Anyone vacationing in Wichita this summer?

I%26#39;m writing an article for The Boston Globe about summer travel deals and want to interview people who are going to vacation in Wichita. Please contact me at 617-929-3150 or nwong@globe.com so I can do a quick phone interview with you about why you decided to go to Wichita.

Thanks!

Nicole Wong

Anyone vacationing in Wichita this summer?

We make a few mini-vacations to Wichita every year, and this year will be no different. My son will be in the Lions Club State Band, so we%26#39;ll go down for his concerts and stay a few days to go to the Sedgwick County Zoo, catch a concert or show, and check out whatever else is in town. We%26#39;ll probably be back for a basketball tournament or swim meet before the summer is over. Wichita, for us, is a family get-away place. We wouldn%26#39;t really think of it as a vacation destination, but we have a lot of fun there.

Anyone vacationing in Wichita this summer?

RhiansDad,

I think you are the first person I have encountered from Aliceville. Are there any interesting restaurants in town?

In what town? Aliceville?

LOL

There are NO restaurants at all in Aliceville, and they even took the Rainbo Bread door off the front of the Bank. Dining in the area requires a trip to the beer joint in Westphalia, or to Luther%26#39;s BBQ in Leroy, which has the best beef jerky on Earth.

I like Luther%26#39;s pemmican and have toured the planet. But have never dined in the restaurant.

The restaurant at Luther%26#39;s is worth trying ... especially since they stole the cook who used to work at Granny%26#39;s downtown. The bbq isn%26#39;t bad, and Tami cooks up specials as the mood strikes. They are getting some stiff competition from the new pizza place that opened on Main Street ... haven%26#39;t tried it yet, but have been hearing raves.

Looking for a suite in Overland Park

Any recommendations for a hotel with suites in Overland Park? Looking for something with a separate bedroom or divider between the bedroom and living area. Does anyone know if the renovations are done at the Embassy Suites? Thanks!

Looking for a suite in Overland Park

You could check out the Spring Hill suites in Overland Park: marriott.com/hotels/…

Looking for a suite in Overland Park

If you are looking for an upscale hotel I would consider the Sheraton on College Blvd. It is connected to the op convention center and it is very nice.

CSBM

Will do! Thanks!!!

Blues Clubs

Can anyone recommend asap a good place to visit in the evening for food and blues. in K.C. until Thursday this week! Thanks

Blues Clubs

I%26#39;m sorry no one has answered your question - and I am not a blues fan, but I know of the following places - maybe someone can comment

Try BB%26#39;s - barbque and blues on 85th St in KC MO

or the 18th and vine district - although that%26#39;s jazz, not blues but still a good time.

The Levee - their music changes from night to night

Hope that at least steers you in the right direction.

Blues Clubs

KCK or KCMO, or just anywhere? My picks ...

Tuesday:

Trampled Under Foot - Marty%26#39;s Blues Cafe, Merriam

DC Bellamy - Experience Sports Bar, KCK

Blue 88 - Blayney%26#39;s in Westport, KCMO (great place)

Wednesday:

Trampled Under Foot - Eclipse Bar, Raytown (east KCMO)

Acoustic Jam - Blayney%26#39;s in Westport, KCMO

If you%26#39;re passing through, see Trampled Under Foot (TUF). They should be a HUGE name in blues bands, if there were ANY huge blues names these days. Danielle has a voice that just had to be made for The Blues, and she put it all out there. If you can%26#39;t catch TUF, Blayney%26#39;s is a good bet on a regular basis ... lots of places to eat in Westport also, if blues alone won%26#39;t sustain you.

p.s. -- Don%26#39;t be taken in by the PAST glory of the Grand Emporium. It WAS the best blues club in middle America, but it%26#39;s NOT any more. They do have Danielle sing for Friday happy hour, but most of the time it%26#39;s hip-hop or salsa or some damn thing ... they just killed the best blues club in town, and I wouldn%26#39;t set foot in there now if the ghost of Muddy Waters was playing the late set.

Must-dos for family in Wichita

Hi,

We are going to Wichita for couple of days, with two kids (2, 5) what are the attractions that we shouldn%26#39;t miss?

