Searching for Mormon Grove

I've felt very strongly that I need to teach my children the stories of their ancestors as a way to develop their character and resilience.  Look around- people are crazy out there!  You know what I mean!  I was on familysearch.org looking for stories to share with them, when I stumbled upon a great-whatever grandfather who died and was buried at Mormon Grove, Atchison, Kansas.  WOW!  This was crazy!  Atchison was only 20 miles from our home in Leavenworth.  I anxiously read the stories about John and Ann Bird and shared them with my family.  Then I set out to find where Mormon Grove was, in hopes that we could visit it.  I quickly learned that Mormon Grove is about 4-5 miles west of Atchison and that there is a historical marker on the side of the road, but outside of that, the actual site is on private property.
Interested in actually visiting the cemetery, we drove up to Atchison to look for the property owner.  After knocking on several doors in the area, many of the residents didn't know anything about a cemetery, but did know of the highway marker.  Finally though, an older lady told us to drive back to another road, follow it for a half mile, then knock on the door of the white farmhouse.  We did so, but nobody was home.
A month or so later, we were back in Atchison and decided to try again.  This time we were successful.  The man there managed the land for his father-in-law, who was the actual land owner, but gave us permission to go on it and look for the cemetery.  He said "I haven't been there, but go ahead and look.  You have more of a claim to it then I do."

We drove back to the marker, then west for a quarter mile, and parked at a red gate then walked in to look for where my however-many-great grandpa was buried. We didn't have a location, other then knowing it was there.  Interestingly enough, when the Kansas Highway Department was surveying for the highway, they learned about the cemetery, did some archeological surveys, then re-routed the highway to avoid going over the top of it.

We spent a delightful hour or two wandering the fields and hills looking for a cemetery.  We didn't find anywhere definitive that we could say "This is it", but just the same, the search was really fun, and it was unique to look at the same hills that my ancestors had 150 years before, knowing that John Bird was buried somewhere close by.  Although to the world this English emigrant lays unknown and forgotten, buried in an unmarked grave in the Flint Hills of Kansas, learning of him and his life has been an inspiration to me.

Nearest City: Atchison, KS
Location: N° W°
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The Atchison Visitor Center and Rail Museum

In November we visited Atchison.  We stopped by their Historical Society Museum and Rail Museum, located conveniently in town along with their visitor center.  The kids liked the rail museum best.  There were old train engines and cars that had been retired.  We walked along the tracks and looked at each one.  We climbed up on a flat car, looked at the controls of an engine, peeked in the window of a caboose, etc.

We learned about their mini engine and train as well.  They have a mini train engine and track that they run on summer weekends.  The kids would have loved, taking rides on the little train.  I wish we would have known they had it earlier so we could have brought them up for rides!

We also stepped inside the visitor center (the old Santa Fe Railway Station) and went through the Historical Society's museum.  We learned a little about Amelia Earhart, Atchison's most famous past resident, and more about the town and area.  The gun collection they had was pretty neat.  We also learned about a guy who had something wrong with his legs who was responsible for many of the streets in Atchison being bricked.  It's a great little stop.  If you have kids, be sure to visit on a summer weekend so they can ride the train!

Nearest City: Atchison, KS
 Location: 200 10th St, Atchison, KS
Time Needed: 30-90 minutes
Difficulty: easy
Kid Friendly: yes
Additional Info: Atchison Rail Museum and Atchison Historical Society

Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve

We left Chase County Fishing Lake, stopped in the cute little town of Cottonwood Falls, then continued up the Flint Hills Scenic Byway to Tallgrass Prairie.  The heart of the location is the old ranch, with headquarters on site.  They have  hikes and a ranger-driven bus ride as options that you can do.  We missed the bus tour because of a discrepancy between the time posted on the website and times posted at the visitor center.

We went on a short hike out among the prairie grasses.  The NPS only owns 35 acres of the preserve, with the Nature Conservancy owning the difference.  I heard 10,000 acres as a number, but I'm not sure how accurate that is.  Lets just say it's a lot of land and wide open sky out here.

The Flint Hills are prime grazing land.  The shallow soil isn't good for farming, which led to much of the prairie grass not being plowed under and replanted in corn or soybeans like much of eastern Kansas is.

Lots of grass out here.  If you miss the bus tour like we did, your only option is to explore on foot.  They do have a pasture with a buffalo herd that the bus tour drives through the middle of (the pasture, not necessarily the herd).  The bus fills up fast, at least the weekend we were here.  We were surprised how many people were out here. Like anywhere else, call ahead for your best options.

