"Eastern Kansas - Interesting!" Top 5 Page for this destination Kansas by Bwana_Brown

Kansas Travel Guide: 2,263 reviews and 5,223 photos

Border Crossing, just north of Joplin, Missouri

Following a 2-day meeting in Kansas City, Missouri, I had a weekend to kill before heading back east for a second meeting in upstate New York. Well, I thought that I would probably never be this close to Kansas again for some time, so why not do some exploring along its eastern edge?

The weather was sunny and almost warm (14 C) as I set out from Kansas City at noon on a Friday, heading slightly west and south for an eventual 200 miles before I almost ran into the Oklahoma border! I really enjoyed Kansas, tooling along it's back highways and taking in the sights. Yes, there are lots of great sights in Kansas if you give it a chance!

I Ran Into 'Big Brutus'

The Working End of 'Big Brutus'

I had a short but very enjoyable tour of a museum dedicated to a retired coal mine in the southeast part of the state. The feature attraction is their old electric shovel, shown here. The operator's cabin is about half-way up the left side and the red railings allow you to tour the various parts of the shovel without falling off. A couple of my Must See tips give a bit more information on the story of this big old beast!

Pros and Cons

Pros:Relaxing with not much traffic on the back roads
Cons:The scenery could be repetitive if you stayed long enough!
In a nutshell:Worth taking a look, a slower-paced life

Last visit to Kansas: Nov 2004
Intro Updated May 25, 2008
Add to Trip Planner (?)
Report Abuse

Reviews (16)

What Kind of Tree is This? Local Customs (4)

About 3 hours after I had left Kansas City, Missouri, I was pulling into the tiny dorp of Pleasanton, Kansas when I... more travel advice

Streets of Brick Local Customs (4)

I noticed in more than one place in Kansas that the streets were paved with red bricks. Although they are rough and... more travel advice

Feeling Rejected Local Customs (4)

After getting out of the car for a closer look, I noticed that many of these quite large fruit were laying on the ground... more travel advice

Wide Streets Local Customs (4)

I was struck by the wide streets in the downtown area of all the towns and villages that I drove through in Kansas.... more travel advice

Off The Beaten Path (3)
See All State Hospital
Transportation (2)
See All Rental Car Freedom
Restaurants (2)
See All Good Stuff

Things to Do (4)
See All Many Open Fields & Raptors
Hotels (1)
As the Trains Rumble By
Been to Kansas?
Share your travels with the world!

Comments (18)

Reply
- Report abuse
Rich62 Nov 24, 2010 at 12:11 PM

Next it looks like you need to plan a trip thru Iowa - Nebraska - Utah - Idaho and Oregon! Have fun! I'll buy coffee if you stop in Kearney, Nebraska!
Reply
- Report abuse
RoscoeGregg Oct 18, 2009 at 9:19 AM

Squrrils eat the crap out of the "hedge apples". Cattle sometimes try to eat them. They can become lodged in their throat. It can be dangerous. Hope my mr. know it all has helped to enlighten
Reply
- Report abuse
2aT Sep 25, 2009 at 12:28 PM

Great food all the time - Favorite place for locals and college students. Love the atmosphere. The old building adds to the aviance. The picitures of before and after renovations are amazing.
Reply
- Report abuse
BruceDunning Jun 11, 2009 at 2:54 PM

We just got back form traversing the countryside to Dodge City. Well you got to see the big brute. Good pics and perspective on Kansas-flat and greeen now.
Reply
- Report abuse
fyr_angel Apr 20, 2009 at 12:21 PM

I live near the town of Oswatomie, and work on the grounds of the state hospital there. The people you saw jumping and running arround were most likely the inmates from the minimum security prison housed on the grounds which was just recently *** down.
Reply
- Report abuse
calcaf38 Apr 11, 2009 at 3:21 PM

Great page. Thank you for pointing me to your asylum-tourism spot! As for me, I worked Friday (a lot, as few people were around and we had three nursing admissions), but I have off Monday. Happy Easter / Passover to you and your family.
Reply
- Report abuse
Dabs Aug 4, 2007 at 7:42 AM

Gas at $1.78 per gallon???? ah, those were the days! Your asylum "visit" had me thinking about the scene in "The Shining" with Jack Nicholson and the ax, I must have an active imagination ;-)
Reply
- Report abuse
craic Jul 14, 2007 at 3:32 PM

So that is what a hedge-apple is. And those poignant headstones with numbers on them - 1 -346.
Reply
- Report abuse
roamer61 May 10, 2007 at 5:01 AM

Kansas actually has much more history then one would think. Including the westward trails and final confrontation with the Dalton Gang in Coffeeville
Reply
- Report abuse
globetrott Mar 25, 2007 at 6:30 AM

an interesting page, Glen, and Big Brutus, the landscape-killer, looks really quite impressive !