Very nice, well kept campground. Nice, clean restrooms and showers. Plenty of shade trees. Lots of…read morecottonwood trees

The Sylvan Park is easy to find, once you have directions. This is a huge earth dam put in by the…read moreArmy Corps of Engineers. The spillway is close enough for me to hear. A great, deep rumbling. The park is below the dam, of course (of course). There are many trees, and a nice rain storm came in and cooled things off. The shower house is older but adequate and private (see comments on Meade State Park). But it is unventilated. I almost had heat stroke while washing my hair. The Smoky Hills are splendid. To get to the park, you go up on some heights, and you have a view of escarpments, green grassy hills, and trees down in the low places. The campground attendant was having sharp words with her kids last night. There are three kids, looks like early teenaged to younger. Two girls and one boy.

This was a great historical site visit. When I visit places, I am interested in the rich history so…read moreI try to schedule a trip somewhere while we are visiting to give me the history. Fort Hays Historical Site is the location of Fort Hays, Kansas and it's inception. This was formerly names Fort Fletcher but was renamed. This Fort was a very important part of defending our Nation's Union Army during the Civil War. I have often been educated by my family members about the Black Soldiers who fought alongside the Union Army; the were The Buffalo Soldiers. They were also stationed here at Fort Hays. It was great to see all of the exhibits. 3 original buildings remain on the land: 1. The Blockhouse, 2. The Guardhouse (Jail), and 3. The Enlisted Officer's Homes. This is where General Custer and his wife lived while he was stationed at Fort Hays. I highly recommend visiting this place if you are ever in Kansas. Thank you Kansas for maintaining our rich American History.

We made a side trip while in Kansas to see this fort. Completely happy we did. Not many buildings…read moreon the grounds, but is there is impressive. The displays are top notch. Staff is friendly and proud of the site. Kansas does it right!

Definitely the weirdest and quirkiest place I have been to in all my travels. Certainly very unique…read moreand I was not expecting to see The Main Dude in a state of decomposition in the backyard mausoleum. Yes, the embalmed body of the guy who built the Garden of Eden is on display in a glass-topped coffin. The entire place is bizarre and is built out of concrete. And the construction did not begin till the artist - an eccentric civil war vet with WILD political and religious ideas - was well into his 60s. The guided tour is nice and gives a good history about the place and the artist. Recommend visiting if you are in the Lucas/Wilson area. Weird. Delightfully weird.

My wife and I decided to take a different route home from Colorado to Texas and ended up cutting…read morethrough Kansas. On the way, we saw a sign for Garden of Eden as we travelled on I-70. We are so happy we took the time to go off the beaten path to see this place! Unfortunately, it had closed an hour or so prior by the time we arrived, so we could only read the signs outside and observe the exterior art. We really would have loved to see the inside. This is definitely a hidden gem and something out of the norm!

New and clean. The rooms are very small. That's okay since it's just me. Their complimentary…read morebreakfast is dog food. It is not fit for human consumption!

Can't recommend. Especially not good for late night travelers. Not cozy beds . Not very clean. Very…read moreloud. Slow check in. Some bad guest policies. Not economical for what you get: Super 8 type motel offerings at twice the price with more modern styles furnishings. What am I looking for in a hotel? 1.) comfortable 2.) clean 3.) quiet for rest 4.) great customer service 5.) ease of check in and out. 6.) nice or convenient location. After visiting... This hotel only had location going for it, and on some level the location wasn't ideal as the windows and walls were so cheaply and thinly built that it sounded almost like I was sleeping on an airport tarmac. Between the I-70 traffic and howling raging wind, and hotel cooling system it was a very loud night. I would not ever stay here again. Room was not wonderfully clean or comfortable. The bed made my hip hurt and I had to shift to get comfortable, which is not a usual hotel bed experience for me. A bath towel had some odd spot on it. A long hair in the shower. Lots of stains and poorly kept areas in the room. The staff were pleasant but management and their policies are just miserly. This hotel is Not good for a late night visit because they don't really have a late checkout. Although he was polite the night attendant/front desk person didn't disclose they don't do actual late checkouts and honor IHGs standards of late check outs. They require you to wake up at 8+am and request it with the manager. (And then came to knock really loudly at the check out time as though that request approval didn't occur. And they knocked 2 hours before and opened the door both times, which I did not appreciate.) Normal hotels just approve it upon check in and IHG members are allowed to check out as late as 2pm, upon availability, but at normal hotels it's always available til at least 1pm, if you request the night before. (And normal hotels don't usually open the door in the morning while guests are still in the room.) Anyway, we arrived super late at night and called ahead and we would have for sure selected elsewhere if we had known that's how it would be, since we didn't get 8 hrs of sleep when we have to drive on our road trip. There's another IHG hotel in town that always are so helpful and much nicer and we get 4pm check out at Marriot, so it was frustrating that the gentleman at night didn't mention that while we called to ask about the room. The desk clerk in the day time was exceptionally kind and helpful so I added a star for that.

