Part of being back home is visiting familiar places. Another part is visiting family. I love doing both of these things and putting them together is even better. I’m midway through my 7-month travel adventure and while exploring new countries, cities, and cultures is incredible, I’m feeling very lucky to have this opportunity to visit home.
While I’ll share my adventures on my Workaway experiences in Poland and Maine soon, one of the special things I got to do while back in the United States was visiting my son Jared at the University of Kansas. It was great spending time with Jared and even better when DeeDee drove in for Parent’s Weekend. I’m a KU alumnus myself and getting to see Lawrence through Jared’s eyes is a real gift.
Rock Chalk Jayhawk 
Go KU!
After some terrific family time in Lawrence, DeeDee and I drove back to Colorado across Kansas. I regularly hear from people how they hate driving across Kansas, so in this blog I’m going to explain in no uncertain terms why those folks are simply wrong! Contrary to those doubters and naysayers, Kansas offers so much to see off the beaten path.
As we often do when we drive through Kansas, the first thing DeeDee and I did was to look at our Kansas Guidebook 2 for Explorers from the Kansas Sampler Foundation. We decided that when Jared chose KU we would use his time there as the perfect reason to really explore a different side of Kansas we’ve always wanted to check out.
Below is a list of some of the places in Kansas we visited:
- The World’s Largest Painted Czech Egg, Wilson
- Wilson State Park and Lake
- The Garden of Eden, Lucas
- The City of Lindsborg, also known as little Sweden
- Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery, Lindsborg
- Coronado Castle, Lindsborg
- Mushroom Rock State Park, Brookville
- Brookville Hotel for their incredible fried chicken
On our trip home in September we stopped at Monument Rocks. We took a little longer to drive home and had some great time with each other, which felt extra special after mostly solo travel the past few months.
Monument Rocks is also known as the Chalk Pyramids and is listed as one of the Eight Wonders of Kansas. Aside from that special distinction and the unique natural rock formations, the thing it has in common with all the other places listed above is that we LOVED stopping there. We saw something new and it made us appreciate the charm of Kansas even more.
In addition to all these great stops and sights, the infamous plains in Kansas are beautiful and are a sight unto themselves. The wide-open spaces, rolling hills (yes, there are hills in Kansas), the tall prairie grasses, and the amazing sunrises and sunsets all make for an enjoyable and gorgeous natural scene best appreciated in real life.
There’s beauty all over the Kansas plains and if someone tells you otherwise, that might be more about them than the plains. A real treat is watching a thunderstorm rolling in from the west, which is an epic sight to behold if you get lucky. It might be one of the few times in life where you actually want a storm to show up!
We have only scratched the surface, sticking to things that are within about an hour or less of I-70. There is so much more to see, learn, and eat that we’re already excited to explore next time around.
So let this little glimpse of Kansas be a lesson. The next time you find yourself someplace and you think there’s really not much to see there, think again. Do a little research and you just might find that there’s a treasure trove waiting to be discovered that you otherwise would have missed. Kansas is the perfect place to remind anyone to never believe everything you hear—find out for yourself and you just might be pleasantly surprised.
If you need ideas for things to do in Kansas, send me a message and I’d love to share more great places with you.
While I hope you see all this in person to really appreciate it, check out the pictures from some of our Kansas adventures:
Worlds Largest Painted Czech Egg
One big Czech Egg 
Helping Hands
Garden of Eden
Strange but… 
captivating
Grassroots Art in Lucas
Wait is that a big toilet? 
With TP! 
Lindsborg
Birger Sandzen Memorial Gallery 
Coronado Heights Castle
Mushroom Rock State Park
Brookville Hotel
Monument Rocks
Do you see the moon? 
Erosion is powerful 
Beautiful and the rocks are nice too.
While I never made it to Kansas when I was in the States, I know what you mean about those rolling plains! Parts of my roadtrip in 2010 took me through areas like this and it was like stepping back in time when the plains were home to native Americans and buffalos! Surreal landscapes!
Kansas truly is a beautiful state! Love Lindsborg. We wanted to go to Monument Rocks, but didn’t have the time. We need to go back and see them. Great pics!