Travel Kansas USA

Melvern Lake Kansas USA

Location and Directions
Melvern Lake is located in eastern Kansas north of I-35 and west of US-75 which are two major highways. You can find it between Emporia and Ottawa. Near the lake are the towns Olivet via K-276 and the town Melvern via K-31. To visit the town of Melvern and then the lake from I-35, take Exit 160. If you take Exit 148, you can visit the town of Lebo heading south or take the road north to drive through the west side of Melvern Lake. However, the most direct route will most likely be taking US-75 north at Exit 155.

Directions to Eisenhower State Park
There are many state highways nearby the lake, but the one to really remember is K-278 which will take you to Eisenhower State Park. It will end at the road you take to turn left and you will be able to easily spot it from there. Taking US-75 to K-278 west to South Fairlawn Road south to Eisenhower State Park is probably one of the more direct routes. If you want to, you could take South Hoch road through the west part of the lake to get to K-170 from the interstate, and then take a series of roads and eventually find South Fairlawn Road which will again take you to Eisenhower State Park. It is most likely the destination you want to travel to.

Click for Virtual Tour

The first thing you will notice is the Eisenhower State Park Office of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism (the way to get into the park). Once allowed to enter, there are two directions to take which will eventually connect back to each other closer to the actual lake. It won’t be hard to find restrooms and showers as you drive along. There are a few campgrounds adjacent to the lake such as the Doud and Churchill campgrounds. There is even a decent playground located pretty close to the water.

There are other places nearby such as the Outlet Park east of the lake close by US-75. It includes a dam you can ride on that gives you a good view of the lake looking west. There are places you can maybe access all around the lake including the Turkey Point Area southwest of Eisenhower State Park.

In conclusion, Melvern Lake is one of many lakes you can find in eastern Kansas. You can access it pretty easily from three major cities in the state of Kansas: Topeka, Emporia, and Ottawa. Melvern Lake is a good place to enjoy life and go fishing.

September 26, 2020 NexGen TravelExplorer

Lake Scott State Park Kansas

Lake Scott State Park is located in Scott County ten miles north of the town of Scott City, Kansas. It is hard to find a lake this nice this far west in Kansas. Taking via US-83, you can take K-95 at the first available moment. The speed limits are no joke. There are plenty of curves on not the widest road.

From a distance, it looks like the prairie continues forever and ever, but in this big gap in the land, you will find a lake located in Lake Scott State Park. I have always enjoyed stopping by a time or two here. It is a nice detour along your travels on US-83.

You can find canyons, springs, ponds, small rivers, and several campgrounds. All campgrounds I found on the map will be listed below:

Elm Grove
Apache
Lakeside
Flatland
Circle Derive
Boat Ramp
Bull Canyon South
Lake View

Whenever I used to visit with my family, we would almost always stop at the Circle Drive Campground to view the lake and enjoy life. There is a west and east Scott Lake Drive that together surround the lake. We always like to take the west drive, but the east drive is very good also. There are restrooms and showers available for those wanting to know.

Overall, this is a decent state park. If there is one thing in western Kansas I enjoyed visiting, this will be put on the list for sure. The lake’s size is good considering where it is located. Consider stopping by here along your travels on all of the two-laned highways out there in western Kansas!

September 14, 2020 NexGen TravelExplorer

Clinton Lake Kansas USA

Directions to Clinton Lake and Clinton State Park
Located west of Lawrence and Douglas County, you will find Clinton Lake. You can find signs along US-40, K-10, and US-59 that will help navigate you to this destination. If you take K-10, you can find it much easier. Off of that exit, you can either visit Clinton State Park or ride the east dam. You can also find this route from a turnoff on US-59 as well. From that turnoff, you can visit the Rockhaven, Bloomington, and Woodridge Public Use Areas and the town of Clinton. The turnoff from US-40 takes you straight down to the Clinton State Park or the Wildlife Area.