Is the zoo any different/special than the other zoo around the country?

Any special family friendly resturants?

Must-dos for family in Wichita

The Sedgwick County Zoo zoo is one of the best in the country. Second best of the more than 40 zoos around the world which I have visited.

The Museum is World Treasures is real cool for young people. It has things like dinosaurs and mummies.

After dusk, go down to the confluence of the Big and Little Arkansas Rivers for the hourly ';Ring of Fire'; at the Keeper of the Plains. www.kansastravel.org/keeperoftheplains.htm

Stroud%26#39;s Restaurant is in a 1930s barn that was once part of a working ranch. It has wonderful family style meals, particularly fried chicken, pork chops, and catfish.

Nu-Way Cafe, 1416 W Douglas Avenue was the very first Nu-Way and opened on July 4, 1930. Nu-ways are loose meat hamburgers, but really everything there is great. They make their own rootbeer.

Must-dos for family in Wichita

** The Zoo isn%26#39;t much different or more special than any other zoo, but it%26#39;s a pretty nice one for kids that age. It%26#39;s small enough to get around with being totally exhausted, there is a fun boat ride, and they have an excellent petting zoo area. My kids always had a great time at this zoo when they were little like yours.

** Also not much different than other ones is the Wichita version of a children%26#39;s museum, which is located on the west bank of the river downtown and is called Exploration Place. They have lots of hands-on exhibits and activities for little ones, and the park outside is free (or pay to play mini-golf). One note here: Exploration Place is hosting one of the exhibits with real (live?) dead bodies, all skinned and plasticized and whatever they do. You may think that is wonderful and educational, and could go to it; or, like me, you might think it is an immoral, degrading, and should-be-illegal exploitation of human beings -- solely for the profit, not the education -- and would want to keep your little ones as far away from it as possible. That%26#39;s what we%26#39;ll be doing this summer. Even so, the park outside is a good place to play, walk along the river, feed the birds (bring a bag of cheap popcorn from WalMart, or some bread to tear up and throw around ... favorite activities for kids.

** Eating with the kids ... hmmm ... Wichita has most all of the usual chain places. Nu-Way is kind of interesting for oldsters, but not so much for youngsters, I think. For the most part, with kids at that age, we sunk into the doom of any fast food place with a ';play place'; to climb, slide, play in the ball pit, etc. I don%26#39;t really remember too many kid-cuisine spots in Wichita. I%26#39;ll be in Wichita tomorrow and again at the end of the week, and I%26#39;ll come back and update this if I hear of or spot something new and notable. Probably your best bet, eating-wise, is to get carry out and find fun places to picnic.

foot cream

Lodging or dining suggestions for Herington, Dickinson Co?

Hi! I%26#39;m traveling to Herington, KS, for the first time. It%26#39;s my dad%26#39;s hometown and I%26#39;m new to the area and would love to see as much of the area as possible, eat well and do it on a budget.

Thanks so much for any suggestions.

K

Lodging or dining suggestions for Herington, Dickinson Co?

Herington Inn %26amp; Suites is a fairly new, %26#39;Comfort Inn%26#39; type of motel that would be suitable and very convenient, if a bit un-exciting. For a more B%26amp;B atmosphere with history and private bath to boot, the Cottage House in Council Grove is nice ... but also a half-hour drive from Herington.

Lodging or dining suggestions for Herington, Dickinson Co?

Thanks, notdave! I saw the Herington listing but the other is new to me. Hey, you don%26#39;t happen to have any recommendations for Lawrence, do you?

Halycon House in Lawrence (www.halyconhouse.com)is a good B%26amp;B very close to campus. Good restaurants on Mass. street in downtown Lawrence that come to mind are Tellers,Free State Brewery and Genovese. Miltons is a great place for breakfast. Wheatfields which is an artisanal bakery on Vermont street also does a good breakfast and soup/salad type lunch.

Other good restaurants in downtown Lawrence include Local Burger (serving good locally grown, organic food), The Orient (Vietnamese), and Southern Cuisine.

All are easy on a budget.

