Fort Riley

We are going to Fort Riley Kansas for 3-4 days the 2nd week of Fed. We%26#39;ll be driving straight through from the Black Hills of SD.

Google maps suggests the route of all interstates I90 east to I29 south to I80 west. We drive I90 across SD a few times a year and, depending on the weather, I%26#39;d like to take a different route either going to, coming back or both. We%26#39;re familiar with hwy 79 south from Rapid City to Chadron NE and google gave me a route that drops S to go west on I80, then south on hwy 81. That route is about 100 miles shorter than interstate, but through towns, so could be slower. Any other suggestions?

We won%26#39;t be staying on Fort Riley, I%26#39;ve checked for hotels, mostly chains? Any recommendations? Restaurants? Things to do in the area off Fort Riley?

Fort Riley

Highway 81 coming into Kansas is a good road and shouldn%26#39;t slow you down since it isn%26#39;t very popuated in that area.

I would check Manhattan and Junction City for lodging and restaurant ideas, and maybe you can check their specific cities for info here on TA.

I%26#39;ve traveled the state alot over the years, but I really haven%26#39;t stayed in the area but a couple times since it is close enough to Topeka that I would come home rather than stay overnight on the road.

This website may offer some additional information to you;

www.travelks.com

Fort Riley

Junction City has several good Korean restaurants. My favorite is Pusan Diner, but Korean Garden is also worth a visit.

There is enough to do on the fort to fill most of a day, but other interesting things include the Insect Zoo and the Sunset Zoo in Manhattan.

If you enjoy Grassroots art, the Kracht Castle which one man is building in his back yard is memorable, It was featured ib Rare Visions and Roadside Revalations. http://www.kansastravel.org/krachtcastle.htm

81 is a good highway. I can%26#39;t comment on the others.

Abilene is not too far away and has the Eisenhower museum and library. They also have a hotel that is famous for its fried chicken dinners. They moved the business to Abilene after something happend in the town it had been in for years. Forget the exact story, but it is set up like an old hotel that you would stop at on a train stop. All of the food is family style and you don%26#39;t have a choice in what you eat, but it is great food!

I wanted to say thank you for the help.

We had clear weather for the 2 day drive down and 2 back. We didn%26#39;t take much time for sight seeing, except for driving all over Ft. Riley. We stayed at the Courtyard Marriott in Junction City. We really enjoyed our evening meal at 4 Olives Wine Bar in Manhattan. It was exactly what we were looking for. Much less enthused about lunch at Cracker Barrel.