Things to do at Clinton Lake
At the north part of the lake, this tends to be the main spot. Locations include campgrounds with restrooms and showers, trails, a disc golf course, and an archery range. East of the lake, locations include a waterfall, spillway, and outlet park near Wakarusa River, and a golf course.

View from Kansas Highway K-10
If you are driving along K-10, there are sports complexes to the east of the lake and a nice overlook park at the northeast corner of the lake for a quick but good look at this huge lake. You should check out this lake if you have the time to tour something special along your travels in a very scenic eastern Kansas.

August 13, 2020 NexGen TravelExplorer

From York, Nebraska (I-80) to Salina, Kansas (I-70) via US-81

Four Lane Highway Links I-80 to I-70
Not too long ago, the state Nebraska and Kansas decided to make a four laned road stretching from I-80 and I-70. It would start from York, Nebraska, travel south through McCool Junction, Fairmont, Geneva, Strang, Bruning, Hebron, past the Nebraska – Kansas border through Belleville, Concordia, Minneapolis, and finally Salina where it meets I-70 and even I-135. It still exists today and serves a good purpose for faster transportation.

US-81
To explain a little better, this US-81 route contributes with I-135 and its purpose as well. If you look at a map, you see I-35 which was once in the central part of the country starting to shift east away from the north central states. With the new roads, there is a faster route for the area that I-35 missed when going east to Missouri, Iowa, and Minnesota.

In the Dakotas and Nebraska, you realize there is no interstate that runs vertically through the middle of the states. We have history to blame for this. But in short, this new route gives these north central states a faster way to access I-35 in a more direct way to travel to places in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.

From the flip side of things, it is easier for the south central states to travel to the north central states as well. It is a step towards making transportation slightly faster in this area.

Here are a few good places to stop along this road from York, NB and Salina, KS:

York
North of I-80 you can truly see the size of the town. US-81 & US-34 mostly bypass the town, but Lincoln Avenue is a main road that runs straight through the town. This is a good stopping point even when traveling along the interstate. Most travelers when in a slight hurry stop south of town rather than in it. They should consider going up a mile if they have the time.

Geneva
To get more options, you can either travel west on F Street or NE-41, whichever comes first. You could stop at Shell for gas, Dollar General for a snack, or even Subway for a nice, healthy lunch.

Hebron Nebraska — Hebron – Home of the World’s Largest Porch Swing

Hebron
Most of the stops are again west of the highway. Lincoln Avenue is a good way to enter the city from the highway. You can find another Dollar General here as well as a Casey’s. The airport and the country club is south of the town near US-136.

Pawnee Indian Museum Kansas — Pawnee Indian Museum Republic Kansas USA

Belleville
North of US-36 and east of US-81 is where the city of Belleville resides. Up north is a Love’s, a speedway, swimming pool, and Rocky Pond. For anyone looking for businesses you can find in most places, there is a Super 8 hotel near a Dollar General, Casey’s, and even a DQ where you can stop for a treat.

Concordia
You don’t have to leave the highway too much at all to stop at a DQ, Sonic, McDonald’s, Subway, Arby’s, and more. South of town they even have a Walmart. It should fill most needs someone would like during the trip.

Salina
This city is blessed to have four lane roads in all four directions. When US-81 reaches Salina, people traveling south have the option to travel west to Hays and Denver, east to Topeka and Kansas City, or south to Wichita and Oklahoma City. Taking I-135 south by Salina gives you more options rather than I-70, but there are still enough stops north of Salina by I-70 to support travelers along their way. US-81 continues south with I-135 after Salina to Wichita and beyond.

August 5, 2020 NexGen TravelExplorer

4 Lane Highways in Kansas

asphalt junction near greenery on city street — Photo by Kelly Lacy on Pexels.com

Makes Driving Fun
What is so important about four laned highways? Well, for one, it is easier to handle the traffic since you can pass cars without going in the other lane that cars use to go the opposite direction. An additional benefit is higher speed. These factors add up to a sum of easier driving and faster travel. The interstates aren’t the only four laned roads you will find in the state of Kansas.

