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Planning a Kansas Getaway

Last Updated on December 24, 2012 by Jody Halsted

Pony Express silhouette, Hanover, Kansas

A couple months ago my family and I took a long weekend jaunt to Kansas.  North-central Kansas to be exact.  If you follow my site you know that the Midwest is one of my passions so Kansas, itself, may not be a surprise destination.  But north central Kansas brings to mind a line from “Home on the Range” – Oh, give me a home where the Buffalo roam, Where the Deer and the Antelope play…. And, you know, that's not far from what we experienced.

What lured my family to north central Kansas was, in fact, “Home On the Range”; the state song.  You see, Dr. Brewster Higley, the author of what was originally titled “My Western Home” is an ancestor of mine. (We also claim Western author Zane Grey, so writing is in my blood.)  The cabin where Dr. Higley penned “Home on the Range” lies in Smith County, Kansas.  With that single destination in my sights I reached out to Kansas Travel and Tourism on Twitter (@travelks) who put me in touch with the incredible Marci Penner from the Kansas Sampler Foundation and Get Rural Kansas.

The Get Rural Kansas website was invaluable to me as I laid out our weekend plans.  The website was easy to navigate and each click brought new information to me that left me more excited for a long weekend in Kansas than I was for Walt Disney World a few months before!

carved post rock near Lake Wilson, Kansas

With Marci's help my family learned about the Pony Express, visited the center of the United States, explored uncommon art and viewed the future of the Czech capital of Kansas while seated firmly in the past.  Oh, and we visited the cabin that inspired our trip.

1930 Model A Ford

In the coming weeks I'll be adding links to this post and sharing our Kansas adventure.  I hope it will open your eyes to the treasures in America's heartland and inspire you to Get Rural Kansas.

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4 Comments

  1. Sounds like you had a great time in Kansas. It’s a very doable drive for us, so I look forward to the rest of the series. I’ve found that there is something interesting to see everywhere, and am sure the same is true of Kansas…as long as you’re not driving through it! 🙂

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