I both stayed at the hotel and ate dinner at the restaurant. In my opinion, the hotel experience is…read moretwo stars. The restaurant experience is four stars. Add them together and split the difference: three stars. The plusses about the hotel are that it looks cute and has themed rooms. The lobby is very cozy, with comfy couches and a little bar off to the side in a corner. (Fun fact: The bar at Grand Central Hotel was the first operating bar in this town!) It's a pet-friendly hotel. You also get warm muffins and coffee at breakfast time. The minuses about the hotel: Someone had used the restroom in the bathroom in my room and didn't flush. When I tried to flush, it wouldn't. So I asked for a new room, of course. In my new room, the TV didn't work (which was no big deal because I don't watch TV anyway) and the door wouldn't lock. So I went downstairs and talked to the person in charge, and she muttered something like, "Kids these days don't know how to get into a hotel room without a key card." I was like, um? I don't know how young or stupid you think I am, but I'm not too young or stupid to know how to operate a lock. (Also: Thanks for thinking I'm young!) It turns out that you need to jerry-rig the knob to lock it. If you need to finesse a lock in order for it to work, it sounds like you need to replace the lock, or come up with a different system. However, later that night, I had the pleasure of eating at the hotel restaurant. The Grand Central Grill is definitely the place to eat in the area. I got the chicken fried steak, which is a Kansas specialty and served here Friday and Saturday nights only. It came with mounds of mashed potatoes and gravy, and it was one of the best dishes I had in south central Kansas. The Caesar salad was just OK (the dressing came poured on the top and not mixed, which it should be), but the chicken fried steak made up for that. They have a decent wine list for a small town, which was appreciated by me. The service was great, and even though they were busy, our server was very attentive and we got everything we needed.

I had the pork loin and a baked potato. I don't know if I have ever had a better restaurant dinner…read more It tasted like home

As far as small-town GA airports go, Emporia was awesome…read more.. We were on a cross-country trip when the airplane changed its mind. Not a real emergency, but time for some quick decisions. Since KEMP was close and near a town we knew, we pointed there and put her on the ground. Apparently ATC had called ahead to the airport to let them know we were coming in case the plane got cranky, so Doug was out on the ramp to meet us with phone and radio in hand. He immediately pointed us to the shop on the grounds and we headed that way. Turns out the plane was going to stay for a little rest & recuperation, so we had to get ourselves back home across the state. Doug gave us the courtesy car and directions to town while we got a hotel room and made plans. The next morning, he and the locals helped us get back to the bus station so we could head out. Over the next 6 weeks, we stopped in a few times to visit the plane in recovery, and the folks were always friendly and willing to help with anything we needed.

Wow! This place is absolutely amazing!…read more The mansion is incredibly beautiful. It's in a nice, quiet neighborhood in Emporia within walking distance of ESU, downtown, and residential neighborhoods. The rooms are elegant yet comfortable. Each room is a work of art, with hardwood floors, beautiful beds, and windows overlooking various patios and the nearby neighborhood. The service is impeccable. The people are extremely gracious, kind, thoughtful, and responsive. The food is excellent, thoughtfully made, and a perfect breakfast after a night of sleep in a gorgeous mansion. Definitely recommend! Way better than staying in a hotel for sure. Please check out Gufler Mansion!

My family and I recently celebrated our mom's birthday at the Gufler Mansion, and our experience…read morewas one to remember. Our wonderful hosts, Brad and Susan were warm and welcoming, and so kind and gracious. Our dinner, prepared by Susan, was absolutely delicious (even the kids liked it!). The house itself was spectacular, with so many historic architectural features intact, and Brad's knowledge of the history there was vast and impressive. This is a truly special place, and the care, respect, and consideration that Brad and Susan have showed this remarkable home was clear and so appreciated. This one of a kind place is absolutely worth a visit, and Emporia is lucky to have it and its caretakers. We would love to visit again for an overnight stay, and couldn't have asked for a better place to celebrate our beloved mother!

