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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN WWW.KANSAN.COM News WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4, 2008
MIDWEST JOURNEYS
Weekend roadtrip guide
BY ASHER FUSCO
afusco@kansan.com
Got a few days and a willingness to explore?
If so, summer could bring backyard tailgates, 72 hours of live music, rim-rattling dunks, a low-key weekend at the lake and a mausoleum put on display.
After all, there's more to summer than just sitting poolside.
@KANSAN.COM
Kansas City Power and Light District and
See maps and more photos at Kansan.com
Mo. The museum, attached to the Sprint Center, works as a convenient daytime companion to the Power and Light District's bustling nightlife.
"The activities combined with the museum make it an easy place to spend a day," said Brian Kelly, who brought his family to the College Basketball Experience. "The whole area has a lot of neat stuff to do."
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the College Basketball Experience:
All summer
Though college basketball lives in Allen Fieldhouse each winter, it summers a few miles east in Kansas City, Mo.
The toplevelof the College Basketball Experience caters to active visitors — the level contains several basketball courts tailor-made for dunking and shooting competitions. Downstairs, fans can brush up on college basketball history with help from computers that offer information on past coaches and players.
The College Basketball Experience is a two-level interactive museum on the edge of the Power and Light District in downtown Kansas City.
Mindy Ricketts/KANSAN
Parkville Mini Golf, a terraced course, overlooks the town to Parkville's main street. The town of about 4,000 also offers antique stores, an art gallery and a jogging trail along a river.
"It's not a museum, it's an experience," said Jeff Gelb, College Basketball Experience Coordinator of Facilities and Operations. "It's
Mindy Ricketts/KANSAN
Photo courtesy of Kansas Division of Travel & Tourism
New bars and restaurants in the Kansas City P&L District have reinvigorated the area's nightlife, attracting patrons from all over the metro area.
Samuel Perry Dinsmoor sculpted religious, political and other figures from concrete in the early 1900s to create The Garden of Eden.
designed so people can pick up a ball and actually experience what college basketball is about — shooting, dunking. They can become part of the game."
The museum sits across the street from KC Live!, the Power and Light District's main entertainment hub. The outdoor venue, which hosts free weekly concerts throughout the summer, is surrounded by bars and restaurants such as Gordon Biersch Brewery and Maker's Mark Bourbon House.
College World Series: June 14 to June 25
Kansas baseball may have fallen short of the postseason this year, but some college baseball teams are heading down the home stretch, hoping for a trip to Rosenblatt Stadium.
The series becomes an event for the entire area surrounding the stadium. Max Utsler, a KU professor who will work his third straight year
"The College World Series is special because of the tradition," said Catherine Morrisey, executive director of College World Series of Omaha Incorporated. "The sport has true purity. It's a beautiful rendition of the game, and it's stunning to watch."
Omaha, Neb., will host the College World Series from June 14 to June 25. The eight-team, double-elimination tournament will crown college baseball's national champion. Kansas is not eligible for the College World Series, but the event does not cater solely to fans of specific teams. For nearly two weeks, Omaha fills with baseball fanatics of all allegiances.
The College World Series has become an early summer Omaha tradition. Rosenblatt Stadium has hosted the tournament since 1950 and Omaha is under contract to hold the World Series each year until 2035.
as a scout at the series this month, said everyone in the four-block area of the stadium rented out their front yard to vendors.
A 10-game ticket costs $70 and single-game general admission tickets cost $10.
"In the back yards of the houses, folks set up beer gardens," Utsler said.
For those in need of a break from
Mindy Ricketts/KANSAN
The College Basketball Experience, attached to the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo., houses the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame and interactive college basketball-related challenges. It also includes historical information about college basketball.
baseball, Utsler suggested a daytrip to the Henry Doorly Zoo, which is adjacent to the stadium. The Old Market district, which is two miles north of Rosenblatt Stadium, is home to many bars and restaurants such as The Upstream Brewery, which offers 10 microbrews.
Lollapalooaza: August 1 to August 3
The festival that made alternative rock mainstream is back with a few more genres in tow.
Lollapalooza, held August 1 to August 3 at Grant Park in downtown Chicago, boasts headliners as diverse as Radiohead, Kanye West and Wilco. A $190, three-day pass buys an opportunity to see 108 performers.
"It's really festive and mostly a young crowd," Courtney Bregar, Chicago junior, said. "It's a huge deal here - we're already starting to make plans to get off of work that weekend."
The festival toured the United States in the '90s and originally
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