Exploring the Kansas Gunsmoke Trail in Wichita

Connie Attractions & Events, Kansas May 23, 2024May 24, 2024Kansas attractions, Kansas Gunsmoke Trail, Keeper of the Plains, Mid-America All-Indian Center, Museum of World Treasures, Old Cowtown Museum, Old Town Wichita, What to do in Wichita, Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum 0 Comment

In 2023, Kansas introduced the Gunsmoke Trail. Four cities largely make up the trail: Dodge City, Wichita, Abilene, and Hays. Those cities were often mentioned in the old television and radio Gunsmoke series. Since we had a planned Wichita visit last year, Skip and I decided to take that opportunity to visit all four main cities on the trail. Specifically, we visited attractions that focus on the Old West. What fun we had doing that! Here are the attractions we visited while exploring the Kansas Gunsmoke Trail in Wichita.

This is Part 1 of a 4-part series on the Kansas Gunsmoke Trail.

43-Second Solar Eclipse Diamond Ring Reveal

Connie April 18, 2024April 18, 2024Diamond Ring, Diamond Ring Effect, Eclipse Timelapse, Eclipse Viewing, Solar Eclipse, Solar Event, Total Solar Eclipse 0 Comment

To be honest, I hadn’t heard of the solar eclipse diamond ring before the 2024 eclipse. I guess I wasn’t paying enough attention to media coverage.

So, as I watched the solar eclipse from our vantage point in southeast Missouri, near West Plains, I didn’t know to look for the diamond. Once the moon completely covered the sun, I took off my eclipse glasses. (It’s safe to do so during totality.) Then, as the first rays of sunshine peeked out as the moon passed out of totality, I quickly looked away. Read more

New: Midwest Wanderer Explores E-zine

Connie Alabama, History, Nature, Road Trips February 8, 2024May 24, 2024Alabama Coastal Connection 0 Comment

We’re excited to announce we’ve published the first issue of our FREE e-zine, Midwest Wanderer Explores.

The focus of the first issue, which you can read right now, is Alabama’s Coastal Connection National Scenic Byway. We share with you our month-long experience on the byway and all of the fascinating things we learned, like…

Historic Blakeley State Park: Ghost Town and Battlefield

Connie Alabama, History, Nature February 8, 2024March 14, 2024Alabama, Alabama Coastal Connection, Alabama state parks, Blakeley State Park 0 Comment

At first Blakeley State Park seems like most other state parks, with a lot of natural features. The 2,000-acre park includes campgrounds, nature trails, and pavilions for group picnics. Its location on the Tensaw River makes it ideal for fishing. But, the park is far more than nature-related. It’s a historic site that will fascinate any history buff. You see, Blakeley at one time was one of the largest cities in Alabama. In fact, it served as the Baldwin county seat until the 1860s. Today, Blakeley is only a ghost town within the park. In addition to the ghost town, the park includes remnants of Fort Blakeley, the site of one of the last battles of the Civil War.

Fairhope, Alabama: A Single-Tax Colony

Connie Alabama, History February 8, 2024March 14, 2024Alabama Coastal Connection, Fairhope Alabana, Fairhope Museum of History, Single-tax colony 0 Comment

In a single-tax colony, individuals do not own land. The community owns the land, and individuals lease the land from the community group. The community taxes people on the share of the land they lease, not on the property’s structure. Whether someone builds a tiny home or a mansion, the property tax is the same. Although there was a smattering of single-tax communities in the late 1800s, Fairhope, Alabama, and Arden, Delaware, are the only two that remain.

Never having heard of a single-tax colony before we visited the Fairhope Museum of History, we were intrigued.

Mobile Carnival Museum: How Did Mardi Gras Begin?

Connie Alabama, Attractions & Events, Culture, History February 8, 2024March 14, 2024Alabama, Alabama Coastal Connection, Mardi Gras history, Mardi Gras Museum in Mobile AL, Mobile AL Mardi Gras, Mobile Carnival Museum, Things to do in Mobile AL 0 Comment

When we spent a month along the Alabama Coastal Connection Scenic Byway, we purposely stayed near Mobile. We wanted to experience the family-friendly Mardi Gras there, since the city is the birthplace of Mardi Gras in the United States. So, we made the Mobile Carnival Museum one of the first stops during our visit.

Midwest Wanderer explores history, nature, and culture through road trips along scenic and historic U.S. highways, byways and trails

Author: Connie