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From: £1595
There are echoes of the early settlers as you head out across the State from Kansas City, but there’s also more recent Presidential history; jaw-dropping natural and scenic beauty; and quirky, eclectic art to be enjoyed along the way. And as you cross the State line, the extravagant story of the big oil barons comes to the fore. Historic cowboy heritage and contemporary Native American culture await in Oklahoma; and of course, an exploration of the ‘Mother Road’ - Route 66 rounds it off. This Heartland States road trip is a rich tapestry interwoven with vibrant music and stunning food, and it offers a 100% authentic American experience.
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Holiday Highlights:
Amongst the plethora of attractions are the Hallmark Visitors Center and the Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop; art venues including Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art; the American Jazz Museum and the Arabia Steamboat Museum. Shopping malls such as Country Club Plaza and Legends Outlets are worth a mooch.
Barely 40 miles west of Kansas City, the college town of Lawrence is a smart, lively and growing community of 80,000 and home to the University of Kansas campus and the Haskell Indian Nations University. Downtown, the half dozen blocks of Massachusetts Street are replete with chic boutiques and quirky antique stores; intriguing galleries and surprising studios; micro-breweries, restaurants and cafes.
Distance: 135 miles
First stop today is State capital Topeka, from where the pioneers once struck out west with their wagon trains, carving out the famous Oregon Trail. Here stands the Kansas State Capitol building, resplendent following its 10 year refurbishment. It’s hard to over-estimate how magnificent an example of such a worthy building this is - superb architecture, steeped in American history. It demands a visit.Distance: 80 miles
Northbound this morning, driving through the hills to Manhattan, and a visit to the Flint Hills Discovery Center - a world-class exposition of this unique and ancient landscape and ecosystem. Manhattan also offers excellent shopping close by, and from here it’s a relatively short drive to Abilene - a city with numerous claims to fame. Abilene is at the northern end of the famous Chisholm Trail - the historic cattle trail driven in the 1800’s all the way up from Texas, through Oklahoma and Kansas - and the rich story is colourfully retold in the Dickinson County Heritage Center with its dance halls, saloons and gaming rooms.Distance: 105 miles
Today’s route is a scenic and hugely entertaining one - through two Kansas Byways. Driving west, it joins the Post Rock Scenic Byway - miles of gentle, rolling green countryside, punctuated by thousands of the tell-tale stone fence posts, and ends in the town of Lucas - for which the term quirky might have been invented. Unique non-conformist art can be found all over Lucas, in the Grassroots Art Center, the world famous Garden of Eden - which really defies description - and the Flying Pig Studio & Gallery. Perhaps the most visually stunning of Lucas’ public art projects is the town’s restrooms - a warm and humorous melange of wall painting, mosaic and modern art.Distance: 120 miles
Drive direct to Wichita - Kansas’ largest city - today. Sheltered at the confluence of the Arkansas and Little Arkansas Rivers, Wichita’s iconic ‘Keeper of the Plains’ pays a glorious and thought-provoking tribute to the Native American tribes who lived here long before the settlers came. The city's early life as a growing township is brought convincingly to life at Old Cowtown Living History Museum and its Native American history is on display - in the Mid-America All-Indian Center. Wichita has evoled into a major aeronautical manufacturing powerhouse and is diverse and stylish.World art and culture is referenced in the eclectic Museum of World Treasures - which houses Egyptian mummies and dinosaur skeletons; Presidential mementos and folk art, all side by side. Within easy driving distance is Hutchinson, home to the Kansas Underground Salt Museum and the Cosmosphere and Space Center.Distance: 200 miles
Today’s route leaves Kansas behind and heads south into Oklahoma and two centres redolent of the larger than life search for oil at the turn of the 20th century. First stop is in Ponca City, home to independent oil magnate EW Marland’s magnificent Mediterranean -style 55 room Mansion - a 10 bedroom, 12 bathroom, 3 kitchen ‘Palace on the Prairie’. Also here is the Standing Bear Statue - an atmospheric monument tribute to ative Americans, the surrounding park, honours the six tribal nations of the immediate area.Distance: 110 miles
World-renowned Route 66 is the focus of today’s drive from Tulsa to Oklahoma City, with a side trip to charming and historic Guthrie. Out along this first section of Oklahoma’s Route 66 - of which Oklahoma has the longest drivable section of any state.Distance: 85 miles
Native American culture is the focus of today’s itinerary, with a visit to the Chickasaw Cultural Center in fast-growing Sulphur. The Center evokes and celebrates the history and contemporary life of the Chickasaw Nation through exhibits, demonstrations and other outreach projects. This is the USA’s largest tribal cultural centre, built on a section of more than 100 acres of rolling hills, woodlands and water. The Chickasaw National Recreation Area brings together diverse flora and fauna in a combination of eastern deciduous forest and western prairie.Distance: 195 miles
Start the day by heading west to Duncan and a visit to the Chisholm Trail Heritage Center, where the story of the long, arduous cattle drive route carved out from Texas clear through to Abilene in Kansas is told in fascinating, evocative style. In Lawton, a replica trading post and collection of historical and archaeological artefacts is displayed in the Museum of the Great Plains, and on to Fort Sill - still an active Army fort, established back in 1869, where no fewer than 26 historic buildings conjure up a vivid picture of frontier life. Here, too, is the last resting place of the famous Apache chief Geronimo.Distance: 115 miles
Today the route is eastbound along the second section of Route 66, with time to stop off and complete a memorable exploration of the Mother Road. Clinton is the first port of call - the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum, recounting the history of the road as it was rolled out through the state. The museum offers a mellifluous and intriguing audio tour by baritone Mother Road historian Michael Wallis. Also in Clinton is the Mohawk Indian Lodge. Established in 1892, it’s the first and oldest authentic Indian Trading Post in Oklahoma - a vast conglomeration of diverse items, from Pendleton blankets to hides; beaded moccasins to Native American jewellery.Leave Oklahoma City and fly back to the UK. However, your adventure doesn't have to end here. Perhaps you may want to extend your stay and spend a few days exploring Dallas or maybe include more of Route 66.
Call the USA travel specialists at Bon Voyage to discuss your perfect Route 66, Scenic Kansas and Eclectic Oklahoma adventure.