Kansas Travel Forum

We are 3English people in our early 60s and active. We are planning a ranch holiday in Buena Vista, Colorado for a week, followed by 2weeks touring Kansas and would like to stay in old CowboTowns but at the moment we are having problems finding them. If anyone has any information/recommendations these would be really appreciated.

two weeks in Kanasas is a rather long time...if you're interested in cowboy towns, check out Fort Robinson in Nebraska...

Council Grove was a major stopping point on the trails through Kansas. It might be a good place to use as a base to tour the region.

http://www.councilgrove.com/

Have you heard about the Flint Hills Wagon Train experience? It gives people a chance to experience an overnight trek in an authentic Wagon Train. I'd like to do it myself sometime. (It's close to Council Grove.)

http://wagontrainkansas.com/

Another nearby attraction is the Dwight Eisenhower Home and Library in Abilene.

The most famous cowtowns of Kansas are Abilene and Dodge City, both are geared up for tourists (maybe a little too well) but other towns with similiar historical backgrounds worth seeking outinclude Ellsworth, Hays and Russell.

Dodge is unique amongst the cowtowns in that it still has a strong cattle trade, although these days it means huge smelly cattle lots where they are fattened before butchering.

Abilene is more famous these days as the hometown of Eisenhower. The presidential library & museum complex there is superb.

Ellsworth is one of my favourite small Kansas towns. There is a self-guided walking tour around the old railyards where some historical buildings have been relocated. There are two essential cowboy stores in townJohnny Bingo Hats and the Drovers Mercantile (have a look at www.droversmercantile.com and say hello to Jim for me). This website profiles other shops in Ellsworth http://kansasprairie.net/shops.htm

Nearby Russell is the hometown of Bob Dole and the whole place is a real slice of vintage Americana. It's up the road from one of the most scenic spots in Kansas, Lake Wilson, another nearby Lake Kanopolis is a lovely spot too. Other scenic highlights in western Kansas are Lake Scott, the Big Basin & St Jacobs Well, the Gypsum Hills around Medicine Lodge, Castle Rocks, Monument Rocks and Point of Rocks (hmm, a lot of rocks but they were valuable landmarks on the overland trails).

Hays is one of the larger cities in the area and is a university town with an incredible dinosaur museum. There's also an old fort to visit and the whole county is littered with enormous stone churches built by German settlers over 100 years ago. Don't miss the Cathedral of the Plains in Victoria. Ethnic ties are also strong in the Czech town of Wilson and the Swedish town of Lindsborg, both have lovely shops, interesting museums and authentic food linked into their 'olde worlde' heritage.

I don't know how far east you are venturing into Kansas because much of the western half of the state is flat farmland. Cattle country proper (and the best grasslands) are between Wichita and Topeka, in the Flint Hills. There's a fledgling national park here and it's got some of the finest countryside on offer. There are some amazing towns tucked up in the hills including Marion, Council Grove, Cottonwood Falls and Alma.

Please email me with any more questions you may have and check out my Kansas pages, I'm a Kansas farmboy at heart now living in England! Happy trails!

I would recommend Dodge City &/or Salina. Also, if you're interested in African-American history or cultural sites (to include cowboy related items), try Nicodemus.