Kansas

The first time I faced a truly huge buffet, I made the classic mistake of acting like strategy…

By Owen Bradwell · Sep 21

The empty plate tells the story better than the menu ever could. Somewhere in Kansas, a barn-style restaurant…

By Jenna Whitfield · Sep 21

I know a day trip is working when I stop caring what time I left home and start…

By Jenna Whitfield · Sep 21

A sandwich should not require structural engineering, but some deli counters seem determined to test that theory. Across…

By Owen Bradwell · Sep 20

Some family traditions begin with a recipe. Others begin with the same lake, the same picnic spot, and…

By Owen Bradwell · Sep 20

Fall looks a little better when the trees are heavy with apples and the ground smells like the…

By Jenna Whitfield · Sep 20

Ranking barbecue in Kansas City, Kansas is a little like trying to settle a family argument with a…

By Jenna Whitfield · Sep 20

Picture retirement with a little more porch time, a little less traffic, and a downtown where the oldest…

By Owen Bradwell · Sep 19

Give a great zoo a few hours and it can make an adult forget all about checking the…

By Owen Bradwell · Sep 19

September is the month when dinner can still be messy enough for rolled-up sleeves and cool enough to…

By Jenna Whitfield · Sep 19

Fried catfish has a way of making a casual meal feel like a small event, especially when the…

By Jenna Whitfield · Sep 19

Golden trees slide past the window, the rails hum underneath, and suddenly the drive through autumn country seems…

By Owen Bradwell · Sep 18

“You want to spend the afternoon where?” That was my first reaction the last time someone suggested an…

By Owen Bradwell · Sep 18

Warm glaze on your fingertips is a pretty convincing reason to forget whatever breakfast plan you had. Kansas…

By Jenna Whitfield · Sep 18

The grocery list in my pocket once survived exactly two aisles at a family-owned market before I started…

By Jenna Whitfield · Sep 18

Kids do not need much convincing when a playground has a treehouse, a trail, and somewhere to disappear…

By Owen Bradwell · Sep 17

A quiet lake can change character fast when the shoreline starts rustling back. At this massive Kansas reservoir,…

By Owen Bradwell · Sep 17

Skip the packed dining districts. Sometimes the better fish dinner is waiting somewhere locals already know by heart.…

By Jenna Whitfield · Sep 17

A sushi ranking gets complicated fast when every restaurant seems to have one dish that refuses to leave…

By Jenna Whitfield · Sep 17

The check lands on the table, and for once the surprise is a good one. In Kansas, this…

By Owen Bradwell · Sep 16

Saturday morning gets louder in the best way when market bags start filling and somebody nearby is handing…

By Owen Bradwell · Sep 16

A zoo visit is better when you can actually stop for a while instead of treating every enclosure…

By Jenna Whitfield · Sep 16

A good used bookstore can turn up in the last place you would think to look, which is…

By Jenna Whitfield · Sep 16

Steam on the window, cold air outside, and a plate of something hot arriving at exactly the right…

By Owen Bradwell · Sep 15

Smoke drifting across a parking lot on a cool afternoon can make a road trip decision very easy.…

By Owen Bradwell · Sep 15

Late summer is a good time to trade the pool bag for an empty trunk and see what…

By Jenna Whitfield · Sep 15

A garden project can start with one empty corner and somehow end with the trunk full of pots.…

By Jenna Whitfield · Sep 15

Loyalty to a fabric shop usually starts with one impossible-to-find print and ends with a trunk full of…

By Owen Bradwell · Sep 14

Ice cream first, farm animals second. That is a pretty convincing way to spend an afternoon. At this…

By Owen Bradwell · Sep 14

Good carnitas do not need much decoration. The first bite should handle the argument all by itself. At…

By Jenna Whitfield · Sep 14

The burrito hits the table, and suddenly everyone stops pretending portion size is a normal concept. At this…

By Jenna Whitfield · Sep 14

Push a button, launch something across the room, and suddenly nobody is asking when the museum trip will…

By Owen Bradwell · Sep 13

An old building usually makes you expect history lessons, creaky floors, and maybe a plaque by the door.…

By Owen Bradwell · Sep 13

The paper bag barely makes it to the car. At a Kansas apple orchard, cider donuts have become…

By Jenna Whitfield · Sep 13

You do not need a resort budget to have a good lake day. Sometimes the better move is…

By Jenna Whitfield · Sep 13

The chips arrive first, and suddenly game day has a very different kind of competition. Across Kansas, some…

By Owen Bradwell · Sep 12

A quiet lake outside the window and one dish worth planning around is a pretty strong reason to…

By Owen Bradwell · Sep 12

Halfway through a fall road trip, a giant antique store can become a much better destination than whatever…

By Jenna Whitfield · Sep 12

“We can still catch the movie.” That sentence sounds much better when the theater is outdoors and the…

By Jenna Whitfield · Sep 12