GREAT stay. There is nothing flashy about these cabins but ALL the boxes were checked. Clean,…read moreefficient, cost-effective, and above all very customer service oriented. Thank you for an enjoyable stay!

for a small town in Kansas, this little motel was excellent! the staff was extremely friendly, and…read morevery easy to deal with. pricing was excellent, and the bedding was exceptionally comfortable for a motel. I will absolutely be back!

Great Hotel vibe. Clean rooms, friendly staff, great location to local restaurants, just a half…read moreblock from downtown.

I love the rich history here and Holly was amazing. Taking care of my family and traveling with…read morelittle kids is not easy, normally bed-and-breakfast will not allow young kids but Holly really made us feel at home during the stressful military PCS and we will be back again. We love the hospitality. Thanks Holly for your dedication to your customers!

The Lark Inn properties in Cottonwood Falls are OUTSTANDING! We hosted a family reunion of over 35…read morepeople and rented The Church as reunion central. We had family from as far south as Houston, Tulsa and Wichita, north from Minneapolis, Chicago and the Black Hills of South Dakota. Our family members rented several Lark Inn properties as well as rooms at the 1800's hotel. Everyone LOVED everything!!

We were in town for the Cottonwood Falls music festival and stayed at the Lark Inn on Main. It was…read moreso convenient to be able to walk into town. The hosts were so helpful and thought of all our needs. They confirmed our arrival by text and had all the lights on and ready for us. There were farm fresh eggs, coffee, and homemade pumpkin muffins for us while there. The place was so clean and comfortable. Great kitchen, comfortable king bed, outdoor patio with a grill and table. So convenient if there for an event or to hike in Tallgrass Prairie. We will definitely book again next year.

Check in went great! Cutest little vintage boutique hotel loved it! Great sleep! Safe parking and…read morequiet night!

Well, the check-in service was slow. Our room smelled like smoke. We had 4 squares total of TP…read moretotal. Dead bug on the bed, live one in the fridge. The room was clean, otherwise. We went to get more TP. Management was very nice. Helpful. The beds were AMAZING comfortable! Otherwise, 1 star. But the beds saved it. Noisy neighbors. Cheap and you get what you pay for.

Tallgrass Prairie National Reserve is just phenomenallllll, and I can honestly say it has some of…read morethe bestest trails in Kansas! I wish I got to know about this national reserve sooner but better late than never. It's about 1.5 away from Kansas City near Strong city (10 mins away) and Emporia (25 mins away). I went out to the vast grasslands on a late Sunday afternoon after stopping for lunch in Emporia and was completely blown away by the beauty. I had heard the trails are amazing, but I stayed on the easier starting trail and didn't go into the bison area since it's breeding season and they can be more aggressive. By the time I arrived, the visitor center had already closed, but friends told me the staff there are very friendly and share helpful details about the park, possible hazards, bison behavior, and even things like bugs you should avoid. The park has clean restrooms, and since it's open 24/7, you can even go stargazing but just remember it's at your own risk!!! There are three types of trails here: backcountry hikes that can take up to 12 hours, a wildlife trail that takes about 3 hours where you might spot bison, and front country trails that take about 2 hours and loop around a meadow. I've heard all of them are a lot of fun to explore. Honestly, if I could rate this place a 1000000/10 then I would!

Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is one of the few places like this that is completely free to…read morevisit. Usually, national parks and preserves charge a fee, but not Tallgrass Prairie. And there's a lot of stuff to see, so you're getting a lot for nothing! You will be walking a bit here, so keep that in mind. Many of the outdoor exhibits are located a walk from each other. Stop at the visitor center first, where you can learn about the ecosystem of the area. You'll find out that this is the only National Park Service unit that's dedicated to celebrating the tallgrass prairie. This preserve is the largest expanse of tallgrass prairie left in the world, and you can see it here! It's kind of mind-boggling that this part of the United States used to be covered with tallgrass prairie, and now ... not so much, due to expansion. But you can step outside and see the grasses that used to cover the land as far as you could see. There are also some historic buildings to visit, which belonged to a family who ran the ranch. You can walk into the barn, explore the house and see the three-person outhouse. (Why would you want to use the restroom next to other people?) This was a very interesting place to visit, and it gave me a greater appreciation for this part of Kansas.