Summer travel: Odd attractions in Missouri and Kansas
It’s summer! Where you gonna go?
If you don’t mind veering off the beaten path a little, we have some ideas. We dispatched Kansas City Star writers in every direction to find some of the odder attractions in Missouri and Kansas. Some of these places might not be your final destination, but then again, if you like quirky, they could be. And several are right here in the Kansas City area. Our stories:
Wilson, Kansas, is egg-static about its giant Czech-themed egg
The Greyhound Hall of Fame keeps spirit of this fast-paced sport alive
The devil is in the details in this Garden of Eden
One of the prettiest potties in the nation awaits visitors to Lucas
Old ‘lunatic asylum’ is an informative museum in St. Joseph
Cold War missile site now a cozy underground home
Remnants of German POW camp conjure Sunflower State’s WWII history
Back to the future: All-Electric House in Shawnee shows 1950s’ dreams
At Puppetry Arts Institute in Independence, you can see and make puppets
A Precious Moments Chapel and Barry Williams await visitors to Carthage and Branson
5 food mashups to sample this summer in the Kansas City area
When air travel was glorious: Airline museum at Wheeler Downtown Airport is a trip
Calling all phone fans: The Museum of Independent Telephony has your number
From our archives
At Dorothy’s House and Land of Oz in Liberal, Kan., you can learn about farm life and the movie
Independence tourism: A hair museum and covered wagons
To whet your appetite, we present our “That’s Odd!” scavenger hunt. If you already know the answers to these 10 questions, you are incredibly adventurous and well-traveled. Otherwise, follow the links below to our stories to find the answers.
1. Where will you find the “most unique home, for living or dead, on Earth”?
2. At what museum might you hear someone say, “I wanna see the Connie!”?
3. One of the Kansas City area’s biggest companies has its roots in a backyard in a small Kansas town. What company and what town?
4. Where will you find a residence boasting a 47-ton garage door?
5. Why is someone named Teto — no, not Toto! — famous in KC history?
6. Where can you buy a “grilled cheese doughnut” around here?
7. Why should you make sure you have to go to the bathroom when you arrive in Lucas, Kan.?
8. What small electric appliance is celebrated in an extensive collection at a Missouri western wear store?
9. Where in Missouri will you find a lock of Michael Jackson’s hair?
10. What Missouri city is now home to one of “The Brady Bunch”?
SCAVENGER HUNT ANSWERS
1. The Garden of Eden in Lucas, Kan.
2. National Airline History Museum, Kansas City
3. Sprint and Abilene, Kan.
4. Subterra Castle, a decommissioned missile site in Eskridge, Kan.
5. Teto the clown was the top seller of Kansas City puppet maker Hazelle Inc.
6. At Tom and Chee in Olathe
7. Because Lucas is home of Bowl Plaza, one of the fanciest public restrooms you’ll ever run across.
8. The toaster, at JR’s Western Store south of Carthage, Mo.
9. At Leila’s Hair Museum in Independence
10. Branson, where Barry Williams (Greg Brady) headlines the “’70s Music Celebration!” show.
This story was originally published May 18, 2015 at 2:16 PM with the headline "Summer travel: Odd attractions in Missouri and Kansas."