Kansas — Blog - Traveling Newlyweds

If you couldn’t tell from our previous blog, we loved Wichita, Kansas. We'll definitely be back. There’s good coffee, tasty food and fun activities for the whole family - which is all we need (see here for more). But if you’re up for a little more adventure, there are a variety of day trips to be had in and around central Kansas. Here are our favorite day trips that we took during our last visit to Kansas.

Geographic Center of the contiguous United States

Starting with the most unique (especially to road trippers like us)... take a drive to the geographic center of the 48 states. We doubt many people can say they’ve done it! About 2.5 miles northwest of the town of Lebanon is a marker that claims to be the spot. If you watched the Super Bowl this past year (2021), the chapel on site was featured in a Jeep commercial with Bruce Springsteen.

To break up the drive from Wichita, we’d recommend a couple other quirky stops along the way (or one each way). One would be the Garden of Eden. Not the one you’re thinking of, but still pretty amazing. Known as one of the “Eight Wonders of Kansas”, a civil war vet began building this garden in 1907. Another fun stop would be Mushroom Rock State Park. Pretty straightforward… a giant rock shaped like a mushroom. Jude loved it!

Jude was the first one to the center of the 48 states!

The geographic center of the continental US!

We love finding places like the Garden of Eden. So unique!

Family photo at Mushroom Rock State Park

Lindsborg, Kansas

If you’d like to be transported to Europe, take the 1 hour drive to Lindsborg, also known as “LIttle Sweden”. Originally settled in the spring of 1869 by a group of Swedish immigrants, Lindsborg residents still take great pride in their Scandinavian roots. You can find Swedish influence all over the town - in the restaurants, shopping, and even the architecture. You’ll be obsessed with the colorful buildings and the horse sculptures (one of the national symbols of Sweden) throughout the downtown area. Be sure to visit Hemslojd for a souvenir and Black Smith Coffee for the best coffee in town.

You’ll find Scandinavian influence all around Lindsborg.

We were obsessed with the colorful buildings in Lindsbord.

Cottonwood Falls

Just over an hour northeast of Wichita lies the charming and historic town of Cottonwood Falls. Enjoy strolling the brick downtown and browsing the various antique shops and art galleries. Grab lunch at one of the restaurants in town and then spend the afternoon exploring Tall Grass Prairie Nature Conservancy. This sprawling park is great for a hike and some quiet time with nature (unless you’re traveling with a toddler like us). After your time in the park, head back downtown and grab dinner at Ad Astra, arguably one of the best restaurants in Central Kansas. You can’t go wrong with the Ribeye. :)

If you’re up for an overnighter, we’d recommend staying at the Grand Central Hotel. Boasting an incredible history and cozy rooms, you’re in for a real treat!

Hiking in the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve.

Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve from the sky!

Chase County Courthouse in Cottonwood Falls.

We loved walking around downtown Cottonwood Falls.

For those that appreciate a good road trip and finding roadside hidden gems, these are the day trips for you. Since we only explored north of Wichita, we challenge you to explore other areas as well. Let us know what day trips we need to take on next trip to Kansas!

If you’ve been following us for awhile, you know that we’ve criss-crossed around the country numerous times in the past few years. While we’ve been able to see a LOT of this glorious country, there are definitely states that we’ve still yet to truly explore.

Kansas is one of those states. Aside from a few days in Kansas City (one of our favorite cities of all time), we’ve really only driven through Kansas on our way to other places.

That changed this summer, when we spent a week exploring Wichita and its surrounding areas. We were thrilled to find stunning scenery, amazing food and fun activities for the whole family. Initially assuming we’d write a recap blog of our time in Kansas, we decided to break it up and share one entire blog on Wichita alone. It’s THAT cool.

Whether you are passing through or enjoying a weekend adventure, here is how we would spend 48 hours in Wichita!

DAY 1

We flew into Wichita and it was an easy drive into town. And what is the first thing we do when we arrive at a new destination? Eat, of course! ;) A Wichita favorite, River City Brewing, came through in a big way. WIth a giant pretzel, sausage mac ‘n cheese, and tasty beers, we couldn’t have picked a better first stop!

After our hearty meal, we checked into the Hyatt Regency Wichita. Situated right on the Arkansas river and near all downtown attractions, the Hyatt was a perfect spot for us. The rooms are clean and spacious, and we had beautiful views of the river.

For our first full day, we’re always craving to start it off with a good coffee shop. We found Leslie Coffee Co. and were obsessed with their coffee and overall vibe. (The other people there probably weren’t obsessed with us, since Jude was just running around getting in everyone’s business. Ha!) From there we headed to Homegrown Wichita for breakfast. Located right on Naftzger Park, this is an ideal restaurant to take a toddler. Reason being, we let him run wild on the grass and get all his wiggle out, and then he is (relatively) chill while we have breakfast. Make sure to get a pop tart!

Be sure to get the pop tart at Homegrown!

If we had to pick our favorite family-friendly adventure from our time in Wichita, it would have to be Tanganyika Wildlife Park. Drive 15 minutes from downtown Wichita, and you’ll feel like you aren't in Kansas anymore (had to do it once). You’ll feel like you’ve arrived on an African safari or that you’re out on the Australian outback. With 10 interactive encounters where you can touch, feed, or ride unique species, both kids and adults will love feeding giraffes and kangaroos! Jude was freaking out over the penguins and giant tortoises.

Jude a little nervous. Probably because the giraffe’s head is bigger than his body!

Jude was also unsure about the Kangaroo’s.

We had a tasty lunch at Chicken N Pickle (Get the deviled eggs and hot chicken sandwich) and then had a quick nap time to recharge. Post-nap it was time for more coffee exploration, and Reverie Coffee Roasters was the winner. (We’d go as far as to say that it’s the best coffee in town!) They roast their own coffee and Bobby is a bit of a coffee nerd, so he loved chatting with the staff about the beans, processes, and their favs.

We walked around town after coffee and landed at Piatto Neapolitan Pizza for an early dinner. It’s always mind-blowing when you find culturally authentic cuisine thousands of miles away from it’s inspiration. This pizzeria had their 6,000 pound oven built brick by brick in Naples, and it cooks the traditional way - at 900 degrees for just over a minute. The result is a light an airy crust with fresh ingredients that truly makes you feel like you’re sitting in Italy. But you’re in Wicihta. Such a treat! Of course we had dessert after, because Alli can’t resist (Bobby and Jude too)... We shared ice cream from Milk Float and didn’t regret it :)

Go to Chicken N Pickle and get the deviled eggs!

On our final day in Wichita we started it off at Reverie Coffee Roasters again. It’s that good! We grabbed donuts at The Donut Whole and then tried to feel good about ourselves by getting juices at 86 Cold Press.

We spent the next couple hours exploring the Keeper of the Plains and the surrounding plaza. The Keeper of the Plains is a 44 foot tall steel sculpture that stands where the Little and Big Arkansas Rivers converge in downtown Wichita. It’s considered an icon of Wichita that keeps an eye on the downtown. Jude loved running around on the bridge and the nearby parks. It’s a great spot for a family photo!

From here, we headed out to explore other parts of central Kansas (see our blog for three day trips!). But we still had a list of a few restaurants we missed out on - Leslie Coffee Co. for breakfast, Newport Grill for a date night (maybe Grandma can come next time to babysit), and Prost for German beer and brats. We’ll definitely be back!

Cool

3 Day Trips in Central Kansas

48 Hours in Wichita, Kansas