Wamego and Manhattan

Today we had the best weather we've had all year! It was sunny and 23 degrees! Nathan and I met up with JM and Jill at 10am this morning and headed out to Wamego, Kansas. Wamego is Jill's hometown and it's just under 2 hours from KC. It has a population of 4500 people but doesn't feel like a small town or have a village feel (Port Stanley). It was very clean and spacious.

First we headed to Jill's parents house. Jill's mom is a quilter and showed me what she's been working on and some of her upcoming inspirations, and Jill's Dad grilled us an amazing BBQ lunch. We stuffed ourselves on delicious food. Jill's mom even offered to hold Allison so we could enjoy our meal! Jill's son Jordan, his wife Audra, and their son, Collin, joined us for lunch as well. I thought it would feel like we were intruding but Jill's family was very welcoming and we had a great lunch.

After lunch, JM and Jill took us around Wamego and we stopped at the Colombian Theater. It's a small theater that hosts local talent and amazing art work. When the (recent) owner bought the theater, he cleaned out the attic - only to find large oil paintings that were once a part of the World's Fair. He had them redone, and they now hang in the theatre.

 

 

 Next to the theatre was the Oz Museum (www.ozmuseum.com) we didn't go in, but I'd read about it online before I'd even heard of Wamego!

After the theatre we visited a local part that had a small heritage village. JM said that the 4th of July parade in Wamego is epic so we may have to make a trip back this summer!

 

 After our walk, we headed to Manhattan, Kansas, a town about 15 miles away that is the home of Kansas State (K-State) university. It feels a lot like Guelph (it's also known as an Aggie-School) and has a strong College-town feel.

We stopped for Cox BBQ in Manhattan and it was delicious, especially after our long hike. I've never been a big BBQ fan but I've really enjoyed trying the different styles of BBQ and how the same dish can taste totally different at different restaurants.

We didn't get home until nearly midnight but we had a great day trip and it was a great way to end Nathan's vacation.