A Weekend in Emporia

This weekend we were lucky enough to have my mom and aunt fly 

in from Boston to visit little old us!

These are the second (and third) visitors we've ever had in Emporia.

We LOVE visitors, but honestly, we were entirely sure what to do with them locally...

Luckily they arrived with a list of things to see and we filled our time quite nicely! 

(In fact I spend most of Tuesday recovering. You ladies wore me out!)

One of the best things about early visitors (especially those who have some ideas of what they

want to see/do) is that you get to hone in on your visitor to-do list. You know, all those cool local things

you bring out whenever people come to visit so you can show them

how awesome you are for finding all these local gems

and how cool your new location is in its own particular way.

We had only found a few local gems, but my aunt did her research before she arrived

and we have now doubled the must-see Emporia activities!

(Which is particularly awesome because when you ask locals what to do in the are they have no idea. Twenty-something Emporians are notorious for all leaving town on the weekends. Lame.)

So, what should you do if you are planning a visit to Emporia? Well let me tell you.

First you explore some nearby cities. Since you're probably flying into Kansas City or Wichita you might want to check out the museums and yummy restaurants. The Nelson Atkins Arts Museum has some awesome outdoor sculpture and would be a great place for a walk (when it isn't 50 degrees and everyone isn't bundled in hats and scarves.)

 

Next you go to the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. (This is where we got our epic sunburns a few weeks back. It turns out they have a bus tour at 11am which is entirely sunburn free and ideal for the over sixty and under ten crowds.)

You also stop by Cottonwood Falls to or from the Preserve and eat a ton of pie at the Emma Chase Cafe. (If you happen to be a vegetarian like me, you basically avoid the rest of the menu.) Make sure to buy an extra pie for dessert and tomorrow's breakfast. (You'll thank me.) You also admire the town hall and the store selling work from local artisans- all on Broadway St. If you walk to the end of the road you admire the falls. (You also suspect that they are nicer looking when there hasn't been a recent drought.)

Next up you walk all over Emporia and particularly enjoy the Grenada Theater, Coffee, and Chocolate shop. 

You try to track down the murals (at least one is on 6th st.) and you walk by the William Allen White House

and curse its strange hours (open April-October.)

Next you swing by Emporia State University so you can admire the lake and see if my husband is free and wants to grab some lunch and eat outside. (He does and you do.)

 

 That was about it for this visit, but my dad is coming in a few weeks and I'm looking forward to a trip to the zoo (not my mom's cup of tea.)

I spend the day after my mom and aunt left recovering from the visit. Hosting is exhausting!

-Mia J-M