Discover Southeast Kansas

  • Home
  • Discover Southeast Kansas

Discover Southeast Kansas Shop, Eat, Play, & Stay in Southeast Kansas! FOR THE FREE
The value of freedom is beyond question. The free spirit blows through our hearts continually. Twinkies.

Our way of life stands on the courage and sacrifice of people who resolved to fight for it with every breath. Their sacrifices led to better working conditions in mines that still stand nationwide today. It mustered forces in our nation’s historic fight for human rights and dignity. We live it out on the open road. Gravel biking. Hunting the woods. Fishing unrestrained waters. We won’t be held bac

k. We’re a place For The Free. ONLY IN SOUTHEAST KANSAS
The world’s longest Yellow Brick Road. The world’s largest surviving electric shovel. The Disc Golf and Outhouse Capitals of the World. The largest Downtown Square in the U.S. The nation’s only collegiate gorilla mascot. A dinosaur park. Where wild mustangs run free. And Route 66 in Kansas. NUMBERS TO KNOW
110+ Annual Fairs & Festivals; 75+ State Parks & Wildlife Areas; 50+ Museums; 33 Disc Golf Courses; 20+ Farmer & Maker Markets; 18 Golf Courses; 13 Breweries, Distilleries, Wineries & Vinehards; countless Mom & Pop dining & drinking experiences, one-of-a-kind shopping, and kid-friendly adventures. WHY FAMILIES LOVE OUR REGION
Our 13.2 miles of Route 66 heavily inspired Disney Pixar's "Cars" series... an original tow truck might look familiar. Plus free zoos, a dinosaur park, and much more. Looking for a day trip? A quick, adventurous or quiet, weekend getaway? Or are you on a mission to throw at every disc golf course you can? Whatever you and each member of your family is passionate about, we’ve got you covered. WHY WE CHOOSE TO LIVE HERE
The most diverse scenes and recreation in Kansas: Between I-35 and Route 66 is the Kansas Hollywood doesn’t tell you about. This region is situated between the Flint Hills and the foothills of the Ozark Mountains, with several rivers, countless lakes, and more ecozones than anywhere else in Kansas. Numerous communities and small college towns mean multiple festivals any given weekend: The world’s premier paramotoring and gravel cycling events. The world’s largest bean feed. America’s only Biblical Parade. KART racing. Día de los Mu***os. Festa Italiana. More art, heritage and music festivals than you can imagine. Mayhem and fried chicken wars: The Civil War’s largest cavalry engagement west of the Mississippi River. America’s first serial killer family. The Dalton Gang’s demise. The March of the Amazon Army. Jefferson Highway. Chicken Wars. Astronaut Miss Abel. OUR STORYTELLERS
Names you know. Names you should know. Martin & Osa Johnson, Gordon Parks, William Allen White, Little House on the Prairie, The Appeal to Reason, the Little Blue Books, and students saving stories of Unsung Heroes.

# # #

ABOUT US

Southeast Kansas Tourism Region (SEKTR) is a 501c6 cooperative of area attractions, chambers, visitor bureaus, and others working together to promote our corner of the state as a destination for travelers and event planners. SEKTR is one of six regional coalitions designated by the Kansas Department of Commerce Tourism Division (TravelKS.com). The 16 counties designated to make up this region per the Kansas Tourism office are: Allen, Anderson, Bourbon, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Coffey, Crawford, Elk, Greenwood, Labette, Linn, Lyon, Montgomery, Neosho, Wilson, and Woodson. The purpose of SEKTR shall be to assure a continuing healthy economy within the State of Kansas by promoting the expansion of the tourism industry, the attraction of additional tourism expenditures to the state, and to improve tourism quality through educational programs to enhance the competence of those engaged in tourism promotion. It shall further be the purpose of this organization to take such other lawful action as may be necessary or desirable for the attainment of the purposes above stated. BE A MEMBER

SEKTR Member Meetings are used for planning, brainstorming, decision making, problem solving, check-ins, and to learn about the host community. These rotate throughout the region and are held every other month, usually the 3rd Thursday of the month. Meetings start at 10 a.m. CST, unless noted otherwise. Occasionally, the date is moved to coincide with an event at the host community. TIER 1: $75 annually - TourKS membership paid for
TIER 2: $200 annually - TourKS membership paid for, receive one case of Southeast Kansas Day Trip guides
TIER 3: $600 annually - TourKS membership paid for, receive two cases of Southeast Kansas Day Trip guides

Thank you Woodson Chamber for hosting our SE KS Tourism Region meeting this month! We loved seeing your square and visit...
20/06/2024

Thank you Woodson Chamber for hosting our SE KS Tourism Region meeting this month! We loved seeing your square and visiting Bakery YC, LightHardware and Lanes at Light Hardware! And of course the DELICIOUS lunch at Bert’s Tavern!

