Day trips for summer days – and nights
MISSOURI
Katy Trail
Stretches across the state between Kansas City and St. Louis
The Katy Trail offers 237 miles for hiking, bicycling and running through Missouri wildlands, farmlands and wine country. (Portions of the trail allow horseback riding.) Pick up the converted rail line about 80 miles outside Kansas City. Plan your route at bikekatytrail.com.
Hotel Frederick
501 East High Street, Boonville
888-437-3321, hotelfrederick.com
Offering old-fashioned hospitality and modern amenities with sensitivity toward the environment, this rehabilitated historic building overlooks the Missouri River and downtown Boonville. At the bar, wash down oysters on the half shell with a drink that’s sweet, strong and garnished with homegrown herbs. Dine Cajun style at the hotel restaurant, Glenn’s.
Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre
114 High Street, Arrow Rock
660-837-3311, lyceumtheatre.org
For performances in a rural setting, catch a musical or play at one of the state’s oldest regional theaters. Arrive early in the day to allow time for a hike around the nearby state park.
Warm Springs Ranch
25270 Highway 98, Boonville
888-972-5933, warmspringsranch.com
Those monster-hoofed horses on your aunt’s collection of Budweiser beer steins are bred and raised at Warm Springs Ranch. Wear your walking shoes and tour the place that 100 Clydesdales call home. Admission costs $10, and reservations are required 24 hours in advance.
Les Bourgeois Vineyards
14020 West Highway BB, Rocheport
800-690-1830, missouriwine.com
The river-bluff hamlet of Rocheport is about 90 minutes from Kansas City, but a leisurely lunch or dinner at Les Bourgeois Vineyards, featuring a spectacular view of the curving Missouri River from inside the Blufftop Bistro or the outdoor patio, is worth the drive. A chilled glass of white wine and the gorgonzola cheesecake only enhance the view.
KANSAS
Black Jack Battlefield & Nature Park
163 East 2000 Road, Wellsville
785-883-2106, blackjackbattlefield.org
Wellsville is just a few miles east of the old-fashioned college town of Baldwin City, and its great claim to fame is Black Jack Battlefield where, on June 2, 1856, abolitionist John Brown led a free-state militia attack on pro-slavery militia forces; the battle lasted three hours. It’s re-created (sort of) Saturday, June 2, at 5 a.m. Have a cup of java and take a tour of the battlefield, led by “John Brown” or a reasonable facsimile.
Holy-Field Winery
18807 158th Street, Basehor
913-724-9463, holyfieldwinery.com
Father and daughter Les and Michelle Meyer planted their first vines in 1986. Now they produce upward of 7,000 gallons of fine Leavenworth County wines each year. The tasting room serves samples year-round. Check the calendar for frequent theater and musical performances in the vineyard.
Atchison, Kansas
cityofatchison.com
The famous pilot who disappeared 75 years ago remains very visible in her hometown. In 1997, land artist Stan Herd captured her visage in “Amelia Earhart Earthwork,” a one-acre mixed-media project composed of living plants and natural elements. She hangs out in life-sized bronze at the International Forest of Friendship, which consists of trees planted to honor all aviators. Visit the house where she was born, now known as the Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum. Hit the town for the annual Amelia Earhart Festival July 15-16 — you may run into some breathing doppelgängers.
Kansas Underground Salt Museum
3504 East Avenue G (at Airport Road),
Hutchinson
620-662-1425, 866-755-3540
undergroundmuseum.org
There’s more to the simple mineral that we use to preserve and flavor food. And there’s a lot of it underneath the prairie. Located 650 feet below the surface, Hutchinson’s museum is one of only three like it in anywhere in the world.
