Follow the Yellow Brick Road to Wamego, KS

 Summer is finally here! Kids are out of school, but with the hustle and bustle that was May wrap up, you may be finding yourself without much on the to-do calendar, aside from the occasional camp. I make a summer bucket list every season, but sometimes I find that even it grows tired. Lately, I've been in favor of small day and weekend trips. Something that gets out of town, but doesn't take hours to get to our fun destination. Enter Wamego, KS. If you haven't been to this quaint town, this summer is the time to go.

We stopped here in the spring on our way from Hutchinson to Topeka. From Kansas City, it's about an a 90 minute drive. Easy breezy, right? And the main attraction is their Oz Museum. Who here is a super fan of Wizard of Oz? You can't see it, but I am waving my hand wildly in the air. Remember when the movie would air on TV once year? I have fond memories of my best friend coming over for a sleepover to watch it and every year we had hotdogs for dinner to celebrate. It's a vivid memory. So as you can see, I had to make the stop on our spring break road trip and I was not disappointed!

The Oz Museum is truly dedicated to all things Oz. Made possible by a large grant from the State of Kansas, the town of Wamego took great heart in establishing a space that would showcase artifacts that date back to the early 1900s. Over 2,000 items are on display including movie production notes, windows from a munchkin house, and first edition L. Frank Baum books, the author of the Wizard of Oz. There is a recreation of the Haunted Forest that indicates "I'd go back if I were you." A large State Fair hot air balloon for selfies. A reproduction of Dorothy's farmhouse. And so much more! Make sure to take your time and really take it all in. But if for some reason you feel like you need to revisit, you can! Your ticket will get you back in just in case you think you missed something. Like me! I went back two more times to grab photos or to read about something I missed the first two times. 

Here is a little peak into this darling museum!

After you've completed your time in the museum, allow at least an hour, you need to make sure you walk through the town. There are murals, a Yellow Brick Road to walk down, and 15 Toto structures located all over town. 

Lastly, make sure you take some time to explore a couple of smaller treasures within Wamego. McKinley loved the old box car in the middle of the town square while I loved see the Old Dutch Mill. The mill was built in 1879 by a Dutch immigrant and it was used to grind flour and cornmeal. It was taken apart piece by piece and moved to it's new location within the city limits of Wamego. It was incredible to see such a historical piece of architecture.

Wamego, KS is such a little hidden gem. I wish we could have stayed longer. With it being a Sunday, smaller town likes this are closed for business, so make sure you get there to enjoy eating and shopping locally! 

Happy Travels!

XO,

Andrea