Kansas Visitor's Guide 2007/2008 - (Page 48) For more details and Ready-Made Adventures, visit www.TravelKS.com. Use these sample two-day itineraries to help plan your visit to Wichita, Topeka/Lawrence or the Kansas City area. Museum and Botanica, The Wichita Gardens. Afternoon: Go native with a buffalo burger, Harvester wheat beer and peach cobbler at the River City Brewing Company in Old Town. Browse the shopping areas or golf; Auburn Hills is open year-round. Evening: Have drinks at a fun pub in Old Town followed by dinner and a show at the Crown Uptown Dinner Theatre. If you’re not spending the night at the swank Hotel at Old Town, consider a stay at The Castle Inn Riverside Bed and Breakfast, a replica of a 19th-century Scottish castle. Day 2 Morning: Enjoy brunch with champagne, Belgian waffles, made-to-order omelets and dozens of lunch items and desserts at the Olive Tree Bistro. Afternoon: Drive to Yoder for a glimpse of Amish ambience. Buy old-fashioned kerosene lamps at Yoder Hardware. Sample prizewinning ham at Yoder Meats, but save room for baked cinnamon rolls and from-scratch pie at Carriage Crossing. More options: A walking tour of the bronze sculptures on most corners along Douglas Avenue between Old Town and downtown Wichita. Live jazz Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at Chelsea’s Bar and Grille. *Wichita for Couples Wichita Art Day 1 Morning: Visit the University of Kansas student union, then explore the galleries of the Spencer Museum of Art. Check at the union for a schedule of concerts played on the 53 bells of the 120foot-tall Memorial Campanile near the museum. Drive to West Campus for a visit to the Dole Institute of Politics. Afternoon: After lunch and a beer at the Free State Brewing Company, browse downtown shops and Watkins Community Museum. Evening: Try Mediterranean fare at Teller’s, then retreat to the newly renovated Eldridge Hotel. (Don’t worry, the hotel has only been knocked down once since Quantrill left town.) Day 2 Morning: Grab a loaf of artisanal bread to take with you when you buy sweet rolls and coffee at WheatFields Bakery. Then make the short drive to Topeka. Afternoon: Visit the State Capitol and Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site. Have lunch or dinner at BoBo’s Drive In, a locals’ favorite (just west of downtown Topeka) for hamburgers, coneys, onion rings, shakes and apple pie served by carhops. More options: Footprints shop in Lawrence, a mecca for lovers of quality sandals. Barbecue at Bigg’s, a locals’ favorite. *Topeka/Lawrence for Couples Day 1 Morning: Grab coffee in the in the Village West complex and move to massive neighboring Nebraska Furniture Mart. Walk over to the nearby Legends shopping area for ribs at Arthur Bryant’s, the most famous of Kansas City’s barbecue restaurants. Afternoon: Take in a Kansas City T-Bones game at CommunityAmerica Ballpark, or work off lunch along the long fairways of one of the nearly two dozen public golf courses. Evening: On the way to dinner at 40 Sardines in Overland Park, browse the upscale shops of neighboring Hawthorne Plaza and the 90-plus shops of Town Center (there’s a Kansas Sampler shop for souvenirs). Overnight in one of the fantasy suites at Chateau Avalon in Village West, where the rooms carry names such as Camelot, Venetian and Serengeti. Day 2 Morning: Drive to Basehor for wine at Holy-Field Vineyard & Winery. Afternoon: Stroll pathways through themed gardens and perennial beds at Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. More options: Two lakes, hiking and trail rides at Shawnee Mission Park in Johnson County. Broadway-style shows and dinner at Overland Park’s New Theatre Restaurant. *Kansas City Area for Couples Day 1 Morning: Shop. Start at Cabela’s All-Indian Center and Old Cowtown Museum on the east bank of the Arkansas River (check schedules for powwows, Western music concerts, country fairs and other events). Lunch: Head over to the Old Town district on the river for deli sandwiches and bread pudding at The Pumphouse, a vintage gas station. Afternoon: Go to Exploration Place for hands-on science fun. Dinner: Head to Prairie Rose Chuckwagon Supper; come early to watch a Roy Rogers movie in the Happy Trails Theater and visit the Hopalong Cassidy Museum. Day 2 Morning: After a home-style breakfast at the Beacon Restaurant in Old Town, spend the day in Hutchinson at the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center. Dinner: Stroud’s in Wichita serves renowned fried chicken and fixin’s family style (burgers also are available). More options: About 25 vintage planes and a 1941 control tower at the Kansas Aviation Museum. The Sedgwick County Zoo; don’t miss the new Downing Gorilla Forest. Exhibits including dinosaurs and royal jewels in the Museum of World Treasures. The Great Plains Nature Center for a wildlife observatory and 2,200-gallon aquarium of native fish. Families *Wichita for Families Mid-America *Topeka/Lawrence forKansas Day 1 Morning: Visit the Day 1 Morning: Visit the Museum of History and the Great Overland Station, then tour the State Capitol. Afternoon: Renew your energy at Boss Hawg’s Barbeque Restaurant, with kids’ offerings from ribs to PB&J sandwiches. Explore the Topeka Zoo and Old Prairie Town at Ward-Meade Historic Site. Evening: Take a drive to Maple Hill (25 miles west of Topeka) for steaks and homemade desserts at Puffy’s Steak and Ice House. Settle in at one of Topeka’s many hotels offering an indoor pool, or drive to Lawrence for country calm at the Circle S Guest Ranch. Day 2 Morning: Hike the ranch trails or grab your swimsuits and head to Clinton Lake. Afternoon: Get a cone or a shake at Sylas and Maddy’s Homemade Ice Cream, then tour the KU Natural History Museum for wildlife dioramas, dinosaur bones and Comanche, the preserved 7th Cavalry horse that survived Custer’s Last Stand. Then head to Baldwin City for a ride on the Midland Railway. More options: In Topeka, the Combat Air Museum showcasing more than 20 aircraft, including an F4 Phantom fighter jet and a 1950s Constellation, the military version of the classic propeller airliner. Lake Shawnee Recreational Area for fishing, swimming, hiking trails and more. machinery and tour the farmstead at the National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame in Bonner Springs. Then stop at Moon Marble Company to marvel at the marbles. Afternoon: Rock out over cheese fries, burgers and big shakes in Overland Park at Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Grill (showcasing music memorabilia collected by the famous television DJ). After lunch, explore Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead and Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop. Evening: Let the miniature train deliver the kids’ meal at Fritz’s Railroad Restaurant (great chili) in Kansas City, Kansas, then check into one of the themed rooms at Great Wolf Lodge. Day 2 Morning: Have breakfast at the Great Wolf buffet, then hit the water park. Take in the animal displays while you shop at Cabela’s. If you’re hungry, try buffalo burgers at Cabela’s cafe. Afternoon: Tour the Kansas Speedway (or catch a race if you’re lucky), then have another splash in the water park. More options: A sod house, prairie schooner, trails and swimming pool at SarKo-Par Trails Park and Legler Barn Museum in Lenexa. Hiking trails and education center at Olathe’s Ernie Miller Nature Park. General store, fire barn and jail in village at Shawnee Town and Museum in Shawnee. Families *Kansas City Area forout the farm Day 1 Morning: Check 48 Official Kansas Visitors Guide http://www.TravelKS.com
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