Kansas Bed and Breakfast Budget Hotel Guest House Accommodation
Historically the home to a large group of nomadic Native Americans that hunted bison, Kansas grew in population after the Civil War, when immigrants turned the wild prairie lands into productive farmland. Indeed, Kansas is today one of the highest yielding agricultural states for crops such as grain and vegetables. The western two-thirds lie in the great central plain of the US, having a mainly flat or gently undulating surface. The eastern third is more hilly and forested. The east-west span of Kansas is great enough that the sun rises and sets on the western border 30 minutes later than at the eastern end. In Kansas you can gain a true sense of the awe-inspiring vastness of the big landscapes of America.
Kansas was once the bed of a huge inland sea, and vast deposits of limestone exist throughout the state. Monument Rocks and Castle Rock, both chalk formations, tower over the surrounding plains in Gove County. In this area, you can view the important fossil discoveries at the Sternberg Museum of Natural History in Hays. The most significant is the ‘fish within the fish' fossil. The Smoky Hills in central Kansas are rugged limestone hills. The Flint Hills, further east, cover several million acres of undulating, almost treeless prairie, and are in fact the biggest region of tallgrass prairie remaining in the US.
There are a number of national parks protecting some of these unspoilt regions: Cimarron National Grassland, Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve and the Nicodemus National Historic Site. Within the park at Elkhart, you can see the ruts and the site where freight wagons were stationed at Middle Spring around 1821-1880. Stop off for breathtaking views as you hike along the 23 mile historic Santa Fe Trail crossing the grasslands. Take an in-depth look at the complex ecosystem of the tallgrass prairie along the Southwind Nature Trail in Strong City. Admire also the native limestone construction of the 3-storey barn and 11-room second empire-style mansion along with the one-room Lower Fox Creek School.
In Riley County you will be impressed by the list of legendary figures associated with the 1853 Post which used to protect settlers on the Oregon and Santa Fe Trails: Buffalo Bill Cody and General George Custer, to name but two. Today you can visit the superb US Cavalry Museum, Regimental Museum and Custer House.
There are some brilliant attractions for kids throughout Kansas. At the Topeka Kansas Museum of History, they can crawl into a tepee, dress up in pioneer-style clothing and visit a 1950's-style country fair. In Manhattan, kids can see some of the world's most amazing insects: a Giant Leafcutter Ant colony, an observation beehive and a Tropical Tree/ flooded Amazonian Rainforest exhibit.
And kids will also love the local 'home-style' cooking that is to be found at the hundreds of restaurants and drive-ins in the Sunflower State. Sink your teeth into a 22-ounce rib-eye at Wesley's Wagon Wheel in Maryville, and finish with the fresh apple or strawberry-rhubarb pie for dessert. At Al's Chickenette, sample the crispy chicken fried in cast-iron skillets and served with mashed potatoes and homemade gravy. This café is a real classic. And if you don't have time to stop, have a takeout.
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Places to stay when on your Bachelor party, Bachelorette party, Golf Break, Kansas Wedding Venue, Kansas Airport Hotels, Romantic Weekends away in a hotel with Luxury Spa , or stay at an Colonnial Style Lodge, Country Retreat , Resort or Something Unique .
Opera fans can look for accommodation near Kansas Opera venues. Baseball fans should look for Hotels near Kansas Stadiums.
