Amelia Earhart, Dwight D. Eisenhower and the Wizard of Oz all have links to Kansas towns that the WorldAtlas website describes as being like something out of a fairy tale.
An article the site published last month identified seven Sunflower State communities it called “fairy-tale small towns.”
“Think fairy tales are just for bedtime?” WorldAtlas asked. “Kansas says otherwise. Although this state quietly lies in the middle of the Midwest, from the Flint Hills to the Ozarks, its small towns offer more quaintness than prairie views. Many have names and storied histories based on railroad lines, cattle trails, and frontier legends.”
Following are those towns.
This statue of famed aviatrix Amelia Earhart is among features of the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum near Atchison, which WorldAtlas describes as being one of seven “fairy tale small towns” in Kansas.
Atchison
“You will fall in love with this town, but unfortunately, its Earhart belongs to Amelia,” WorldAtlas said while referring to the aviator, who vanished in 1937 in the Pacific while trying to fly a Lockheed Model 10 Electra plane around the world.
WorldAtlas suggested visitors to Atchison, a city of about 11,000, should start at the Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum, a restored Victorian home that showcases her family photos, childhood artifacts and personal belongings.
It also recommended visiting the contemporary Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum, which features flight simulators, interactive displays and the last remaining Lockheed Model 10 Electra plane out of 149 that were made.
The site added, “Stroll quietly through the International Forest of Friendship, where trees have been planted in recognition of aviation pioneers, astronauts and trailblazers of the skies, honoring these contributions from around the globe.”
Wamego
“Here, every road leads back to Dorothy,” WorldAtlas said of this northeast Kansas city of about 4,900, which capitalizes on the Sunflower State’s enduring fame as being the home of Dorothy, the central character in the 1900 book and 1939 movie “The Wizard of Oz.”
WorldAtlas suggested visitors start at the Oz Museum, a “technicolor shrine to Kansas’ most famous story,” which displays hundreds of movie props, rare collectibles and original artifacts, then go to nearby Oz Winery, which serves playful blends in a cozy tasting room that include “Drunken Munchkin” and “Witch in the Ditch.”
The site recommended visiting Wamego for OZtoberFest, at which it said, “Fans from numerous states come to watch the entire town transform into a costumed and food-truck-powered event.”
This year’s OZtoberfest will be Oct. 4.
Lucas
“Being in a fairy tale isn’t about beauty,” WorldAtlas said. “It’s about feeling like you have stepped out of the real world.”
It consequently suggested visiting Lucas, population 332 in Russell County in north-central Kansas, the site of S.P. Dinsmoor’s Garden of Eden, the oldest intact folk-art environment in the U.S. Concrete figures created by Dinsmoor, who died in 1932, can be seen scaling the house’s exterior. His mummified body can also be seen there, behind glass.
WorldAtlas recommended visitors to Lucas also enjoy World’s Largest Things Inc., a quirky museum featuring tiny, handmade representations of some of America’s largest oddities, from ketchup bottles to massive balls of yarn; Bowl Plaza, a working public restroom that is also a work of art, mimicking a giant toilet; and the nearby Open Range Zoo, where full-sized animal sculptures “are situated along the grass like a surreal safari.”
Abilene
“Trains, trails, and presidential tales all lead to Abilene,” the boyhood home of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, WorldAtlas said. The city of about 6,500 is located in Dickinson County in north-central Kansas.
WorldAtlas suggested visitors start at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum & Boyhood Home, where exhibits display childhood photos and military garb from the life of the nation’s 34th president, then board the Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad, a vintage train offering weekend excursions through the farmlands of north-central Kansas.
“Continue your day by stepping back into frontier days at Old Abilene Town, a nostalgic recreation of a western street complete with costumed reenactors, saloons, and a working blacksmith shop,” WorldAtlas said. “When you are done exploring, slow down and relax at Amanda’s Bakery & Bistro, a quaint bakery and café near downtown, specializing in pies and farmhouse style.”
Baldwin City
Only in Baldwin City can visitors pet alpacas and take part in a fall festival the same afternoon, WorldAtlas said.
A community of about 4,800, Baldwin City is located in Douglas County in northeast Kansas.
“Visit Ad Astra Alpacas, a lovely family farm where you can meet and feed fluffy alpacas and even walk some on a leash,” WorldAtlas said. “The farm is a whimsical setting that makes Baldwin feel magical and out of a children’s story. For more magic, venture out to explore nature at the Ivan Boyd Prairie Preserve or Black Jack Battlefield Park.”
WorldAtlas recommended visiting Baldwin City during its annual Maple Leaf Festival, first held in 1958, which it said has become one of the largest fall events in the state and offers “parades, quilt shows, street food, and pumpkin everything.”
This year’s Maple Leaf Festival will be Oct. 18 and 19, its website said.
Independence
A community of about 8,500 in Montgomery County in southeast Kansas, Independence “folds frontier roots into something that feels both real and a little magical,” WorldAtlas said.
“First visit the Little House on the Prairie Museum, which has a replica of the cabin marking the site of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s childhood home, with signs noting the trail of their journey through tallgrass,” it said. “Once you have explored the museum, head into town to Riverside Park and Ralph Mitchell Zoo, a local favorite that includes a miniature train, a carousel, and the birthplace of Monkey Island, where a chimpanzee once inspired Tarzan’s Cheeta.”
WorldAtlas also recommended visiting Elk City State Park just west of town and enjoying its annual Neewollah Festival, which it said turns Independence into a “costumed wonderland with parades, music, and a week of chaotic family fun.”
Neewollah, which is “Halloween” backwards, will take place this year from Oct. 17 to 25, the festival’s website said.
Cottonwood Falls
“This isn’t a fairy tale about castles,” WorldAtlas says about Cottonwood Falls, a city of about 850 in Chase County in east-central Kansas. “It’s one about courthouses, cowboys, and tallgrass.”
The site suggested visitors first make their way to the Chase County Courthouse, a limestone building featuring unique woodwork, which was constructed in 1873 and is one the oldest operational courthouses west of the Mississippi.
“Then, make the trip five miles to the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, where walking trails cut through expansive grasslands and bison roam in the distance,” it said.
“Head back into town to the Doghouse Saloon for drinks at the no-frills bar, which has a dedicated following,” WorldAtlas added. “Local musicians sometimes play on weekends. On Friday evenings, the streets come alive with Emma Chase Friday Night Music, an open-air jam that draws fiddlers, dancers, and curious passersby.”
Contact Tim Hrenchir at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Seven Kansas communities are ‘fairy-tale small towns,’ WorldAtlas says
