, but clean, secure, and inexpensive. I’d stay there again anytime.
On to Ft. Hays and the Sternberg Museum of Natural History. I loved the usual fossil exhibits, but learned a lot from an exhibit called “From Fear to Fasssssscination” It had specimens of all twenty-two species of rattlesnakes found in the US. This exhibit is so popular with kids that the gift shop sells the heck out of stuffed rattlesnake toys in vivid colors not found in nature! LOL
Also in Fr. Hays there is the Ellis County Historical Museum. These folks running the place do a great job on a shoestring, I found the exhibits educational and absorbing.
http://www.elliscountyhistoricalmuseum.org/index.asp?DocumentID=155
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On to Victoria, Kansas, and a church building that in 1911 was the biggest west of the Mississippi. It’s hard to describe how magnificent the minor basilica of St. Fidelis is. And what is better is that it’s still an active congregation. Visitors can come in anytime and look around, they feel safe in letting them do this without supervision.
This link is to images of the exterior and interior of this magnificent building.*
https://www.google.com/search?q=st.+fidelis+church+victoria+ks&biw=1024&bih=679&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwigj_Tgit7OAhVH0mMKHR0kDn4QsAQIOw&dpr=1
This is a link to the history of St. Fidelis.
On we went to Lucas, Kansas, home of the weird and wonderful Garden of Eden. Mom and I visited it two years ago, so we didn’t tour it again, but here’s a link.
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This time our intention was to visit a grassroots art center in the main part of town. It was our only disappointment of the trip, part was closed off and no looking around allowed. I think they were getting ready for some upcoming weekend events, nobody even emerged from the back of the place to greet us, much less take admission. I wouldn’t have paid anyway for the little we were able to see.
From Lucas to Salina, Kansas, where we spent the night at a standard type of motel, a Super 8.
Leaving Salina this morning the next destination was a site outside of Minneapolis, Kansas called Rock City… If you are looking for a highly developed tourist attraction this isn’t it. What would YOU call a scattering of large limestone boulders scattered over a couple of acres. I call it cook. One could wander around and look at the fantastic formations, and only imagine what must lie buried in the surrounding area. Small information center and gift store, kept up solely by local residents, who are doing a damn fine job of it*. Rock City (Minneapolis, Kansas) - YouTube
*The final stop was in Abilene, Kansas, with a visit to the historic Seelye Mansion. This isn’t a big house, it’s a MANSION. Twenty five rooms, eleven of which are guest rooms. Built in 1905 the house and furnishings cost over $100000 dollars. Back then that bought a lot of house. The couple that owned it had two daughters who never married and lived in the house until their death in the 1980’s. The wiring is almost all original, done with the help of Thomas Edison. Many of the fine furnishings were purchased at the St. Louis World’s Fair of 1904. ***Believe me when I say this tour is worth a trip in itself. *** *Seelye Mansion - Abilene, Kansas
