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With a population of 40,000
people, Hutchinson, Kansas is the county seat and largest city in Reno
County, about 40 miles northwest of Wichita. Salt was discovered in nearby
South Hutchinson in 1887. By 1910, 26 different salt companies were formed.
Although only 3 salt companies remain today, salt mining is still an important
Hutchinson industry and Hutchinson is nicknamed The Salt City.
Hutchinson and Reno
County are visited by over 1.5 million visitors annually and offer a wide
range of attractions, museums and special events. Hutchinson hosts the
Kansas
State Fair, Mennonite Relief Sale,
and National Junior College Athletic Association Basketball
Tournament. Hutchinson is also the home of the world class Kansas
Cosmosphere and Space Center Aerospace Museum and the new
Kansas
Underground Salt Museum.
This page devoted to
Hutchinson, Kansas is a work in progress. There are many more details,
reviews and photos about Hutchinson restaurants to be added to this Hutchinson
Travel Guild. Please
email your suggestions
for more places to include. Be sure to tell me what you like best about
them.
Hutchinson restaurants
that I plan to visit on future visits to town include Bogey's, Skaets Steak
Shop, Oliver's Carry Out and the Airport Steak House.
Hutchinson
Area Restaurants & Specialty Foods
 Anchor
Inn is a 35 year old, family run Mexican restaurant that fills the
space formerly occupied by the 1916 American Hotel and two other businesses.
I visited Anchor Inn with a party of 18 and everyone was happy with the
food and servings. Several people said the homemade tamales were the best
that they have ever had. Order from the menu or try the large Mexican buffet,
which is only $6.99 for lunch or supper.
Longer
review and more photos.
Anchor Inn, 128 South Main
Street, Hutchinson, Kansas 67501
(620) 669-0311. Last visited
in March 2010 |
 Hog
Wild Pit Bar-BQ is the Hutchinson location of a small chain of Wichita
barbecue restaurants. While not my favorite BBQ in Hutchinson, Hog Wild
has the major advantage of being open 11AM - 8 PM every day.
Hog Wild serves smoked
hot links, ham, pulled chicken, pulled pork, turkey, beef brisket and pork
ribs, Side dishes are limited to baked beans, potato salad, cole slaw,
curly fries, corn, mashed potatoes and a variety of stuffed potatoes &
potato skins.
Hog Wild Pit Bar-BQ, 2401
North Main Street, Hutchinson, Kansas 67502 (620) 669-8787. Last
visited in September 2007 |
 Carriage
Crossing Restaurant is an Amish/Mennonite style restaurant in Yoder
- a tiny community southeast of Hutchinson, which has many residents from
both denominations. The country fried steak is good. Other specialties
include grilled pork chops, fried chicken, smoked ham & sausage, and
homemade pies. Many meals are around $8.
Open Monday through
Saturday from 6AM - 9PM. Serving breakfast until 10:30AM.
Carriage Crossing Restaurant 10002
S. Yoder Road, Yoder, Kansas 67585 620-465-3612. Last visited in
March 2010 |
 R-B
Drive In is a 61 year old classic local restaurant with great burgers
and hand made French fries and onion rings. R-B's hamburgers are available
in a variety of sizes, up to the double beltbuster, a 2 pound hamburger
for $10.
R-B Drive In has limited
hours. They are only open until 4PM, Monday-Saturday. 5:30PM on Friday.
Longer
review and more photos.
R-B Drive In, 201 East Avenue
A, Hutchinson, Kansas 67501
(620) 662-9713. Last visited in
March 2010 |
 China
Star Restaurant is a fairly typical Chinese mega-buffet. Within those
limitations, China Star does a fairly good job. They also do well handling
groups. On my last visit, there were 19 in my party and they did a good
job of serving us. My favorite items on the buffet were the salt and pepper
shrimp and jalapeno chicken. Others in the group liked the soft serve ice
cream and other desserts.
China Star, 1401 East
11th Avenue, Hutchinson, Kansas 67501
(620) 662-8828. Last visited in
February 2009 |
 Roy's
Hickory Pit BBQ is a small family run restaurant that has been in operation
in Hutchinson, Kansas since 1982. Roy's is only open Tuesday to Saturday
from 11AM until 3PM, or until the meat runs out.
Longer
review and more photos.
Roy's Hickory Pit BBQ, 1018
Nickerson Boulevard, Hutchinson, Kansas 67501 (620) 663-7421. Last
visited in February, 2009 |
 Dutch
Kitchen Restaurant is an Amish inspired Restaurant five miles west
of South Hutchinson on Kansas Highway 61/US Highway 50. The Dutch Kitchen
is known for chicken fried steaks, hand breaded fried chicken and made
from scratch mashed potatoes, breads, and pies. They have a bakery section
where you can purchase fresh baked pastries and desserts to go.
The Dutch Kitchen Restaurant
is open Monday through Saturday from 6AM - 8PM.
Dutch Kitchen, 6803 West State
Road 61, Hutchinson, Kansas 67501
(620) 662-2554. Last visited in
January 2006 |
 Sack's
5th Avenue is a locally owned hamburger joint in an old gas station
building with the walls lined with old photos plus rock and roll and automobile
memorabilia. Sack's is only open from 11AM - 3PM, Monday through Saturday.
