Odd Places to Visit in Kansas

Seven Unusual Kansas Tourist Attractions

Jul 3, 2008 Peggy Crippen

Kansas has unique destinations unlikely to be found anywhere else. From it's own Garden of Eden to big balls of twine; Kansas tourism sites are like no other.

Kansas is a state recognized for farming and wheat not tourism. However, Kansas does offer some unique tourist attractions for those interested in the off-beat. Learn a little about these out of the ordinary locations only Kansas has to offer.

Kansas Underground Salt Museum, Hutchinson

Hutchinson is well-known for it's salt-mining. After years of planning, the community developed a museum to show the average person a bit about these mines. Visitors first climb in an elevator for the 65-story ride down, then view most of the mine riding on a tram. View what the museum bills as "The World's Oldest Living Organism" or the vehicles used to navigate the approximately 67 miles of mine tunnels.

The World's Largest Hand Dug Well, Greensburg

The home of the World's Largest Hand Dug Well is Greensburg. Although the town of Greensburg was almost completely destroyed in a 2007 tornado, visitors to the well are still welcomed and a temporary gift shop is in place to purchase souvenirs. Built in the 1880's, the well is 180 feet deep and 32 feet wide. Walk the 105 steps to the bottom of the well. At the end of the stairs, view the bottom of the well through approximately 15 feet of illuminated water.

Rock City, Minneapolis

See two hundred rounded rocks of varying sizes in a three hundred yard area. This Dakota Sandstone rock formation is believed to be the only one of it's kind in the world. During the summer, the view from Rock City includes green rolling hills and cultivated fields. Although this place is not a commercialized attraction, Rock City is a peaceful place to visit and enjoy a picnic lunch.

Mushroom Rock, Kanopolis

Another interesting rock formation of Dakota Sandstone is Mushroom Rock State Park in rural Ellsworth County, Kansas. Some of these rocks resemble twenty feet high mushrooms growing from the grassy prairie in a five-acre area. Visitors have been coming to see these rocks for years, as evidenced by carvings on the rock dating back to the 1800's.

World's Largest Ball of Twine, Cawker City

Frank Stroeber, a Cawker City resident, started his ball of twine in 1953 and donated it to Cawker City in 1961. Since that time, the ball of twine has broken and re-broken several world records for it's size. Located in a gazebo just off of U.S. Highway 24, passers-by get a glimpse of the ball of twine from the road. Tourists passing by regularly stop to have their photo taken with the ball of twine. Each year, the residents of Cawker City hold a festival to gather more twine and ensure the twine ball remains the world's largest.

World's Largest Prairie Dog, Oakley

Anyone travelling Interstate-70 through western Kansas should have noticed the advertising billboards for Prairie Dog Town in Oakley. A giant prairie dog overshadows the prairie dog town below. The billboards don't tell you that the prairie dog is really 8000 pounds of statue. The live five-legged and six-legged steers make up for it. Rattlesnakes, a Russian Boar, and a miniature donkey share the limelight with the more common ducks and geese.

Garden of Eden, Lucas

This bizarre garden of limestone buildings and sculptures was created by S.P. Dinsmoor in the early twentieth century. View biblical scenes, odd political statements, and dancing children in different areas of yard. The crowning glory of this attraction is S.P. Dinsmoor himself; embalmed and laid to rest in a glass coffin for all to view in the masoleum in the back yard.

Without the usual flash of city lights and glitzy events, Kansas' tourist attractions range from the mundane to the outlandish. These attractions are meant to educate, entertain, and even appal, however, none are places the tourist is likely to easily forget.

The copyright of the article Odd Places to Visit in Kansas in NE U.S. Travel is owned by Peggy Crippen. Permission to republish Odd Places to Visit in Kansas in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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