TRAVEL
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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Within 2 hours
If getting out of Lawrence altogether sounds more appealing to you, a weekend trip to see what other places in Kansas have to offer may be the ticket. The Konza Prairie, Atchison and the Midland Railway all lie within two hours of the city limits and offer activities and experiences unique to Kansas.
The Konza Prairie is located a few miles south of Manhattan. Don't worry, it is well outside the city limits. In the Flint Hills region of Kansas, the Konza Prairie is an 8,600-acre preserve and is a great place to explore the native wildlife, and even play a little game of hide and seek in the tall native grasses. Visitors can hike through seven miles of prairie that are open daily to the public. For those of us who get enough exercise walking around campus, the Nature Trail is about 3 miles long. If you've got a little energy left over you can keep on going through the Kings Creek Loop for about five miles or the Godwin Hill Loop for about seven miles.
If you want to explore more than seven miles of Kansas try the Midland Railway in Baldwin City. The Railway is a quick 17-mile drive from Lawrence.
Open rain or shine, the railway offers one-hour round trips from Baldwin to Norwood and two-hour round trips from Baldwin to Ottawa. Tickets will cost you $10 to $15 for single trips or $25 for an all-day pass. Get a group of friends to go with you and you can get group discounts on ticket prices.
You may want to bring a group of friends to hold onto if you decide to head up to Atchison. Just an hour north of Lawrence, Atchison has been called the most haunted town in Kansas.
"There have been more hauntings reported in Atchison than anywhere else in Kansas," said Sally Webb, tourism coordinator for the Atchison Chamber of Commerce.
For just $4 you can take an hour-long trolley tour around the city and check out its history, Webb said. She said Atchison is a great place for students on a budget to visit.
After your trolley ride you can visit the Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum, head out to Warnock Lake for a swim or walk through the International Forest of Friendship.
Day trips
But if you can't find enough time to get away for an entire weekend, you can plan a day trip to get out of Lawrence.
"I haven't been there in like a million years," said Kiya Beard, Kansas City, Mo. senior. "But I would like to go back. It seemed like a lot of fun when I was little."
Lawrence is just a half hour away from theTopeka Zoo. You can see the lions and tigers and bears and other animals for just $4.50 between 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Whatever the balance of your bank account or the amount of free time you have on the weekends, Lawrence and the surrounding areas will have something to tickle your fancy and get your nose out of the books.
A half hour in the other direction will land you in Overland Park, where you can wander through Oak Park Mall, or take in a movie at AMC 30's new IMAX Theatre. For other activities in the Kansas City area, Beard suggests the Great Wolf Lodge or Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun if you like the amusement park atmosphere.
"It's nice to get out and see other places," Shane Barber of Outdoor Pursuits said. "People spend up to $80 or $100 on alcohol on a weekend. You can actually save money by getting out of town."
Right: An African lion wakes up for a second to check out her surroundings. The exhibit allows visitors to view the lions through cloth-covered peepholes.
The hippos at the Topeka Zoo grab a breath of fresh air while relaxing in their pool outside. The zoo is located in Gage Park, which has other attractions such as a pool, tennis courts and a rose garden.
Top: If you're not careful these birds might follow you around the rain forest. The zoo is open daily from 10 am to 5 pm.
Right: The giraffes stare curiously at the visitors of the zoo. Giraffes have extra long tongues that allow them to wrap it around leaves in trees.
In Lawrence
Lawrence KOA Kampgrounds, 1473 Hwy 40, offers camping, canoeing and a gamut of other activities you can burn your energy on. Tent camping for two people will run you $20 to $23 per night and $36 will get you a two-person canoe for a trip down the Kansas River, said Kim Newell, owner of the Lawrence KOA.
Once you've got the gear you need, there are several places in Lawrence where you can camp, have a picnic or just sit and watch the stars with a nice cold beer in your hand.
KOA offers canoe trips along the river from Lecompton to Lawrence every Saturday and Sunday. They will drop you and your canoe off in Lecompton and pick you back up when you get to Lawrence. The trip takes approximately three to four hours depending on whether you stop for a picnic lunch or maybe a little skinny-dipping. Newell said there are plenty of activities to keep people busy and the prices are reasonable for a weekend trip.
Clinton State Park is the home of the many campgrounds surrounding Clinton Lake. Bloomington Park has about 300 campsites, said Lindsey White, Clinton Lake staff employee. There is a $10 fee to camp in Bloomington Park, she said. You can take advantage of the hiking, swimming, volleyball or boating areas they have available while you are there.
"It's something you can split the cost of in a group and make a whole weekend for under $100," Newell said.
If you don't have the $10 to spare you can stake out a spot in the free campground on the west side of the lake in Woodridge Parks.
—Edited by John Scheirman
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