Kansas City
For example, near Kansas City, it is harder to find highways that are just two laned compared to other parts of the state. Parts of US-69, US-169, US-73, US-24, and US-40 around the area will have more lanes so traffic can flow more smoothly since it is very populated.

Christmas Tree Crown Center Kansas City Missouri USA

Around Kansas
Here are some other areas where you can find them along your travels with the locations listed from east to west:

US-59 (Lawrence – Ottawa)

US-75 (Holton – Topeka – US-56)

Manhattan Area (K-18, K-177, US-24)

K-254 (Wichita – El Dorado)

US-54 (Kingsman – Wichita – Augusta – El Dorado)

US-81 (York, NB / I-80 – NB Border – Concordia – Salina / I-135)

K-96 (South Hutchinson – Wichita – US-54 & 400)

K-61 (Hutchinson – McPherson)

US-50 & 400 (Garden City – Holcomb)

Kansas > Oklahoma > Texas
Bonus: (OK Border – Liberal)
Oklahoma → (Texhoma – Guymon – Tyrone)

August 5, 2020 NexGen TravelExplorer

Lindsborg Kansas USA

Directions to Lindsborg
Lindsborg is a small town, but a gem worth visiting with extra time at hand. Features of this city include the Smoky Hill River and its Swedish background. From I-135, take exit 72 or 78, whichever comes first, depending on the direction of your travel. K-4 travels through both directions of the town as well. At Exit 78, take K-4 west a few miles until you eventually arrive. At Exit 72, take the road west for a mile or so, then there will be an obvious turn right up north that will take you directly up to Lindsborg after another mile or so. This route used to be Business US-81.

Karpov International School of Chess
I like traveling here for multiple reasons. When available, there is open chess at the Karpov International School of Chess on Monday evenings at 6:30 to 8 PM downtown west of Main Street and just south of Lincoln Street. Also downtown, there are Swedish decorations you can find. On a nice hot summer afternoon, you can visit their swimming pool in the south part of town. You can even find more history of the town near the pool such as the McPherson County Old Mill Museum and the 1904 World’s Fair Swedish Pavilion.

St Lucia Christmas Bethany Lutheran Lindsborg USA

In the north part of town, you can find Bethany College. Smoky Valley Middle and High Schools are on the west side of the town. The highway is really what is east of town, where there are gas stations and few places to eat and stay in the city.

We have more content about Lindsborg here.

August 5, 2020 NexGen TravelExplorer

Kansas University

Lawrence – The City
Welcome to Lawrence, the home of the Jayhawks! This city can be accessed by the toll road I-70, US-59, US-40 and US-24. K-10 is a good bypass that travels around west and south Lawrence and Clinton Lake.

Kansas Basketball
Their university is known by sports fans for their good basketball teams. When I say it, I mean it. Their basketball teams are ones not to be messed with. If you think you can win in Allen Fieldhouse, their home basketball court, you have a lot of work to do. It is a tough atmosphere to play in. They have won the Big 12 Tournament up to 14 times in a row once before, a record for Division-I basketball (They are currently in the Big 12 Conference). They have also reached the NCAA tournament way more than that. They still lose however, which only makes them better when they learn from their mistakes.

KU Football
If you think you can beat KU football, you are probably correct if you are in the time from when this article was written. It is a miracle when they win a game because they don’t win very many these days. However, with their new coach Les Miles, they hope to become better in the next few years. They have something going for them, at least Jayhawk fans hope.

KU Campus Location
This university isn’t known for just sports though. Kansas University has way more to offer you. These were just sports highlights for you. I decided to share this information because I root for universities in sports mostly. It is just my own experiences as a Jayhawk fan. Feel free to see it in person located north of 19th Street, east of Iowa Street aka US-59, south of 9th Street, and west of Tennessee & Kentucky Street. Additionally, West Campus is west of Iowa Street aka US-59, south of Bob Billings Parkway, north of Clinton Parkway, and east of Kasold Drive. Want to learn more about the university online? Learn more here.

