Bourbon, Cherokee and Crawford in southeast Kansas will be the showcase counties for the Big Kansas Road Trip, May 5 to 8.
Organized by the Kansas Sampler Foundation and local county leaders, the event is designed to provide the public firsthand experiences with what there is to see, do, hear, taste, buy, and learn in these rural communities.
People will choose what they want to do and when. There is no organized caravan or a single itinerary. A Big Kansas Road Trip color guide will be available at information centers in the three counties or people can go online to find it. The bigkansasroadtrip.com website also provides a list of attractions, events, scenic drives and locally-owned restaurants and shops to enjoy during the four days.
Foundation director Marci Penner said, "All we ask of communities is that they be good at being themselves and help the public get to know them as they are. It’s kind of like a tri-county open house with adventures ala carte being offered.”
WenDee Rowe, Foundation project manager, said, "Each person or family can design their road trip around the things they like. Some people may just want to do all the mining attractions and others may want to explore one county per day. Families may have a quest to play on the playground in every town in the three counties. We just want everyone to have a good time exploring."
A sampling of attractions in the three counties include the Fort Scott National Historic Site and National Cemetery, the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes and the Gordon Parks Museum in Bourbon County. Must-see places in Cherokee County include Big Brutus, mined land wildlife areas, Schermerhorn Park, the Tow Mater, and Historic Route 66. Find chicken restaurants, breakfast diners, microbreweries, the largest Veterans Memorial in the state, and the Miner’s Memorial in Crawford County.
Penner said, "We have no idea how many people will come. All we know is that hundreds of people will have a great time exploring a part of the state that has unique qualities unlike any other part of the state and they’ll learn to see it with new eyes.”
The mission of the Kansas Sampler Foundation is to preserve and sustain rural culture. Penner said, "We hope this event gets people addicted to exploring all Kansas communities year-round."
For more information go to bigkansasroadtrip.com.
