Seniors Seek Out A Charming Small Town

When this senior asked Google for the 10 best small towns in Kansas, the first one to come up was Wamego in Pottawatomie County with a population of 4,370. Wamego, platted in 1866, was named for a Potawatomi Native American chief.

With its quaint downtown area and quirky tourist attractions, Wamego is a Small Town, Big Experience and is about as fun and kitschy as it gets. The Oz Museum features a collection of over 25,000 Oz artifacts on permanent loan from Friar John Paul Cafiero relating to the magical world created by L. Frank Baum.

Every year, the Road to Oz, otherwise known as Highway 99 and Lincoln Avenue, brings to life one of America’s best-known fairy tales – “The Wizard of Oz”. The wonderful world of Oz lives on in Wamego. The ageless tale of heart, home and adventure is celebrated at the Oz Museum, which displays one of the largest privately owned collections of Oz memorabilia.

Seniors Enjoy Prairie Town Village

If it weren’t for the Kansas River flowing along the southern border of town there might not ever have been a Wamego. From the earliest residents, the Konza Indians, to today’s fishermen and paddlers the river is still a much revered part of the community.

Me, I’d want to visit the the Wamego Historical Society that was organized in 1973. The museum and the Prairie Town Village are located in Wamego’s 20 acre city park.

In 1973 the first museum opened in the old Union Pacific Railroad stone work shed that was built in 1866. The century-old Dutch Mill has become a familiar Kansas Landmark, not only for its beauty, but also for its great heritage.

Senior visitors are invited to enjoy OZtoberFest, a fun time with lots of German goodies, or Wamego’s legendary Fourth Of July with one of the state’s largest fireworks displays. Beautifully restored, and completely debunking the myth that art, theatre and culture aren’t alive in smaller communities, is the Columbian Theatre.

Seniors Enjoy Wamego’s Charm

Senior golfers, toss in your clubs and play a round or two at the par 70, 18 hole Wamego Country Club that opened in 1920. The original 9 holes was designed by famed architect Chick Trout. Take a drive through town to get a feel for what you will experience on your visit to Wamego. It is loaded with small-town charm.

At the center of it all in Wamego is City Hall, beautifully restored and conveniently located in the heart of Wamego’s downtown historic business district.

Seniors can meet the locals in the City Park, just two blocks from the downtown business district. With its canopy of trees and meticulously landscaped grounds it is consistently rated among the top picnic spots in the state.

Interesting to note is the fact that Walter Chrysler, automobile manufacturer and founder of Chrysler Corporation, was born in Wamego. Plan to stop by Wamego on your trip through Kansas and enjoy Kansas small-town hospitality. -jeb