Is it just me... (Wichita, Kansas City: amusement park, house, camp)

[Samantha S]

Originally Posted by quesera

There are so many interesting places in Kansas, to see.

Agreed. We planned our trip using some of the guides from here:

Kansas Travel and Tourism Division, Kansas Department of Commerce It's a great website.

[quesera]

Thank you for the site! Cool...

[katie45]

Originally Posted by Samantha S

Not true at all, kcmo. Don't you ever get tired of this schtick? You think KS sucks, we get it already! You do know that there is more to the state than just JoCo, right?

A couple of Summers ago, I took my kids on a ten day "Tour of Kansas". People laughed at me. And that's okay. I know that there is quite a lot to see and do in our home state and I wanted to share it with my kids as opposed to having their idea of KS being what they could see from the interstate.

In fact, one of our "rules" on the trip was that I70 was off limits.

We had a great time and in the end, 10 days was not nearly enough time to see and do everything we wanted to do.

Kansas is quite rich in History, traditions, culture and fun things to do. And it's not that hard to find. But turning off of I70 is a good start.

Excellent posting Samantha!

[Sco]

Originally Posted by Samantha S

Not true at all, kcmo. Don't you ever get tired of this schtick? You think KS sucks, we get it already! You do know that there is more to the state than just JoCo, right?

A couple of Summers ago, I took my kids on a ten day "Tour of Kansas". People laughed at me. And that's okay. I know that there is quite a lot to see and do in our home state and I wanted to share it with my kids as opposed to having their idea of KS being what they could see from the interstate.

In fact, one of our "rules" on the trip was that I70 was off limits.

We had a great time and in the end, 10 days was not nearly enough time to see and do everything we wanted to do.

Kansas is quite rich in History, traditions, culture and fun things to do. And it's not that hard to find. But turning off of I70 is a good start.

I am sorry, KS is a decent place, but it is absurd to claim that it has anything that would interest the average tourist. Most of the things to see and do in Kansas are crap, like a big ball of twine for example.

[Ketabcha]

I have a special place in my heart for Kansas. I lived there for 4 years and then we were transferred out of state.

It's been many years since I have been back to Kansas. I loved everything about it. Yes, I even like the weather. I like to watch the wind blowing through the wheat fields. It's spiritual in parts and finding those parts is fun.

It's quite an historic place and there are things to do and see all over the state.

I see no reason to badmouth Kansas. What possible service does that render?

[Cymballine]

Well said, Ketabcha! It may not be for everyone (it's certainly not where I'm destined to be forever), but I'll be damned if I don't love my home state.

[Jammie]

So, since this seems like a chat thread, may I join in?

Don't feel bad. There are several of our states that don't get a lot of traffic. We don't seem to have all the foreclosures and other problems that many states are having and that's a good thing.

When I think of Kansas, I think of hard-working, wholesome, and honest people. I haven't met many people from Kansas so am I correct??

Funny thing~we've been through KC and it's HUGE and way too much traffic for us. BUT the Travel channel had travel suggestions for people and they were bragging up KC. They said it had the most waterfalls/fountains in the U.S. I've seen pics and they are very nice. I'd actually rather stay at a nice flowery/flowing brook/lake type place the next time we go through there. Have a good night, everyone.

[Samantha S]

Originally Posted by Sco

I am sorry, KS is a decent place, but it is absurd to claim that it has anything that would interest the average tourist. Most of the things to see and do in Kansas are crap, like a big ball of twine for example.

To each his own of course. Is there such a thing as an "average tourist"?

People like different things.

I love to take trips out of KS. There is so much to see in the US and around the world. But the claim that there is nothing of interest in KS is simply not true. Maybe not to you. Maybe not to kcmo. So go around it! We don't care!

One of the best things about many of the attractions is that they are not so crowded! It's kind of nice to meander around the Sternberg museum at your leisure, actually stop to read and learn stuff as opposed to being shuffled along by a mob of thousands trying to see an exhibit at a big city museum.

I thoroughly enjoyed the places we went and the things we saw and did on our KS trip. Kansas is our home and I think maybe that adds to our appreciation of it.

Should KS rank among the top tourist destinations in the country? Um ... No. But if you are in the neighborhood and get a chance to check out a few spots - should you do it? Absolutely! You might just be impressed!