Nearest City: Strong City,KS
Location: 2 miles north of Strong City
Time Needed: varies
Difficulty: easy
Kid Friendly:
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Frogs and Waterfalls at Chase County Fishing Lake

We took a camping trip out to the Flint Hills on Friday.  My wife wanted to visit Tallgrass Prairie, and the nearest free camping was at Chase County Fishing Lake. We left after work on Friday, and pulled in to camp after dark.  We missed the exit from the toll road at Emporia (there's only one exit at Emporia, so if you missed it you're hosed), so we were pretty much stuck for the next 30 miles.  We arrived after dark, and since this weekend is a full moon, I found a place with plenty of tree cover to set up camp under.

In the morning, I took the kids down to the lake to let my wife sleep in a little bit, but also to look for frogs.  There were frogs all over the place.  I grabbed our nets and the kids had a grand morning wading in the mud and netting leopard frogs.

We finally went back to camp to cook breakfast.  As we were finishing up, a passel of cars pulled up and parked.  A few ladies got out, wandered over to the bank and proceeded to pull out their easels and painting supplies.  I guess there was a Flint Hills artists competition, so artsy folks were all over the place making paintings.  While I was picking up camp, the kids watched the painters paint.  

We drove down to the dam, parked, then hiked over to the south side. There's a series of waterfalls just below the dam.  Since it's late in the year, the falls were small, but they are supposed to be very picturesque when more water is flowing.

On the way back across the dam, the kids ran right by this red-eared slider.  I called them back and they all enjoyed looking at it.

Nearest City: Cottonwood Falls, KS
Location: 2 miles west of Cottonwood Falls
Time Needed: varies
Difficulty: varies
Kid Friendly: yes
Additional Info:

The Grinter Sunflower Field

Early September, one of the Northeast Kansas traditions is the Grinter Sunflower Field.  Every year, the Grinters plant a large field of sunflowers just outside of Tonganoxie.  Every year, news outlets let people know when the field is in full bloom.  There have been advertising campaigns for Kansas that have used the field as a backdrop.  It's a big deal.  Well, at least in a Kansas sort of way.

We went out for a visit and an attempt at taking family pictures on the second weekend in September.  A few days before our visit though there was a pretty heavy rainfall, so by the time we made it out, the flowers were past their peak.  It was still worth going to see.  "Worth the price of admission" as my grandpa would say.   Visiting is free, but donations are gratefully accepted- especially if you are a commercial photographer.  Some of our friends had recommended bringing some stools or benches to stand on in order to get a better picture.  We didn't, but could see the value in bringing one.  We still had some good pictures anyway.

As you can see, the field is expansive.  Huge.  Sunflowers beyond sunflowers.  It costs the Grinters roughly $10,000 to plant and maintain it.  The field sure does bring happiness to a lot of people.  Go ahead and plan to visit next year in early September.  Bring a few bucks to donate.

Nearest City: Tonganoxie, KS
Location: Stillwell Road, south of Tonganoxie
Time Needed: 1+ hours
Difficulty:easy
 Kid Friendly: yes
Additional Info: Kris Grinter's Blog

The Leavenworth County Fair

At the end of July we went to the Leavenworth County Fair in Tonganoxie.  The fair is pretty small. It's the smallest county fair we've ever been to.  Just the same it was fun seeing the animals and watching a honey demonstration by the Northeast Kansas Beekeepers Association.  Parking was $5 (or was it $4).  After we went, I mentioned going to several people and they all agreed that it's one of those things you do once.

Nearest City: Tonganoxie, KS
Location: County Fairgrounds, 405 W. 4th St.  Tonganoxie, KS
Time Needed: varies
Difficulty: easy
Kid Friendly: yes
Additional Info:Leavenworth County Fair

Catching Fish in Three Mile Creek

I've gone on plenty of walks on the Three-mile Creek Trail in Leavenworth, and although the creek isn't very big, it does have fish in it.  In August I had a free evening with the kids so we went to see if we could pull anything out of it.  Sure enough, I caught a chub!  We also caught a sunfish or two and a bass.  They weren't very big, but sometimes it can be really fun pulling a fish out of skinny water. We also took some time to play in the creek and catch some crawdads and tadpoles.  Time well wasted!

