At a wedding I attended not too long ago, someone asked the groom, a witty fellow, where he and his lovely bride were planning to honeymoon. He replied brightly, “I’m taking her to the Flint Hills!” Everyone stopped and stared at him as someone whispered, “Did he just say he was taking her to Flint, Michigan?” As we all tried to envision the bride, a well-traveled and cosmopolitan girl, blissfully exploring southeastern Michigan, the groom explained, “No, we’re going to the Flint Hills! In Kansas? The Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is there, and when the wildflowers are in bloom, there is no place like it on earth!”

Actually, even when they are not covered in beautiful swaths of purple, orange and yellow, the rolling Flint Hills in eastern Kansas are still unique. Once upon a time, when bison roamed across everything between the Rockies and the Appalachians, there were over 170 million acres of tallgrass prairie in the United States. Today, only a small percentage of that once-vast ecosystem remains, and a significant chunk of what is left lies in the Flint Hills’ Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. The centerpiece of the 48-mile-long Flint Hills Scenic Byway, this 10,840-acre preserve features hiking trails that wind among hills covered with over 400 species of grasses and wildflowers, as well as animals ranging from a newly-introduced bison herd to white-tailed deer and birds of prey. The preserve also includes interpretive exhibits at Spring Hill Farm and the Stock Ranch—both of which illustrate prairie life during the frontier era. You can tour the preserve on foot or via organized bus tours, and the National Park Service (who runs the preserve in partnership with The Nature Conservancy) even has a cell phone and internet-based audio tour for visitors. As you explore the preserve, you can call their special line (or log onto their website) and listen to pre-recorded information covering a dozen specific sites around the preserve. (More information is available at the NPS Tallgrass Preserve website here.)

But the tallgrass prairie is not the only attraction along the Flint Hills Scenic Byway. The Kaw Heritage National Park in Council Grove teaches visitors about the local Native Americans and how they interacted with the settlers heading west on the Santa Fe Trail. Take a walking tour of that town and see many fine examples of Kansas’ famous limestone architecture before stopping off at the newly renovated (re-opening May 18, 2012) Hays House for some world-famous pie. Stop off in Cottonwood Falls and explore the shops and cafes in the shadow of the imposing Chase County Courthouse. Or heck, spend the night at the Grand Central Hotel (Kansas’ only AAA Four Diamond Historic Inn) and take their sunset Prairie Drifter tour out onto the preserve. Oh sure, you won’t get to see many wildflowers after dark, but the night sky overhead is sure to entrance and enthrall. Come to think of it, that sounds awfully romantic. Who knew? Not only does the Flint Hills Scenic Byway make for a great Sunday Drive, but it also sounds like, dare we say it, the perfect roadtrip honeymoon!
Kate Edwards – Sunday Drive
Photos courtesy of KSByways.org

View Flint Hills Scenic Byway: Cassoday, KS in a larger map

Start the day off with a round of golf at the riverside Rancho San Marcos Golf Club, a challenging and beautiful course that Golf Magazine has named one of the “Top Ten Courses You Can Play”. After that, sip some world-famous syrahs, sauvignon blancs and chardonnays in the winery-happy valley made famous by the hit Hollywood film, Sideways. Finally, end this perfect Santa Barbara County play day with a great meal at the Santa Ynez Valley’s most famous tavern, a 125-year-old former stage coach stop which is now home to a restaurant that serves up some of Central California Coast’s best prime rib and steaks–along with a predictably stellar wine list.

View Golf and Wine in Santa Ynez Valley, Los Olivos, CA in a larger map

This 120-mile Sunday Drive runs from the bright lights and big city attractions of Calgary, the capital of Canada’s ‘New West’, to the grandiose splendor of Banff National Park. Along the way, we take in one or two of Calgary’s attractions before enjoying a leisurely drive alongside the Bow River and heading into the Canadian Rockies. In pretty Banff, we stop for lunch, and then head out for a walk to the waterfalls of Johnston Canyon. We end the day with a beautiful drive along the Bow Valley parkway and up to Lake Louise, which is quite possibly the most photographed—and justifiably so–lake on the planet.

View Calgary to Lake Louise, ALB, Canada in a larger map

View Staunton, VA in a larger map

Walk through downtown Staunton and it soon hits you that there is something different about this small Shenandoah Valley town. Not only is the skyline devoid of the visual jumble of cell phone towers and overhead power lines, but nearly every lovingly-preserved building looks like it was built well over 100 years ago. Turns out, they were. Staunton (pronounced STAN-ten) has the unique distinction among Virginia cities of being one of the few towns in the valley to have escaped the Civil War without a scratch. Add to that extremely strict building and design codes and the result is a historic destination filled with wonderful examples of Victorian Era architecture—so wonderful in fact that parts of Staunton have been used as a film sets for many period films over the years. Oh, and do not worry about your cell phone working in Staunton. Despite the lack of visible antennas, cell phones do work in historic Staunton. In fact, if you show your Sunday Drive iPhone app to the folks at the lovely and highly-rated Inn at Old Virginia, they will knock 10% off the cost of your stay at their wonderful English-style country inn.

This Sunday Drive Route is sponsored by Inn at Old Virginia

View New Orleans, LA in a larger map

Whether it is for Mardi Gras, Jazzfest, or just because you need a break, a trip to New Orleans is the kind of holiday that goes down as easily as a well-blended cocktail. Spectacular restaurants, scenic attractions and that world-class music scene meld with the town’s distinctive French flavor to create a special destination unlike any other. But first-time visitors to this great American city should know up front that New Orleans grabs hold of your heart quickly. All it takes is the sounds of a zydeco band wafting on the breeze as you take that first bite of a beignet and New Orleans has you in her embrace. After that, the toes start a-tappin, the cares slip away and soon you are nodding at the fellow with the trumpet who swings by and says with a grin, “Laissez les bon temps roulez!” (Note: Sunday Drivers who show the app at check-in at the Magnolia Mansion receive a special lagniappe. What is a lagniappe, you ask? Come visit and you will find out!

This drive is sponsored by Magnolia Mansion