A group of travel writers touring Southeast Kansas saw small-town revitalization in action Friday during stops in Iola and Humboldt.
“The story of Humboldt has inspired a lot of other towns,” said Colby Sharples-Terry, who led the tour on behalf of Kansas Tourism through TravelKS.com. “It’s been revitalized in a very distinct way. Everything even down to the doorknobs has style and grace. It’s done very elegantly. A lot of times when people think ‘small-town American,’ they think rustic. Humboldt shows you can combine the rural aspect and also new age and industrial.
“And Iola is just a fabulous community. Their trail system and the businesses and, you know, the big old square.”
TravelKS offers organized “familiarization trips” through six regions of the state. This trip attracted three travel bloggers: Craig Silva of Oakville, Ontario, Canada; Cynthia Fogard of Minneapolis, Minn.; and Tonya Denmark of Clearmont, Fla. The three of them came to Kansas from very different places and for different reasons, but all wanted to explore part of the country traditionally seen as “flyover country.”
Silva and Fogard had never been to Kansas before. The trip included stops to Fort Scott, Pittsburg, Coffeyville and Chanute, and along a 13-mile stretch of Route 66. The weekend wrapped up with trips to Emporia and the Flint Hills.
The travelers visited Iola Friday morning, where they saw downtown businesses and enjoyed lunch at Wild Bloom Coffee. They also saw the site of the Lehigh Portland State Park, still in development. They walked on the trails and took a trip to John Brown’s Cave.
Later that day, they toured Humboldt and the many businesses developed by A Bolder Humboldt, including Base Camp, Union Works Brewery and the Hitching Post. They ate meals at Cozy’s Grindhouse and Honeybee Bruncherie. They spent the night at The Bailey, a former hotel renovated for short-term stays.
“I write about food, too,” Fogard said. “We had the most fantastic meal at Wild Bloom and the owners were so nice. They told us their story and brought out this beautiful dessert, plated just gorgeously.”
Fogard writes for her website, adventuringwoman.com, which encourages women age 50 and older to embrace travel and adventure.
“I’m focusing on US travel right now, especially the Midwest and the lower Midwest,” she said.
Denmark writes about travel with teenagers and road trips through the US. Her website is detailorientedtraveler.com.
“My goal is to help families decide on places that are outside the norm. We’re not about Disney World. We want to experience everything the US has to offer, which is a lot. My dad always said you should see your own country before you go off to see other places. We found that traveling with our kids allowed us to have more quality time with them,” she said.
Silva writes about all types of travel, from solo trips to couples to families. He has a website, bigdaddykreativ.ca, but also writes for numerous publications. After the death of his mother-in-law, a retired American social studies teacher, Silva felt inspired to explore the US. He’s particularly interested in American history, and found Fort Scott to be a highlight of his Southeast Kansas trip.
“I like learning American history through the eyes of locals. We’re more alike than people may want to admit,” he said. “This road trip has been fantastic. You won’t see roads like this where I live. It’s very urban.”
THE TRAVEL writers agreed they were particularly impressed when visiting businesses in downtown Iola and Humboldt.
“One thing I noticed was the lack of chain stores. It’s a breath of fresh air because these are mom-and-pop businesses that are thriving or have a dream to thrive. Everything’s coming together in a very inspirational way,” Silva said. “I sat down in the church they’re turning into a live entertainment venue (Revival Music Hall). And I’m a youth group leader at my church so I know the acoustics in a church are fantastic. I would love to come back when that’s done, just to hear someone play at that venue.”
Denmark said she enjoys seeing how old buildings have been saved and given new life.
“This wonderful architecture isn’t going to waste. People are occupying the buildings and your community is enjoying them,” she said. “Then on top of all that, we heard about festivals that have been brought to town and talked with business owners about what brought them here. I enjoy hearing the human interest stories.”
Fogard agreed. “I love historic architecture. I love small towns and historic downtowns. And in both Iola and Humboldt, the downtowns are very active. And the hotel where we’re staying is amazing.”
“The hotel itself should be a destination,” Denmark added.
“Someone said the beds at the Bailey were actually made by somebody local,” Silva said. “Everyone is working together. That’s the ultimate definition of ‘support local.’ You can’t get any better than that.”
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