Nearest City: Leavenworth, KS
Location: Three Mile Creek
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Kid Friendly: yes
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Wild Blackberries in Kansas

July is when blackberries start to ripen in Kansas.  We were out and about over the winter and discovered a patch or two, so since mid summer was here, we headed out to see if we could find them again.  Some patches didn't have any berries, but two of them did! We plinked them into our buckets and mouths.  Blackberries are delicious!  On the way home we picked up some ice cream to make blackberry shakes.  They were so good, we went out and did it again the next week after some more berries had ripened.


Nearest City: Lansing, KS
Location: ???
Time Needed: varies
Difficulty: dodge thorns and poison ivy for to get the goods!
Kid Friendly: yes (tasty treats) and no (thorns and poison ivy)
Additional Info:

The Underground Railroad in Leavenworth

North of the Riverfront Community Center, there's a sign for the Planters Hotel- a once famous hotel that stood on the site.  The hotel is no longer there, but at one point was a stop on the Underground Railroad as escaped slaves viewed it as an easy stop in abolitionist Kansas, across the river from pro-slavery Missouri.  Even Abraham Lincoln stayed the night there after his visit to Leavenworth in 1859.  It's a quick, easy, and fun stop to make to brush up on some local history.

Nearest City: Leavenworth, KS
Location: Intersection of Esplanade Street and Shawnee
Time Needed: 5 minutes
Difficulty: easy
Kid Friendly:
Additional Info: Leavenworth Wayside Tour

The Susan B Anthony Home in Leavenworth

Susan B. Anthony lived in Leavenworth for a while.  She advocated for women's rights, such as the right to vote.  Although she died 14 years before the 19th Amendment was passed, she was very influential in advocating for women.

Although she did not own this house, her brother did, she lived in it for a time.

From Leavenworth website:

Daniel Read Anthony, born on February 15, 1820 and his sister, Susan Brownell Anthony, born on August 22, 1824, had tremendous influence over the course of events in Kansas and the nation. Daniel's influence was felt through his newspaper and Susan was internationally known as an advocate of the early campaign for woman suffrage.

Daniel Anthony settled in Leavenworth in 1857 and founded the Leavenworth Conservative Newspaper in 1861. In January 1861, Colonel Anthony printed a special report announcing Kansas's statehood. Since Leavenworth was the western ending point of the telegraph, Colonel Anthony rode thirty-two miles on horseback to Lawrence to inform the territorial legislature of the news.

Daniel Anthony helped to form the Seventh Kansas Cavalry and was commissioned as a lieutenant colonel. During the Civil War he commanded a brigade in Tennessee.

In 1871, Colonel Anthony purchased the Leavenworth Times, the oldest daily newspaper in Kansas. During this time, frontier editors of strong convictions, like Colonel Anthony, had to be willing to defend themselves. Due to an article Colonel Anthony wrote, a rival publisher, R.C. Satterlee of the Kansas Herald, suggested that Colonel Anthony was a coward. The two men met on the street and Colonel Anthony demanded a retraction, which Mr. Satterlee refused to do. The men exchanged gunfire and Mr. Satterlee was mortally wounded. A jury of his peers acquitted Colonel Anthony.

In another incident in 1875, Colonel Anthony was severely wounded when William Embry, editor of the Daily Appeal, fired at him when he entered the Leavenworth Opera House. Colonel Anthony was not expected to live and Susan came to be with her brother. Colonel Anthony survived and lived to the age of 80. He died of natural causes in 1904. The Anthony Family continued to publish the Leavenworth Times until the late 1960s.

Susan Anthony was a schoolteacher who, after meeting Elizabeth Cady Stanton in 1854, determined to devote her life to the struggle of women's rights. She became internationally known for her work as a suffragist and was the foremost advocate for women's rights in America. Miss Anthony visited her brother at this home on the Esplanade on numerous occasions and lived in Leavenworth for several months in 1865 and helped edit the newspaper.

In 1872, in a plan to test the 14th Amendment of the Constitution which granted citizenship to black males, Susan B. Anthony registered and voted in the presidential election. She was arrested and put on trial. The judge directed the jury to bring a verdict of guilty and impose a $100 fine. She refused to pay it but the judge declined to put her in jail.

Miss Anthony traveled across the country campaigning for the rights of women often lecturing in Leavenworth. In 1875 she spoke at the Occidental Hall in Leavenworth. Admission to her lecture was 25 cents.

She lobbied every session of Congress from 1869 until her death to persuade lawmakers to accept a suffrage amendment to the Constitution. The 19th Amendment of the Constitution, granting women suffrage, did not pass until 1920, a hundred years after Susan B. Anthony's birth and 14 years after her death in 1906. At the time of her death women could vote in only 4 states, but Susan, more than any other, had opened the way for the adoption of the 19th Amendment. It was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Miss Anthony's nephew. Representative D. R. Anthony, Jr. of Leavenworth.

