Are you planning a road trip through Kansas? As a native of the Sunflower State, I’ve spent endless hours traveling the state, and I often rely on five trusted resources to plan the ideal trip.
Which one will you use for your next vacation?
I’m the kind of traveler who appreciates having a “loose” itinerary that leaves room for spontaneous stops. How would I have ever discovered Big Brutus in West Mineral, Kansas, if it hadn’t been for taking a detour when I saw the road sign? It was worth it!
What do you use to plan your travel across the Sunflower State? Consider these five resources that I highly recommend from personal experience:
TOURISM GUIDES
Convention and Visitors Bureaus (CVBs) are the experts when it comes to the best places to explore and dine in a particular area of the state. Their free guides are available upon request. You can sign up to receive them electronically or by mail depending on the visitor center’s website. I typically opt for the snail mail option because CVBs will include extra maps and brochures featuring area attractions along with their guide.
Recently, I’ve planned trips to visit Manhattan, Pittsburg, and Olathe from the travel suggestions mentioned in their visitor guides. If the location you’d like to visit doesn’t have a convention and visitor’s bureau, search for the “City of (Insert Name)” and access their Community page or check the events calendar.
WORD-OF-MOUTH RECOMMENDATIONS
Some of the best suggestions for dining or attractions have come from friends and family. Consider asking those you know about where they’ve traveled in the state to discover hidden away gems.
Are you interested in going fishing or checking out a lake you’ve never been to? Rather than logging time researching the options, ask your family’s best angler! If you’re lucky, they’ll even tell you the best bait to use to catch a fish.
Years ago we drove to Cottonwood Falls and stayed at a cabin on a farmer’s ranch. We knew we wanted to check out the Chase Lake Falls after visiting with friends who had been to the area. The waterfall was worth the trip!
FACEBOOK GROUPS
Why not join a local travel group on Facebook? Group members are the ultimate resource when it comes to asking specific questions about visiting an unfamiliar place and they often know just the websites to visits for more information. I prefer to follow the discussions in Midwest Road Trip Adventures, The Local Tourist and Kansas Tourism Industry group pages.
Additionally, group page admins often host daily themes prompting members to share images from their travels. If you explore a location and fall in love with it, the best way to entice someone else to visit is to share photos and videos.
TRAVEL GUIDEBOOKS
If I’m scanning the shelves of a local bookstore, you’ll most likely find me in the travel section perusing the guidebooks. Libraries and bookstores are treasure troves for excellent travel resources. I purchased The Kansas Guidebook 2: For Explorers by Marci Penner & WenDee Rowe and Secret Kansas: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure by Roxie Yonkey.
Are you planning to explore the state’s biggest city, Wichita? Purchase my books 100 Things To Do In Wichita Before You Die and Secret Wichita: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure.
MAGAZINES
A graduate of the University of Kansas with a degree in journalism, I’m a diehard fan of flipping through the glossy pages of magazines. The hands-down best tourism publication in the state is Kansas! magazine. You’ll find yourself entranced by its full-page guides, mesmerized by the gorgeous landscape photography, and impressed by its coverage of the people who make the Sunflower State great.
BONUS! I hope you’ll use my Kansas travel page as a place to discover new destinations. I give an honest account of my travel experiences.
How did you go about planning your last trip across the state? Leave a suggestion for a resource or destination in the comments below for others to use.
From the wetlands to the open prairie and urban areas to small towns, Kansas offers something for everyone to enjoy.
