7 Towns in Kansas With Thriving Local Businesses
The American Heartland state of Kansas has a lot of heart, especially in its small communities and thriving local businesses. Those underseen towns pump life into the greater Kansas body via comfortable cafes, amazing restaurants, vibrant bars, quaint shops, gorgeous galleries, scenic bed & breakfasts, magnificent markets, artistic and presidential tombs, and even businesses dedicated to one of America's most iconic media franchises. Learn where to find such unique and nourishing seeds of The Sunflower State.
Atchison
Atchison is considered the most haunted town in Kansas. Ghosts allegedly inhabit the 1889 McInteer Villa and Sallie House, the last of which has been called "America's most haunted house" and has been featured in shows like Sightings and Ghost Adventures. But we are not here to talk about haunted haunts; this list is about hospitable haunts.
Atchison has more of the latter than it does of the former, including Willie's Sports Pub, Jerry's Again, Backroad Atlas, The Sunflower Café, Pete's Steak House, and Mueller's Lockerroom. Those can fill your belly and pockets before you check out the multiple museums dedicated to Amelia Earhart. Naturally, the still-missing aviator was born in this haunted yet hospitable community.
Lindsborg
Lindsborg is, at the same time, extraordinarily local and the most foreign place in Kansas. This 3,800ish-person community has an overwhelming Swedish aesthetic, so much so that it is nicknamed "Little Sweden, USA." But because Sweden is known for its delicious food, cozy cottages, unique toys, beautiful architecture, and tight-knit culture, Lindsborg is an enclave of charm and hospitality not found anywhere else in the state—and likely the country.
Local Scandinavian-inspired businesses include Öl Stuga, a tavern and deli established in 1977 that roughly translates to "ale cottage" in Swedish; Trollslända Toy Store, which specializes in wooden European-style toys; Hemslöjd, a shop with a broader collection of Scandinavian gifts; and the Dröm Sött Inn, an 18-room boutique hotel in a 104-year-old building that originally served as the Lindsborg Seed & Implement Store. If you really want to feel like a character in a Scandinavian fairy tale, stay at the pink- and blue-striped Rosberg House Bed & Breakfast and Vacation Rental.
Abilene
Abilene has only about 6,500 residents but some of the state's top sites. In fact, as the childhood marching ground of the first supreme allied commander of Europe and 34th president of the United States, Abilene hosts Kansas' number one attraction according to a 2017 USA Today poll: the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum, and Boyhood Home. This colossal compound also contains a statue and tomb of Eisenhower.
After spending sufficient time with the dead president, tourists can walk (yes, walk) to the Greyhound Hall of Fame (a showcase of the dogs not the buses), Old Abilene Town (a Wild West throwback), and the Seelye Mansion (a historic 11,000-square-foot house open for tours). Then ride Kansas' only operational steam locomotive on the Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad or else stay stationary with stomach-expanding grub at the Dizzy Donkey Saloon, Joe Snuffy's Old Fashion Grill, or Tossed N Sauced Pizza.
Hesston
As a tiny college town in rural Kansas, Hesston might turn off non-students and non-Mennonites—until they find Dyck. Hidden near the campus of Hesston College, a private Mennonite institution with an enrollment of roughly 300, is the Dyck Arboretum of the Plains, which covers 13 acres (not including 18 acres of adjacent prairie habitat) and over 1,000 varieties of native and adaptable plants. Moreover, it hosts an array of events and a shop where one can buy locally made gifts and cards. A temporary Hesstonian (Hesstonite?) can follow up a fabulous foray into the garden with fantastic food and drink at Lincoln Perk, El Cerrito, and Hesston Bakery & Cafe.
Lucas
Perhaps the state's quirkiest community, Lucas is dubbed the "Grassroots Art Capital of Kansas" and has the businesses to back that up. SP Dinsmoor's Garden of Eden features approximately 150 statues sculpted by the titular Civil War-era eccentric, who is entombed among his cement creations. The Switchgrass: Art Cooperative Gallery is an exhibit and shop with over 1,000 eclectic pieces by local artists.
The World's Largest Collection of the World's Smallest Versions of the World's Largest Things is both a stationary museum and a traveling showcase of miniature replicas of massive roadside attractions. Lucas also has non-avant-garde attractions like the K18 Café, which sells all kinds of homemade food and delicious drinks, and Brant's Market, which has been handcrafting meats since 1922 and is one of the 8 Wonders of Kansas Commerce.
Strong City
Strong City is barely a city but it has a strong showing of shops and eateries. As a gateway to the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, which protects nearly 11,000 acres of the last tallgrass prairie ecosystem in North America, this 380ish-person "city" serves tourists as they enter and exit the preserve. Fuel up or unwind with steak at Ad Astra, donuts at Lotus Cafe & Sweets, and tacos at the Jacalito Family Restaurant.
Strong City also serves its few hundred residents, and it does so with the aforementioned haunts plus local legends like Tallgrass Wine & Spirits, Clark Farm & Home Store True Value, and the annual Flint Hills Rodeo. Its 86th edition is scheduled to run from May 30 to June 1, 2024.
Wamego
After entering Wamego, you might have a feeling you're not in Kansas anymore. This 4,800ish-person community contains the OZ Museum, which is a cache of Wizard of Oz-ifacts covering 120-plus years, from first editions of L. Frank Baum's 1900 book props from recent adaptations. The museum also sells Oz-some souvenirs. A Toto plush toy in hand, you can continue down the Yellow Brick Road to Oz Winery for a bottle of Drunken Munchkin and to Toto's TacOz for a bottle of Smokin' Scarecrow Chipotle Hot Sauce. Other unKansaslike sites in Wamego are the Dutch Mill and Tulip Festival, both of which can be seen in Wamego City Park.
Kansas: Small Towns with Big Character
From real and metaphorical haunts in Atchison to Swede shops in Lindsborg to stately sites in Abilene to garden variety attractions in Hesston to folk art galleries in Lucas to strong eateries in Strong City to Oz-inspiring establishments in Wamego, Kansas' small towns have lively local businesses that you should get in the business of knowing. Flat Kansas is full on the inside.