Visiting Dodge City

I was toying with the idea of going to see Dodge City, but its a fair drive from Wichita and Junction City which had been as far west as I was planning on going.

Is there much of the original old town there and is it worth the drive? I only have a few days in Kansas and dont want to waste time if its just a ';Disney'; history place.

Visiting Dodge City

I would advise you to just see Cow Town in Wichita and save yourself a long drive. The buildings in Wichita are mostly authentic from the cattle drive days of the 1870%26#39;s. Our local art museum also has a small display of western art by Charles Russell. It certainly is worth a visit and there is no admission charge on Saturdays. The Mid American All Indian Center and Wichita Botanica are all within a half mile of Cow Town and the art museum so you can see several attractions in a small area and in a relatively short period of time if you so choose.

Visiting Dodge City

With apologies to those that love it, I find Dodge City%26#39;s Boot Hill to be a dated kids attraction.

As an alternative, I would suggest visiting Coffeyville where the Dalton Gang met their end. It has the Dalton Defenders%26#39; Museum, Elmwood Cemetery with the Dalton graves, the beautiful Perkins Building which housed one of the banks they robbed, and other buildings from the time.

My advice is to dodge %26#39;Dodge City%26#39;. It really is a dive. If you want an authentic cowboy, Western experience save your hard-earned greenbacks and go to Fort Worth, Texas. We couldn%26#39;t get a decent Margarita in Dodge City. The steaks at Montana Mike%26#39;s were tough and dry - almost as dry as a Kansas cornfield after months of drought. It%26#39;s dry, dusty and stinky (all those cows and their methane isn%26#39;t a great odor). Boot Hill Cemetery is ok - but just ok - I wouldn%26#39;t go out of my way to come here again - ever.

Most of the hotels are on the main road - so expect lots of night-time noise.

We stayed at the Comfort Inn - lousy! Try the Holiday Inn Express - they are always reliable. The Comfort Inn has no scrim curtains so you either have your curtains open or closed for light. If open then everyone can see in - if closed then you are in darkness so need lamps during the day. The sink has no plug and can%26#39;t be shut off so the husband%26#39;s shaving experience meant he just had to either keep turning the tap on and off or leave the water running (wasteful). Also a very dated hotel although the staff are very nice.

The only other tourist attraction was the tourist trolley - gives you a good sense of the history of the town but when one of the main stops along the route is the cattle feed yards and the abbatoir/processing factory one does have to wonder!

Dodge City does have Santa Fe Trail ruts, a tiny zoo, and and the Kansas Soldiers%26#39; Home at the former Fort Dodge. So there are somethings to do if passing through, but nothing to make a special trip to visit.

chili dogs.......

where can i get the ultimate chili dog in hays ks? i want one where i cannot possiblly eat but two, slathered in a hardy meaty chili, fresh bun, crunchy onions and it would be ever so nice if the weiner would snap when i bit into it. or am i asking too much here? served on a plate with a fork would be nice too. but if i seem picky i%26#39;m really not. i love chili dogs!

chili dogs.......

I don%26#39;t think Hays is into chili dogs...you might find a good steak there :)

chili dogs.......

Or just above average chicken in a neat little old restaurant - Al%26#39;s Chickenette. 57 years old.

is there not a place within even 100 miles of hays that can conjure up a hot dog, slather it with chili, squirt mustard all over it and top it with fresh diced onions, present it fresh on a steamed bun for some where under ten dollars a piece? cmon now!!!! it doesn%26#39;t have to have kraut, doesn%26#39;t need chilled relish, no need for peppers really, not even ketchup much less coney sauce,,,,just a decent chili dog???????????????? i%26#39;m looking for normal not some idylic epicurian delicacy. gimme a chili dog.....

any suggestions?

Have you checked out Great Bend? I have no idea but wonder if one of the local places there serves up a chili dog?

Well--Al%26#39;s Chickenette really does have great food. But I can%26#39;t go back there since seeing the female cook with a sh*t streak up her pants. Yeah--and the best food you can get in Hays is maybe a bratwurst from Munjer. Or a great bierock at the hospital.

I meant Munjor, of course. Oh--and your detailed description of chili dogs is so entertaining. Geez--I want one now.