Miss Anthony was twice honored on U.S. postage stamps, and on the dollar coin minted in 1979. She wrote a book that consists of two volumes and nearly 2000 pages called "The History of Women's Work. She has been called the greatest woman this country has produced. She saw the vote as a symbol of women's emancipation and independence, as well as the indispensable condition of true republican government.

Nearest City: Leavenworth, KS
Location: 515 N. Esplanade, Leavenworth KS
Time Needed:5 minutes
Difficulty: easy
Kid Friendly:
Additional Info: Leavenworth Historical Tour Locations

Making Marbles and the Moon Marble Company

My wife and the kids took another adventure without me.  This time they went to the Moon Marble Company to watch a marble making demonstration.   They had a great time both watching the demonstration, and picking out some marbles to purchase afterward.

Nearest City: Bonner Springs, KS
Location: 600 E Front Street, Bonner Springs, KS  66012
Time Needed: 1 hour
Difficulty:easy
 Kid Friendly: yes
Additional Info:Moon Marble Company

Canoeing at Lost Eighty Park

We took our yellow canoe over to the Lost 80 Park in Lansing to go canoeing.  The pond there isn't very big, but it was a place to go for a quick float.  The kids rushed down the hill, anxious to be the first to find a bobber or other lost fishing gear.  I followed along behind them with the canoe.  

We launched and paddled around the pond several times.  The east end is crowded with willows and brush, while the west end has a rocky dam.  North and south sides have grassy banks.  We paddled through the brush on the east, rounded the south, then headed north.  We saw a few turtles out in the water.  The next time around we decided to go a little slower and see if we could sneak up on any frogs along the bank.  

We sneaked up on a few frogs.  The most excitement we had was when a big bullfrog jumped from the bank right in to the canoe!  I don't know if the kids or the frog was the most surprised!  He hopped from bow to stern a few times before we got our hands on him.  We passed him around and admired him until one of the kids threw him over the gunnel and into the pond.

The Lost 80 Park has a pavilion, playground, and volleyball court.  It also has some fantastic trees for picnicking under.

Nearest City: Lansing, KS
Location: 1122 E. Mary Street, Lansing, KS
Time Needed: varies
Difficulty: easy
Kid Friendly: yes
Additional Info: Lansing, Kansas

Oregon Trail Blueberry Farm

One of the highlights from June was picking blueberries at the Oregon Trail Blueberry Farm. They're newcomers to the whole you-pick thing, but their berries are growing and they'll be even better at it next year.  We went out on a Saturday morning after calling ahead to find a time that would work.  We met one of the owners and a great big friendly dog.  Talking with the owner, she said that they weren't expecting to have enough blueberries this year to open, but they had a bumper crop and her freezer was full so they decided to open it up to others. 

They're just starting out, so you have the chance to have the field to yourself if you go out and pick.  I didn't mind.  I think they'll end up doing quite well once word spreads.  We picked blueberries for probably 20-30 minutes and came away with plenty for eating and to make into homemade ice cream.  They also have raspberry and blackberry plants, but they weren't ready when we visited.  The Oregon Trail Blueberry farm has taken care to plant several varieties of blueberries in order to prolong the harvest over a longer duration.  This results in less waste, and a longer season.  So if they've been picked out when you try to visit, give it a few days and try again. 

The blueberries were about $4.50 a pound, which didn't seem unreasonable.  They were quite delicious.  The white "haze" on the blueberries is a good thing.  You don't need to wash them until you are ready to eat them.  We had a good visit and plan to go back again.

Nearest City: Leavenworth, KS
Location: 18962 Santa Fe Trail, Leavenworth KS 66048
Time Needed: varies.  Call before visiting.  (the number is on their website)
Difficulty: easy
Kid Friendly: yes
Additional Info: Oregon Trail Farm Website

The Baby Goats at Deanna Rose Farmstead

My wife took the kids to the Deanna Rose Farmstead in Overland Park, Kansas one day when I was working.  Deanna Rose is free admission during the week, but has a small admission fee on weekends.  It's a city park owned by the city of Overland Park.  It's well known throughout the Kansas City metro area though.