20/05/2024

Elmo, Abby Cadabby, Cookie Monster, and their Sesame Street friends are starring in an all-new live show,

08/05/2024
08/05/2024

From Big Brutus to fried chicken: Midwest travel writer and content creator Mariah Haberman visit Pittsburg, Kansas in Crawford County.

08/05/2024
01/05/2024
11/04/2024

Mark your calendar for April 15. We'll be setup at the Gathering Place in Parsons 11-7 or until sold out. 100% of the proceeds will go to Mayson Bierbrodt and Family!

26/01/2024

Rainn Wilson is much more than Dwight Schrute. He helped to start a foundation to help girls in Haiti. And, he has urged audiences and readers to dig deep into life's biggest questions — of philosophy, creativity, spirituality, love, truth, science, mental health and more — with humor and honest...

09/01/2024

Interested in sharing stories at the Fort?

Join us on January 13, 2024, for a volunteer training on the Foundations of Interpretation! This training is for anyone who is interested in building skills in public speaking, leading tour groups, or providing living history. During this two-hour session, participants will also learn how the field of interpretation is essential to the mission of the National Park Service. Please call 620-223-0310 or email [email protected] to save your seat today!

Image: A brown horse with a white forehead spot is in the foreground, with three brown horses in a row behind it. Each horse is bridled and being ridden by a person in a Union military uniform, with a fifth uniformed person holding a red flag obscured in the background. The horses all stand on green grass, with a blue sky and a white building in the background.

NPS Photo/J. Nielsen

03/01/2024

Each day this week we are going to share some highlights of 2023. It has been so much fun getting to know many of you throughout the year. Lisa & Sara

The Midwest Travel Network partnered with several destination in 2023 through FAM trips. In September of 2023, we partnered with Explore Crawford County in Kansas Tourism. This area of Kansas was incredible. If you have not explored this county or the Discover Southeast Kansas region, place it on your radar.

Thank you to everyone who participated and organized this amazing trip. Content creators work hard and they know how to have fun.

You can view the work of the Midwest Travel Network here: https://midwesttravelnetwork.com/showcasing-the-work-of-the-midwest-travel-Midwest Travel Network

22/12/2023

I finished in my upcoming book . I learned some new things about the 13.2-mile Kansas Route 66 Historic Byway, and some of them went into my blog post.

I wrote about 23 communities along the state's eastern edge, and now it's time to turn west. The Flint Hills National Scenic Byway is next up.

https://roxieontheroad.com/route-66-kansas/

Reedy Press Kansas Tourism Discover Southeast Kansas Kansas Historic Route 66 Association Kansas Byways

18/12/2023

Yesterday, I finished the Frontier Military Historic Byway portion of my upcoming book . The section concludes with Explore Crawford County. Finishing the City of Pittsburg, Kansas's profile means I'm a quarter of the way done :-D

Now, we're onto Kansas Route 66 Historic Byway!

Read more about in my post. Reedy Press City of Girard, Kansas Miners Hall Museum Kansas Byways Discover Southeast Kansas Kansas Tourism

https://roxieontheroad.com/pittsburg-kansas/

11/12/2023
Tickets are almost sold out for the 42nd Fort Scott National Historic Site’s Candlelight Tours. Currently, there are sti...
01/12/2023

Tickets are almost sold out for the 42nd Fort Scott National Historic Site’s Candlelight Tours.

Currently, there are still tickets for later tour times, 8:30 and after on both December 1st and December 2nd. Tickets are $8.00 each and can be purchased with a credit card by calling 620-223-0310 or can also be picked up in person at Fort Scott National Historic Site Visitor Center between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm.

IN THE NEWS: Archaeology students digging into site of infamous Bloody Benders site in Southeast Kansas
21/11/2023

IN THE NEWS: Archaeology students digging into site of infamous Bloody Benders site in Southeast Kansas

On the surface, you might only see weeds, dirt and crops, but in the small town of Cherryvale, Kansas, acres of land could be home to one of the biggest untold murder mysteries in the old west.

20/11/2023

Pittsburg, Kansas offers incredible shopping, unique experiences, and offers a wonderful place to call home in SE Kansas.