Sack's 5th Avenue is busy at lunch time, so unless you arrive closer to
3, it may take a a fairly long time to order and receive your food.
Sack's serves hand
formed burgers that have never been frozen. There are a variety of hamburgers,
up to a 3 ponder.
Sack's Fifth Avenue, 501 West
5th Avenue, Hutchinson, Kansas 67501
(620) 664-5102. Last visited in
February 2007 |
Unique
Kansas Restaurants
Hutchinson
Area Tourist Attractions & Museums
| Dillon
Nature Center in Hutchinson is a hundred acre park with a
wild arboretum, geese covered pound and a 10,000 square foot Visitor Center
which was opened in 1994. In addition to offices, the Dillon Nature Center
visitor's center houses a gift shop and nature display gallery with dioramas,
interactive exhibits and live reptiles, amphibians and fish.
The visitor's center
includes an observation deck which overhangs a pond and offers views of
migratory waterfowl, turtles, fish, and other wildlife.
Dillon Nature Center 3002
East 30th Avenue, Hutchinson, Kansas 67502. (620) 663-7411 |
The
Kansas
State Fair has been held in Hutchinson since 1913. The State Fair
has the usual things you would expect: farm animals, food displays, midway,
booths selling a wide range of items. Many livestock events and competitions
are included with admission to the fair grounds.
Grandstand events require
additional tickets which runs from a few dollars for motor sports to $15-30
for musical performers. The 2009 Kansas State Fair will be September 11-20.
Kansas State Fair 738 N Chestnut
Street, Olathe, Kansas 67502
(913) 971-5226 |
| The
Hutchinson
Zoo has only about 160 animals and can be visited in less than an hour.
It says a lot about the pride of the community, that Hutchinson maintains
this zoo, when the spectacular Sedgwick County Zoo is only 40 miles away.
The Hutchinson Zoo
is open 10AM-4PM, seven days a week. Admission is free.
Hutchinson Zoo, 1500 S Plum
Street, Hutchinson, Kansas 67501
(620) 694-2693 |
Kansas
Underground Salt Museum in Hutchinson is unique in the western
hemisphere. Although there are some similar salt mine museums in Europe,
there are none in the Americas. Following a guided tram ride, visitors
are free to tour the museum galleries on their own. The galleries feature
exhibits devoted to mining, as well as an exhibit of some of the movie
memorabilia that is stored in the cave.
Kansas Underground Salt Museum,
3504 East Avenue G, Hutchinson, Kansas 67504 (620) 662-1425 |
| The
Kansas
Mennonite Relief Sale at the Kansas State Fairgrounds is the annual
festival and benefit auction with ethnic foods, quilt auction, crafts,
music and the Run For Relief. The proceeds help fight world hunger and
provide relief. The 42nd annual Kansas Mennonite Relief Sale will be Friday,
April 16, 2010 from 5-9PM and Saturday, April 17 from 6AM-mid afternoon.
Free admission and parking.
Kansas Mennonite Relief Sale -
Kansas
State Fairgrounds,
2000 N. Poplar, Hutchinson, Kansas
67502 620-665-7406 |
Reno
County Museum's exhibits are interesting and well designed. Most of
the exhibits are traveling or temporary so the museum is constantly changing.
During my last visit to the Reno County Museum, those exhibits included
Medicine and quackery in Reno County, art and advertising on napkins, 4-H,
and a fascinating exhibit on the battle against polio. Open 9am-5pm -Tuesday-Saturday.
Free!
Reno County Museum, 100 South
Walnut Street, Hutchinson, Kansas
(620) 662-1184 |
| The
National
Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division 1 Men's National Basketball
Tournament is held in Hutchinson each March. The tournament consists
of 26 games in 5 days - a Championship Round, a Consolation Round and Quarter
Finals Consolation Round. In 2009, the tournament was March 17-21. The
Hutchinson Sports Arena is a 7,500 seat arena that was built in 1952.
Hutchinson Sports Arena, 11th
& Sesher, Hutchinson, Kansas 67501 (620) 665-3590 |
Salt
Discovery Well includes
picnic tables, several markers and the Salt Discovery Well, where in 1887
Ben Blanchard found the salt that has contributed to the development of
Hutchinson. The well has a small structure over it, but the open well head
can be viewed through a clear top. A 1260 pound block of locally mined
salt is also on display. In early June, South Hutchinson hosts Salt Fest.
The 8th Annual Salt Fest will be June 12 & 13, 2009.
Salt Discovery Well,
309 Des Moines West, South Hutchinson, Kansas 67505 |
| The
Kansas
Cosmosphere and Space Center in Hutchinson has the 2nd largest
collection of US space memorabilia anywhere and the largest collection
of Russian space memorabilia outside the former Soviet Union. These are
the experts that the other space museums come to for many of their exhibits'
restoration. Apollo 13, Liberty Bell 7, SR-71 Blackbird, Imax, planetarium,
and one of the coolest museum gift shops anywhere!
Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center,
1100 North Plum, Hutchinson, Kansas 67501 (620) 662-2305 |
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Unique
Kansas Restaurants
Kansas
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L-5/09. copyright
2006-2009 by Keith Stokes |