Our FAVORITE stop with the pup!! We travel between St.Louis…read moreand Colorado ALOT! This place is clean, pet friendly, the walls are thick so you never hear your neighbor and well...the omelets. Let's be real here. All the hotels chains will feed you breakfast full of carbs, cereal, waffles and bread. But Fossil Creek will make you a custom omelet!! (Along with many cereal, biscuits and gravy and waffles options) Seriously? YES!! And they have a nice assortment of good teas besides coffee and juice. The place is simple, clean, right off the interstate and a great pool and hot tub!! Try it!!

it looks like this was a nice hotel at one time, cool building, indoor pool, nice and lobby area…read more But it looks like the staff / owner doesn't have pride in the business. There wasn't anyone at the front desk, the hot breakfast was cold and they ran out of food and coffee and no one was around to help. the pool and hot tub were nice but there was deferred maintenance that was needed, like gravel on the pool deck and broken door handle to the sauna.

This place is truly a hidden gem! Russell is a great stopping point when driving across the…read moremidwest, and the Lodge is clean, hospitable, and welcoming. We were warmly greeted at the front desk and were surprised to learn they offer a complimentary breakfast--and it starts at 5:30 am to accommodate the folks heading out to fish in the morning! Our room was along the back of a long building, with plenty of parking at either end. In the yard behind the building is a bit of outdoor furniture and playground equipment. Our room had a nice-sized refrigerator, plenty of counter space, and a good shower. Everything was fresh and comfortable. Breakfast had plenty of hot and cold options and ample seating. There's also a game room in the main hall, which we didn't have time to check out. The Lodge was a great bargain and pleasant experience; I'm so glad we found it!

The place is cute and comfortable. Breakfast is really good. The staff went above and beyond for my…read moremom and I. We had an issue at breakfast w a woman who would not keep her dog on a leash. My mom asked and she told my mom it would be ok. The dog was behaved but once they sat down the dog tried to eat off her plate. If you have a service dog it should not be doing that. The dog wasn't not tethered to the owners. When the owner saw my mom's distress about the dog, he asked the owner if they could move to a different area to eat. The woman refused saying the ADA allows her to stay w her dog. We were able to leave without incident but my mom was restricted on her movements because the dog was near the coffee area and door. We witnessed the dog smelling the cabinets and fridge which just isn't sanitary. We appreciated that they were making sure my mom was ok.

We visited this place today and actually I thought it deserved four stars, but more about that…read morelater. Lucas is a tiny town, but it's become a center of grassroots art (for example, self-taught artists and folk art/etc.). The Grassroots Art Center has a permanent exhibit for which the charge is $6.50 (it's not a real large exhibit, but there's some neat stuff) and it also has some colorful items for sale in the main room. In addition, there's a good-sized room where lectures are given. The woman working there today was very enthusiastic (also a little pushy, but we ended up really benefiting from our visit and therefore I don't begrudge her). We wanted to visit the infamous Florence Deeble House, and someone from the Grassroots Art Center needs to take people there (it's free of charge). It just so happened that a festival was held in Lucas today, and the artist who made all of the items on the walls of the house was in town. The woman at the Grassroots Arts Center had the artist take us and another couple on a tour of the house - and that house is FASCINATING! The artist (Pilar) has - during the past 11 (I think) years - made *thousands* of colorful, unusual and fascinating objects that are hanging all over each wall in the house. It's truly indescribable and she told us many interesting anecdotes. If you're within a few hours of Lucas, I highly recommend a visit (there's little else to see, with the exception of Eric Abraham's Flying Pig Studio and Gallery [see my separate review] - and admittedly Pilar isn't often available to give tours of the Deeble House - but we were enthralled). The reason why I gave five stars is because the Grassroots Art Center enables a visit to the extraordinary Florence Deeble House. HOURS: May-September: 10-5 on Monday-Saturday and 1-5 on Sunday. October-April: 10-4 on Thursday-Saturday & Monday, and 1-4 on Sunday.

What a fun place to explore! It's a good sized museum exhibiting midwestern grassroots artists. If…read moreyou go outside there is a nice display of local limestone. Be sure to ask about the Diebel house down the street - it's a great companion to the main museum.

I booked a room at Simple Haven for one night. I was driving from Nashville to Denver and the city…read moreof Wilson is a perfect town to stop. Simple Haven B &B is a warm and friendly place to rest. The rooms are large and have private baths. The bathrooms are large and well equipped with towels, soaps and all the things one would have at a regular hotel. It is very clean. Each door has its own lock. The rooms are beautiful with lovely quilts. There are two reception areas. The parking is ample and right outside. The hostess makes a wonderful breakfast. She also waited for me for the late check in. They are very easy to reach on the telephone. I highly recommend this bed and bath especially if you are driving in the I-70. It is about five hours from Denver and a few from Kansas City. I would definitively recommend it.