Fun Summer Day Trips

As summer is upon us, the ever-popular phrase will start to ring out across the country, "I'M BORED!" One of my parents' favorite things to do when I was little was to come up with places that we could take a day trip to or just stay for one night if the drive was long. We went to many different places, some were educational and some were just for fun, but I have fond memories of visiting them all with my family. Here are a few of my favorite places that I've taken day trips. Need some other ideas for where to go? Check out the Travel Neighborhood at your library or check our online catalog.

Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Eureka Springs is a small town in Northwest Arkansas and the entire town is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is home to several different events throughout the year, including the May Festival of the Arts as well as Books in Bloom in the month of May, the Eureka Springs Food & Wine Festival in November, and the Eureka Gras Mardi Gras Extravaganza, which starts in January of each year.

Abilene, Kansas

Abilene is home to a number of fun places to visit. One of the first places to visit is the Eisenhower Presidential Center. It includes the Eisenhower presidential library and Dwight D. Eisenhower's childhood home, among other things. Abilene is also home to the Greyhound Hall of Fame, which teaches about the greyhound breed of dog as well as greyhound racing.

Cawker City, Kansas

Cawker City is known for having the world's largest ball of twine that was built by a community. The ball was started by Frank Stoeber and the ball had grown to eleven feet in diameter when Frank passed away in 1974. Cawker City built a gazebo over the ball of twine and hosts a "Twine-a-thon" each year in August when twine is added to the ball. As of September 2013, the ball weighed over 19,000 pounds.

What are some of your favorite places to take a day trip? Let us know!