Traveling Brains Book Review: 100 Things to Do in Kansas Before You Die
100 Things to Do in Kansas Before You Die written by Roxie Yonkey is a book that I bought from Flint Hills Books in Council Grove, Kansas. As the title suggests, Yonkey has identified 100 places in Kansas that she feels people need to visit before they die. One of the things I liked about this book is that it focuses on Kansas. In other words, it was providing me with places that I likely would be able to go see. When books focus on places people need to go see, often it covers too many places. For example, 1000 Places to See Before You Die… how likely is it that I am going to go see all of those place, for me, not likely, and I like to travel.
So, Why Should I Go Get This Book?
Yonkey divides the book into the following sections: Food and Drink, Music and Entertainment , Sports and Recreation, Culture and History, and Shopping and Fashion.
Within each section, Yonkey provides a full page description of a place or experience that people should experience in Kansas. See example below. I found that the descriptions were just enough, and not too much. I could also tell that these were places that she had been and enjoyed. I felt like I was getting the inside scoop for many of the places listed in the book.
Every couple pages, the reader gets a bonus page that provides some additional information or a tip. (See below)
Some other added bonuses are suggested itineraries for occasions like date night, down on the farm, unique and quirky, and girlfriend weekend…Yonkey also includes a page or two with information about which activities are best to do during each season.
Where Do I Want to Visit as a Result of Reading This Book?
Pizza Hut Museum in Wichita, Kansas- I’m not really a huge fan of Pizza Hut at this point in my life, but I do have a soft spot for Pizza Hut because I loved the Book It program when I was growing up. I see myself checking out this museum in the near future.
“Home on the Range” Cabin in Athol, Kansas- I have found myself humming “Home on the Range” so many times since moving to Kansas. I think it will be fitting one day to go visit the cabin where the poem was written that one day would become the “Home on the Range” song.
Maxwell Wildlife Refuge in Canton, Kansas- This is another one of those places that is not far from where I live. The Maxwell Wildlife Refuge provides a tram that takes visitors out to see the bison, which I would love to do. Visiting the Maxwell Wildlife Refuge is on my to do list for the summer.
Oz Museum in Wamego, Kansas- Visiting a museum focused on The Wizard of Oz just seems like a good thing to do when visiting or living in Kansas.
Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka, Kansas- When the Browns went to enroll their daughter at Sumner Elementary in 1951, they were told that she would not be able to attend because she was black. As a result of the ensuing court case, the Supreme Court struck down segregation. I would like to visit and learn more about this important place and event.
National Orphan Train Complex in Concordia, Kansas- Before the foster care system existed, the orphan train movement was created to find homes in the West for children who did not have a home on the East coast. I am interested in visiting this museum and learning about what the experience was like for these children.
