February 6, 2014 · 3:53 pm
↓ Jump to Comments

What to see en route from Ames Iowa to Coffeyville Kansas?


 

Largest Community Rolled Ball of Twine in Cawker City, Kansas

From time to time, I field questions from friends like the one below (a Kansas native, I might add,  who is a longtime Iowa transplant.)

A friend is driving down to Coffeeville, Kansas from Ames and wants to know what weird and wonderful things he should stop and see along the way. So up your alley!
 
Is the biggest ball of string even remotely along the way? He’s willing to go a little off the beaten path, and loves quirky things.
 
What can you recommend?

Wow – that route is a challenge. If he takes 169 south from Kansas city – which appears to be the fastest route – he’ll just miss the Flint Hills, which are one of my favorite Kansas places. If he takes 69 south, another option, he’ll go through some places I remember as interesting – Fort Scott, Baxter Springs and Pittsburg. He should check out this story on southeast Kansas from the NYTimes Frugal Traveler done http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/07/travel/in-kansas-museums-fried-chicken-and-yes-oz.html last summer.

 As for the aforementioned “biggest ball of string, ” it is actually “the second largest ball of twine” (or sometimes the largest depending on the definition) and it’s in Cawker City – in North Central Kansas so not on your friend’s route, alas.  How weird is it that I know this stuff?

Route 66 Soda Fountain, 2008 in Baxter Springs!

2 Comments

Filed under Kansas, Kansas misc

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

2 responses to “What to see en route from Ames Iowa to Coffeyville Kansas?”

  1. Veronica Fowler
    February 11, 2014 at 2:20 am

    Excellent advice. You just made southern Kansas a whole lot more interesting!

    Reply

Leave a reply to Veronica Fowler Cancel reply