August 5, 2020 NexGen TravelExplorer

Kansas State University

Manhattan – The City
Welcome to Manhattan, the home of the Wildcats! All roads leading to Manhattan are not interstates, but some are four laned such as US-24 east of the city, K-18 west of the city, and K-177 north of I-70. Coming from the west side, you can tell by the landscape that you have to go across a big hill that borders that side of the city. It is a nice scenic drive traveling to Manhattan from any direction you take to get there. It might be one of the more convincing factors that lead people to choose this city in particular.

Big 12 Conference and Football
It is a preference that people say K-State rather than Kansas State. It is a common name for this particular university. When talking about sports, I would say their football and basketball teams are both decently talented. I would lean more towards football because that is one of the things this university is known for. You can count on them more for their football skills and they are usually very good. They are currently in the Big 12 Conference.

KSU Campus Location
This university isn’t known for just sports, however. K-State has way more to offer you. These were just sports highlights for you. I decided to share this information because I root for universities in sports mostly. It is just my own experiences as a wildcat fan. Feel free to see it in person located north of Anderson Avenue, east of College Avenue, south of Kimball Avenue, and west of Manhattan Avenue. Want to learn more about the university online? Learn more here.

August 5, 2020 NexGen TravelExplorer

Wichita State University

Wichita – The City
Welcome to Wichita, the home of the Shockers! There are many ways to get to Wichita, like on I-35, and I-135, with I-235 bypassing the city. US-54 & 400, aka Kellogg, is a main west to east road that travels through both ends of town.

American Athletic Conference
Let me talk more about sports because I know the university more for this. It is just from my own experience. On a very special occasion, they get to play against Kansas or K-State. These teams don’t play with Wichita State often because they aren’t in the same conference. The other two universities are in the Big 12, while WSU just recently moved from the Missouri Valley Conference to the American Athletic Conference.

Basketball
They aren’t talked about in the football season because unfortunately, they have no football team. Years ago, they had a bad plane accident so severe everyone traveling perished. The university decided it would be too sad to replace them so they didn’t bother finding a new team. Their basketball team, however, is something shocker fans are proud of. They made it to the Final Four in 2013 as a lower seed in the bracket, beating higher ranked teams on their way. Their best upset was against UConn, the top team in their region.

WSU Campus Location
This university isn’t known for just sports. It has way more to offer you. Feel free to see it in person located north of 17th Street, east of Hillside Street, south of 21st Street, and west of Perimeter Road. Want to learn more about the university online? Learn more here.

August 5, 2020 NexGen TravelExplorer

Local Flowers For Your English Cottage Garden

Covid19 and Gardening

Your travel experiences may be virtual, real or both. Gardening can be a good therapy. It is amazing how by growing local perennial flowers you can bring back those good travel memories. The English Country side is breathtaking. You may not have the beautiful Cotswolds Walls in your backyard. And you may not have the sheep grazing in the pasture. Create your own garden paradise!

American Cottage Garden in Kansas USA

Cottage Garden In Your Backyard
Surrounding yourself with nature and enjoying God’s creation is rejuvenating. The idea is to maximize the flowers with curvy paths and herbaceous borders. There is balance between Garden and Wilderness. The look is entirely up to the individual gardener. Create your own garden space that reflects your personality and invite the butterflies, birds and pollinators to share it with you.

Flowers that go well in your American Cottage Garden
Plant flowers that keep coming back year after year or perennials for your climate zone. Let the breeze blow through your Cottage Garden.

You can relax and watch the flowers dance in the gentle breeze. For an instance you can choose flowers such as Roses, Penstemon, Hollyhocks, Lillies, Mexican Fleabane, Clematis, Hardy Geraniums Coneflowers and Yarrow. Peonies and Irises will keep coming back year after year with beautiful blooms. You can even create a meadow space in your garden with wildflowers. You can choose to plant from seed. If you are planting from seed, choose the meadow wildflowers and not the annuals. Annuals prefer rich soil. And it will attract pollinators to your meadow!

July 14, 2020 Global TravelExplorer

Category Archives: Kansas