When I got home that night, I was told all about the park.  There were goats they got to feed milk from bottles.  And they fed the goats.  The baby goats were so cute when they fed them.  It was $1.00 for a bottle of milk, and money well spent.  And seriously, how often do you get to feed baby goats?  Once they were done telling me about the goats, the kids told me about some gardens, green tractors that they got to pedal, a fishing pond "but we didn't go fishing because you had to pay, and we don't have to pay when we go with you dad!", and lots of other stuff- including feeding baby goats.  I think one of these days I'll end up going down to Deanna Rose myself.  Baby goats are hungry creatures you know!

Nearest City: Overland Park, KS
Location: 13800 Switzer Road, Overland Park, KS
Time Needed: varies
Difficulty: easy
Kid Friendly: yes
Additional Info: Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead

Hooray for Mulberries!

In late May and early June we had a great time picking mulberries.  Here in Kansas, they're just about everywhere.  They're in the city, staining the sidewalk purple, or along the back alley ignored by virtually everyone.  They're in the country too, most commonly along fence lines and dirt roads. 
Most people don't know that they're edible.  They're ripe when they're almost black and  quite frankly, you could spread out a tarp under a tree and shake it and they'd fall off and make picking easier for you.  They look kindof like blackberries or raspberries, but instead of growing in a bramble, they grow on trees.  The berries also have a small green stem, while raspberries and black berries do not. The stem is edible.  We picked quite a few.  Mostly we picked them here and there and ate every berry we picked almost as soon as it was in hand.  One Saturday we did find a tree that was heavily laden, so we spread out some sheets underneath it and did give it a good shake.  We ended up with enough berries to go home and make some jam, as well as a pie or two and bag a few bags for our freezer.  That was a good day.  What do mulberries taste like?  They're sweet but without any tartness.  They taste somewhat like a blackberry or a raspberry if you subtracted the tartness or tang.  They're not quite as good, but they're delicious nonetheless.  One of the best parts about them is the fruit ripens over a several week window, so you can go back several times to pick them.  I think that's part of why they're not really available in stores.  One of our favorite things to do with mulberries other then eat them raw, is to bake them into a pie with cherries to make a cherry-mulberry pie.  Sometimes pie cherries can be too tart, so the mulberries counter the tartness to result in a delicious pie.  Next year go ahead and pick them.  You've seen that tree staining the sidewalk way too many times.  You'll be glad you did.

Incidentally, mulberry trees were imported to North America to provide food for silk moths.  I've never seen a silkworm on a mulberry tree though.
Also there's a nursery rhyme about a mulberries. All around the mulberry bush the monkey chased the weasel.  The monkey thought it was all in fun POP! goes the weasel.  Consequently, I tease my kids when we pick mulberries that I'm looking for a monkey and a weasel. 

Picking Strawberries at Schwinn Produce Farm

One of our last May adventures was going to the Schwinn Produce Farm to pick strawberries.   They are a you-pick strawberry farm located northwest of Leavenworth.  We had a great time picking strawberries and they tasted delicious.  The berries were a little more expensive than those you can find on a good sale.  I think they were $2 or $2.50 a pound, but they tasted way better then ones that have been picked in another state and shipped halfway across the country.  The kids also really enjoyed picking them themselves. 

There's also a barn that can be rented for events, such as weddings.  Later in the year the Schwinn Produce Farm has corn, tomatoes, and other produce as well.  It was a great visit.  We'll go again.

Nearest City: Leavenworth, KS
Location: 17624 Santa Fe Trail, Leavenworth, KS 66048
Time Needed: varies
Difficulty: easy
Kid Friendly: yes
Additional Info: Schwinn Produce Farm website

An Easy Walk to Angel Falls

We found another enjoyable trail to walk and bike.  The Angel Falls Trail is in Lansing, Kansas and leads to a small waterfall on Sevenmile Creek.  Usually we just park at the Catholic Church that is on the corner and follow the trail down.  Lansing City has been doing some trail improvements and now there's a paved walkway that goes from Ida Street all the way past the falls and out to Mary Street. 

Angel Falls only drops about 3 feet or so where Sevenmile Creek crosses a ledge of harder bedrock.  There are fossil shells and crinoid stems in the rocks if you're interested in fossils as well.  We left the trail and made our way down to the waterfall to splash and play in the creek.  We've gone to Angel Falls a couple of times since it's a walk that's the perfect length for kids to do.  In May and June there are a few mulberry trees that grow along the trail, so we picked and ate a few mulberries.  I do have to admit that whenever I eat mulberries, I think of the nursery rhyme and start looking for a monkey and a weasel. 