[pioneer88]

SCO in response to the Ball of Twine -- You do realize that this is just some side of the road touristy thing for a small town right? Similar to the largest rocking chair, etc... in small towns in EVERY state in the Union. There are Many things that are truly worth seeing for example- bird watching at cheyenne bottoms where thousands of birds can be seen. In fact I read that out of the 6000 species of birds in the US 4000 can be seen here at any given time. This is just one of many things you could do. Now do I claim or expect Kansas to be a Tourist State like Colorado? No. but there are cool and most of all very unique aspects to Kansas worth seeing.

[kcmo]

Originally Posted by Jammie

So, since this seems like a chat thread, may I join in?

Don't feel bad. There are several of our states that don't get a lot of traffic. We don't seem to have all the foreclosures and other problems that many states are having and that's a good thing.

When I think of Kansas, I think of hard-working, wholesome, and honest people. I haven't met many people from Kansas so am I correct??

Funny thing~we've been through KC and it's HUGE and way too much traffic for us. BUT the Travel channel had travel suggestions for people and they were bragging up KC. They said it had the most waterfalls/fountains in the U.S. I've seen pics and they are very nice. I'd actually rather stay at a nice flowery/flowing brook/lake type place the next time we go through there. Have a good night, everyone.

Yea, but that's MISSOURI.

Missouri has tons of things to do and see. Tourism is a huge part of the Missouri economy. You have KC, St Louis, Branson, Lake of the Ozarks etc.

Kansas is dead last in tourism. That is a FACT. Poll after poll has shown that Kansas is the 50th state that people want to visit on vacation. 50th.

Now, I don't think the state is THAT bad. It's actually a pretty state. I can think of 10-15 other states that are far less appealing. Ever been to Indiana? Texas? But those states have cities in them. And those cities have things to do and see.

Kansas has Wichita and suburban KC.

Why would somebody from any other state vacation in Kansas? That is a serious question.

Nearly everything that Kansas is known for is actually in Missouri. Much of the country thinks the KC Royals and Chiefs are in KS. They think the downtown KC skyline is in KS. They think KCI is in Kansas. When people visit KC, and go to Plaza, they still don’t’ know what state they are in and many think they are in Kansas.

Kansas is a rural/suburban state. There is nothing wrong with that. Much of Kansas is quite pretty. The Flint Hills etc. There are things to do in Kansas. But they are mostly things that would only attract local people in the state or KC people that want to get away from the city. We have driven to Wichita before just to check it out. Why not? I have always wanted to go to the Cosmosphere and Space Center in Hutch, but it’s just too far out of the way for me to justify it. I would rather drive to St Louis and have more than one thing to do after driving 4 hours. But it’s there and people go there all the time. Do people from Omaha, Des Moines and Tulsa plan trips around the Cosmosphere? Probably not.

The state really needs to give up on trying to market the state as a tourism destination. It’s a waste of money. The state just doesn’t compare when it comes to tourism. Sure, they will get the occasional tourists that want to see what Dodge City looks like. But 90% of Kansas tourists are only staying in the state to see attractions in KCMO. Accept it. It’s a fact.

If Kansas marketed the most important part of the state as what it is. A suburb of Kansas City, MO. They would be far more successful. When people (again, a lot of people think KC is in KS), ask the state for tourism info and the state sends them info on Nebraska Furniture Mart, Shopping Malls and the Agriculture Hall of Fame, many people probably think, screw that, nothing to do there, don’t want to visit or live in Kansas.

But if the state marketed the area as a great place to stay while seeing all the attractions (that people might actually want to see) in KCMO and actually tell people about KCMO attractions even though they are in MO, then they might have something.

It's just like the Kansas tourism centers. Ever stopped at one? You enter the KC area on the Kansas side and stop at one of those places and it's like Worlds of Fun, the Nelson, the Royals, the Plaza are 1000 miles away. No info on them at all. I had to ask for a KC tourism guide and it was under the freaking counter, hidden. Tourists get info on the Tbones, the ag hall of fame, the JoCo performing arts center, oak park mall etc. People are going to get back in their cars and drive on to St Louis. It's no wonder the Olathe location closed. I have stopped in places like that is bistate areas all over the country and have never seen anything close. If you stop in tourism centers anywhere near a state border, you will get info on major attractions in the bordering state. Let alone the suburbs of a major city 15 miles from the border. What’s really ironic is that even though there is little to do in KS vs MO, the MO tourism center near the stadiums has all the Kansas tourism guides easily visible.