Take your family on a road trip to experience the beautiful and magical, FREE light displays throughout Southeast Kansas...
17/11/2023

Take your family on a road trip to experience the beautiful and magical, FREE light displays throughout Southeast Kansas. Some of these, likely in communities you've never heard of, are going to surprise you.

Kansas Tourism

Take your family on a road trip to experience the beautiful and magical, FREE light displays throughout Southeast Kansas. Some of these, likely in communities you've never heard of, are going to surprise you.

This Saturday in Fort Scott! Get your tickets now!!! Visit Fort Scott KS
13/11/2023

This Saturday in Fort Scott! Get your tickets now!!!

Visit Fort Scott KS

13/11/2023

Happy 154th to the City of Girard, Kansas! Celebrate the unique history of this Crawford County city by eating at its restaurants, shopping downtown, and exploring its history.

https://roxieontheroad.com/girard-kansas/

Explore Crawford County Discover Southeast Kansas Kansas Tourism

13/11/2023

Visit Emporia, the Home of Veterans Day, today. If you can't go, read how it became the observance's instigator in my book , available at my website's shop.

Discover Southeast Kansas Emporia Area Chamber & Visit Emporia Reedy Press

https://roxieontheroad.com/emporia-kansas/

Saturday night in Ft. Scott!
03/11/2023

Saturday night in Ft. Scott!

🚨🚨🚨We are less then one week away!! November 4th Jason Scott & The High Heat 🔥 will be making the trip from Okc to put on a show in Fort Scott!

Tickets in advance are only $20 until day of show! Tickets will be available at the door for $25, but why waste your extra $5?? Go get tickets now!!

https://advanceboco.ticketspice.com/jason-scott-the-high-heat-plus-bj-pruitt-and-the-barnstormers

Local favorite BJ Pruitt & The Barnstormers will open up the night.

Don’t miss it‼️

03/11/2023

Inaugural BARK Ranger Event at Fort Scott National Historic Site!
Saturday, November 4, 2023, Fort Scott National Historic Site, in partnership with Paws and Claws, will host an inaugural B.A.R.K. Ranger event from 9 AM until noon. Hourly activities include guided pet walks around the park grounds, free toenail trims for dogs, pet adoptions, K9 demonstrations, and various pet vendors on Skubitz Plaza including the new Fort Scott High School Tiger Barkery.

Continually from 10 AM until noon, low-cost vaccinations ($15 multi-vax shot), free heartworm testing, and low-cost microchipping ($20) will be provided by local veterinarians.

National parks are exciting places for pets to visit with their family while on vacation. Sometimes these new places can be so exciting as to be overstimulating. Join these events to learn how to have a positive experience with your pet in unfamiliar environments. Learn the B.A.R.K. principles so you and your pet can have a safe and fun visit anytime you go to a national park. This program is part of the Healthy People Healthy Parks Initiative. More information can be found at www.nps.gov/subjects/pets. B.A.R.K. stands for:
• Bag your pet’s waste
• Always leash your pet
• Respect wildlife
• Know where you can go

The Fort Scott National Historic Site is a unit of the National Park Service, exhibit areas and visitor center are open daily from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. The park grounds are open daily from a half hour before sunrise until a half hour after sunset. To find out more or become involved in activities at the Fort, please contact the park at 620-223-0310 or visit the website at www.nps.gov/fosc.

Photo Credit: NPS Photo/C. Brenner - Janette and her B.A.R.K. Ranger, Freckles.

25/10/2023

Big Brutus, Inc. is offering FREE Admission to all Veterans on Saturday, November 11.

OPEN 9AM - 5PM.

25/10/2023

Kansas' Historic Route 66 Byway offers opportunities for visitors to enjoy a variety of experiences to "get their own kicks" while driving the original Kansas portion of Route 66, found in the "Ozark Plateau" or Southeast corner of the state.

Here's a little something from Kansas Tourism about our corner of Kansas!
23/10/2023

Here's a little something from Kansas Tourism about our corner of Kansas!

The value of freedom is beyond question. Our way of life stands on the courage and sacrifice of people who resolved to fight for it with every breath. Their ...

Address


Opening Hours

Monday 09:00 - 17:00
Tuesday 09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday 09:00 - 17:00
Thursday 09:00 - 17:00
Friday 09:00 - 17:00

Telephone

+18008791112

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Discover Southeast Kansas posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Discover Southeast Kansas:

Shortcuts

  • Address
  • Telephone
  • Opening Hours
  • Alerts
  • Contact The Business
  • Claim ownership or report listing

  • Want your business to be the top-listed Travel Agency?

Share