Kansas is reliable for its weather patterns… in the sense that there is no pattern, ever. If you’re like me, you wake up every day with absolutely no idea what you would see when you pulled the curtains open. Last week we saw rather interesting developments as the snow returned to us. Wouldn’t it be nice if we had snow during Christmas, and spring when spring is supposed to happen? Who knows, maybe next week we’ll have two tsunamis. That’d be an interesting change, although I better not give our beloved state any ideas. Weather fluctuations aside, we are moving into the spring season with the beginning of April at hand, and with it comes ideas and hopes for the traveling season. Of course, most of you do your traveling during the summertime when the kids are home, but that certainly doesn’t stop you from fantasizing over extravagant camping trips and weekend getaways. With that being said, let’s take a look at some various travel locations within Kansas that you and your family could enjoy.
Starting off with a couple of roadside attractions that you may find interesting on your travels. Consider this, you’re casually driving down the roadside towards your campsite destination when all of a sudden you look to the side of the road and you see the world’s largest ball of twine. Yeah, you read that right. An enormous ball of twine in Cawker City Kansas. Not weird enough? How about paying homage to the story that put Kansas on the map? I am of course talking about the one and only Wizard of Oz, and you can drive the road to it in Wamego, Kansas. They have a considerable amount of various memorabilia, art, and collectibles to bring the story to life. Furthermore, if you happen to be in that area during the fall of the year, make sure to check out their Oztoberfest festivals.
Next, a place that all of us should go to at one point or another, is the Cosmosphere. In the middle of Hutchinson, it’s difficult to miss this enormous building. Undoubtedly, many of you have probably already been to see what it has to offer, but I’d encourage you to look into their summer programs, they can have some rather interesting things going on. Near that area is, of course, the famous Salt Mines, which I try to see every so often. If nothing else, it’s a great way to get some fresh table salt. Just kidding, don’t actually do that.
On the camping and adventuring side of things, Mushroom Rock offers a great escape for people looking to get away from the incredibly flat lands of Kansas. If you’re one for hiking and nature, this is a must-go place for you. And for those of you who haven’t been, just know that the Mushroom Rock is just its name, it is not in fact edible. Another great place for hiking and great scenery is Coronado Heights, which I would much recommend to people interested in old fortresses. While the castle is a little underwhelming, the views are incredible, and the hiking is not half bad either.
There are so many more places that I could mention for small getaways from everyday life here in Kansas. Wilson Lake, Cheney, Little Jerusalem, or Elk City Reservoir. But for now, I must leave you to your own wild imaginations and hope that you take some time in the future to enjoy time away from home. Spring is upon us, and so is an adventure. So go ahead and take some time to yourself, what’s stopping you?
