The aptly named Last Chance Store was the last place to purchase goods en route to Santa Fe, and visitors can see actual trail ruts created by Santa Fe travelers about five miles west of town. Council Oak, for instance, is the site where, in 1825, Osage tribe leaders granted Euro-American travelers right of way across Osage lands, ensuring their safety along the historic thoroughfare. It connects with Morris County’s Allegawaho Memorial Heritage Park, home to the last known Kaw (or Kansa) Indian Tribe settlement in Kansas.Ĭouncil Grove and surrounding Morris County feature more than two-dozen historic sites, many of which are associated with the Santa Fe Trail.

Each month, the museum’s dining tables display the story of someone or some thing from local history, and onsite artifacts include century-plus-old kerosene lanterns and a commemorative plate from the 1976 Bicentennial.Īs for outdoor recreation, don’t miss the 117-mile multi-use Flint Hills Trail, the seventh-longest rail trail in the country. For something a little more immersive, Council Grove’s Trail Days Cafe and Museum serves up Native American and Old World foods (think bison pot roast with succotash or baked ham with sweet potatoes) in the 19th-century Rawlinson-Terwilliger Home, either the first or the last home seen by travelers on the Santa Fe Trail depending on the direction they were traveling. You may want to try the 1857 Hays House restaurant, considered to be the oldest continuously operating restaurant west of the Mississippi River. Despite the pandemic, businesses such as The Territory Ballroom, a coworking, wedding venue, and (eventual) lodging space, and Riverbank Brewing are also preparing to open their doors. Downtown is brimming with brick storefronts housing independently owned shops like Weathered Wood Home, known for its reclaimed-wood picture frames, and Flint Hills Books.

Council Grove will also be the first checkpoint along the American Solar Challenge, a biennial solar car race that will be tracing the Great Prairie Highway, beginning on July 27.Īs the northern terminus of the 47.2 mile Flint Hills National Scenic Byway, which winds among rolling hills and wide-open prairie (in fact, Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is home to one of the world's last remaining tallgrass prairie ecosystems), Council Grove is scenic as well.

This year celebrates the trail’s bicentennial, and the town is commemorating its historic role with Santa Fe Trail 200, a lively lineup of historic reenactments, an antique wagon show, a BBQ contest and other anniversary events. 2,182)Ĭouncil Grove was once a prominent stop along the Santa Fe Trail (aka the Great Prairie Highway), a famed 19th-century trade and travel route that ran 1,200 miles between Franklin, Missouri, and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Small towns of America: we've missed exploring your streets, perusing your shops and discovering your history. Whatever the case, the 15 places we've chosen as the best small towns to visit in 2021 are prime examples of perseverance and preservation, and reminders of all that we love about small towns in the first place. Others, such as Council Grove, Kansas, are celebrating historic anniversaries. Some, like Dyersville, Iowa, are finally hosting long-anticipated sporting events that the pandemic placed on hold. That is, along with the independent shops, hidden gem parklands, historic sites and architecture, unique restaurant finds, and, of course, a slower pace of life and relative affordability that numerous city dwellers are finding more and more appealing.įortunately, many of America's small towns are emerging from the effects of Covid-19 resilient and ready to welcome visitors. It's those in-person interactions with familiar faces that make small towns so alluring. Whether it's by enjoying an outdoor summer concert with neighbors or by catching up with friends at the local brewpub, a sense of community has been hard to find for many Zoom and FaceTime made for adequate, virtual stand-ins, but they don't compare to the real thing. As we begin to see the other side of a pandemic that kept so many of us isolated, it is easier to understand the value in those things we've missed. Perhaps more than ever, now is a time to appreciate America's small towns.

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