A Drive Through Kansas

How many of you have driven right through the Midwest in order to get to your ~preferred~ destination?

I know I am guilty of this. I drove through Iowa to get to Chicago, I drove through western Nebraska to get to Colorado, and my family drives right through Kansas every year to get to the Ozarks.

Over the years, I’ve got to thinking that I want to write more about travel in the Midwest (my beloved home) and all the great things the fly over states have to offer. Luckily last year, for the first time ever, my family decided to stop in Kansas City and explore for one day instead of driving right on to the lake. I’m so glad we did because we got a chance to see something new for a change. In addition, my family also went to KC for a weekend softball tournament so I got TWO chances to explore this quaint little Midwest neighbor.

Things TO DO in KC:

Union Station: This historic train station host temporary exhibits, a planetarium and a science center. It’s fun to walk around and see how people used to travel and explore the quaint shops inside. When I went there was an artist exhibition going on, as well as a photo shoot for an Indian wedding.

Escape Room: While they have escape rooms in Omaha, my first one was in KC and it was a blast! For those who don’t know, an escape room is when you were locked inside a room and have a certain amount of time to figure out clues and puzzles in order to escape. We went through Mastermind Escape Games and chose “Bank Heist” with a 17% escape rate. (We did not escape lol.)

Eat: I have eaten at Burnt End BBQ (and another barbecue restaurant but frankly I can’t remember the name…) Either way KC has a lot of fine dinning, cafes, smaller restaurants and lots of barbecue to chose from so you can’t go wrong!

Stay: Like most bigger cities, Kansas City has it’s fair share of Marriott’s and Holiday Inns BUT if you’re in the mood to try something new check out either the Ambassador Hotel or the Raphael Hotel. I haven’t stayed at either of these but I would love to as they have different design styles compared to the “common” hotels.

**You can also see a Royals game!

Outside Kansas City, I have also visited two other towns in the sunflower state.

Boner Springs: I visited this town the summer after graduating high school for an outdoor concert. Me and my friends were only there for one day and stayed in a hotel 6 so we didn’t get a chance to explore but the venue was amazing and I never felt unsafe in that time frame. (About 3 hours from Omaha)

Lawrence: On that same concert trip, my friends and I made a pit stop in Lawrence for the sole reason that it’s the birthplace of one of our favorite TV characters: Sam and Dean Winchester from Supernatural. Unfortunately, we were extremely disappointed to find no mention of the show anywhere in the town. (About 3 hours from Omaha)

Places I STILL want to visit:

• The Geographic Center of the U.S. in Lebanon, KS.
• Mushroom Rock State Park in Brookville, KS.
• Grinter’s Sunflower Farm in Lawrence, KS.

**Have you made any pit stops in Kansas?

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