Nearest City: Lansing, KS
Location: Trail begins off of Ida Street and 147th Street
Time Needed: 45 minutes
Difficulty: easy
Kid Friendly: yes
Additional Info:

Prairie Park Nature Center

We visited the Prairie Park Nature Center in Lawrence.  It's a fantastic little nature center.  Kids enjoyed most of the visit, but they had one small and noisy problem- the macaw.  The macaw likes to shriek at visitors and can be quite loud and startling.  A few of the kids started crying after they were startled by the macaw's shrieks.  They got over it quickly though and had a very enjoyable visit. 

I liked this turtle.  When it was younger it got caught in some fishing line or other trash that restricted it around the middle.  It continued to grow, but was unable to do so where it was encircled.  Now the shell is misshapen and looks like a figure 8.  Take care of your trash and throw it away properly!

The caiman on display was a nice bonus!  It looks like a small crocodile.  It was fun to watch him soak up the warmth from the heat lamp.

There were various other displays as well, some showing the different animals that are native to Kansas.  Some had bugs and spiders. 

Outside there are some birds that have been injured and are unable to be released back into the wild, like these two bald eagles.  The Prairie Park Nature Center is a great place to visit, especially on a rainy Saturday!

Nearest City: Lawrence, KS
Location: 2730 Harper St, Lawrence, Kansas
Time Needed: 1+ hours
Difficulty: easy
Kid Friendly: yes
Additional Info: Prairie Park Nature Center Website

University of Kansas Natural History Museum

While we were in Lawrence, we visited the University of Kansas Natural History Museum.  It's a great museum!  There's lots there to see, but of course I thought the hall with the fossils was the best. 

The kids liked all of the fossils too.  We saw lots of fossil fish, bones from prehistoric mammals, and numerous other fossils.

One of the prized exhibits at the museum is Comanche, the only survivor of the Battle of the Little Bighorn.  In the battle, George Custer and his command were wiped out by the Sioux Indians in Montana.  The Indians took the horses or other animals that were still useful, leaving Comanche, who was greatly injured.  Comanche was brought to Ft. Riley, where he peacefully lived out the remainder of his days.  When he died several years later, they skinned him, then mounted his skin to preserve him for the future.  He's now standing in an exhibit just to the right of the main entrance to the museum.

There were lots of other interesting things on display.  This "horned rabbit" was rather interesting.  It doesn't actually have horns, but instead had parasites that infected it, which caused it to grow the masses and tumors. 

We really enjoyed the museum.  We spent most of the afternoon browsing its halls.  There's a small fee/donation asked to visit the museum, but we spent about the same for parking.  Parking is limited, and in fact restricted on the University of Kansas Campus to those with parking passes.  We parked in the parking structure a block or two north of the museum and walked over to it.

Nearest City: Lawrence, Kansas
Location: 1345 Jayhawk Blvd. Lawrence, Kansas
Time Needed: 1/2 day
Difficulty: easy
Kid Friendly: yes
Additional Info: http://naturalhistory.ku.edu/

Lawrence Community Orchard in the Spring

A few months ago I found a passing reference to the Lawrence Community Orchard.  Intrigued, I looked it up to see what it was.  Then I decided that I should go visit it.  I was intending to visit in the fall when most of the fruit is ripe, but a short trip to Lawrence gave me an earlier opportunity to visit it then I had planned on.  The Lawrence Fruit Tree Project is located in a residential neighborhood, just off of Garfield Street, east of Delaware Street.  It's a dead-end street because of the greenway/walking trail at the east end of the street, adjacent to the orchard. 

The little park has a lot of fruit trees and some garden spaces that are open to the public to walk through, as well as pick the ripe fruit.  I'm not sure their policy on taking fruit home, but I'm pretty sure the intent is to allow people to pick and eat whatever they'd like to while on the premises, but to limit opportunists who strip everything off of the trees so that others can't use it.  It sounds like an intriguing idea.  When I stopped by in mid-April, it was a rainy day and the ground was pretty well saturated.  I didn't stay for long, but long enough to see that there are numerous varieties of trees as well as some smaller plants and vines.   

I plan on going back to visit this fall. Probably the biggest reason may be to try and sample several different varieties of apples.  I'd like have a few fruit trees, but I want to figure out what kind of apple I like best before I plant the tree.  The Lawrence Community Orchard seems like a great place to stop and try a few. 

Nearest City: Lawrence, KS
Location: Garfield Street, east of Delaware Street, Lawrence, Kansas
Time Needed: Varies
Difficulty: easy
Kid Friendly: yes
Additional Info: Lawrence Fruit Tree Project Website