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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
Area Restaurants & Specialty Foods
 Airport
restaurants in small towns have to do a good job or they don't stay in
business. The Airport Steak House is a but dated, but still in good
shape. One wall is lined which huge picture windows looking out at the
tarmac.
The meals are quite reasonable for a steakhouse. We recommend
the prime rib or the 14 ounce bone in Cowboy ribeye. The large ribeye is
only $31 with choice of two sides. Most dinners are $16 - 30.
Airport Steak House, 1100
N Airport Rd, Hutchinson, KS 67501
(620) 662-4281. Last visited
July 2022 |
 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 July 2022 |
 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 $8.49 for lunch or supper.
Longer
review and more photos.
Anchor Inn, 128 South Main
Street, Hutchinson, Kansas 67501
(620) 669-0311. Last visited
July 2022 |
 Mi
Tierra Restaurant & Cantina is a very reasonable priced Mexican
restaurant on Hutchinson's east side. I had one of the most expensive dishes,
the $14.75 Steak Mi Tierra. It was a large T-bone steak topped with Mexican
chorizo and served with beans and rice. The flavor was very good, particularly
the spicy chorizo sausage. The steak was quite tough, but is pretty good
for a $14.75 T-bone. The $15.25 Mi Tierra Fajitas are better and include
beef, chicken, shrimp and chorizo.
Mi Tierra Restaurant, 700
East 4th Avenue Hutchinson, Kansas 67501 (620) 662-61217. Last visited
July 2021 |
 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 $12.
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 February
2020 |
 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 $15.
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 July
2022 |
 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 one of my visits, there were 19 in my party and the China Star
staff 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 March
2020 |
 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 2PM, or until the meat runs out. My favorite meat is the
mild Polish sausage, but none of the smoked meats have disappointed.
Longer
review and more photos.
Roy's Hickory Pit BBQ, 1018
Nickerson Boulevard, Hutchinson, Kansas 67501 (620) 663-7421. Last
visited June 2021 |
 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 March 2020 |
 Skaets
Steak Shop is a dinner on the edge of the Kansas State Fair Grounds
that opened in 1949. Skaet's serves reasonably priced, good solid meals.
I've been unimpressed
with the steaks, but strongly recommend the breakfast. Bacon, eggs, and
toast are $6.80. The bacon and eggs are very good. French toast and biscuits
& gravy are other good choices. But get there early if you go for breakfast
on a Saturday or Sunday. Skaet's gets packed about 10AM.
Skaets Steak Shop, 2300 North
Main Street, Hutchinson, Kansas 67502 (620) 662-9845. Last visited
July 2022 |
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.
Dillon Nature Center 3002
East 30th Avenue, Hutchinson, Kansas 67502. (620) 663-7411 |
Stratica
- the 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 Hutchinson
Art Center Gallery is operated by the Hutchinson Reno Arts and
Humanities Council. The free gallery includes a permanent collections,
a changing program of special exhibits and a large gallery of two and three
dimensional art which is available to purchase.
Free Admission.
Hutchinson Art Center, 405
N Washington Street, Hutchinson, Kansas 67501. (620) 662-1280 |
Memorial
Park Cemetery, a few miles west of Hutchinson has many chain-saw
carved tree trunks carvings created by Vicki and Pat Langton of Rustic
Creations, and a "Petland" with dog & cat burials and memorial markers.
Across the street from
the President Warren G. Harding Memorial.
Memorial Park Cemetery, 5905
West 4th Avenue, Hutchinson, Kansas 67501. (620) 665-8269 |
| The 9 acre Hutchinson
Zoo has about 160 animals and takes about 45 minutes to thoroughly
see without the doing the Prairie Thunder Railroad ride. Our favorite exhibits
in the zoo are the raccoons and North American river otters. The raccoons
were very aware and interested in the people looking at them.
Free Admission.
Hutchinson Zoo, 71500 South
Plum Street, Hutchinson, Kansas 67501 (620) 694-2693 |
The
National
Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division 1 Men's National Basketball
Tournament is normally 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 2022, the tournament is scheduled
for March 14-19. 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 |
| 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 |
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 Tuesday-Saturday. Free!
Reno County Museum, 100 South
Walnut Street, Hutchinson, Kansas
(620) 662-1184 |
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 56th Annual Kansas Mennonite Relief Sale is April 12
& 13. Free admission and parking.
Kansas Mennonite Relief Sale -
Kansas
State Fairgrounds,
2000 N. Poplar, Hutchinson, Kansas
67502 620-665-7406 |
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.
Salt Discovery Well,
309 Des Moines West, South Hutchinson, Kansas 67505 |
| 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 twenty dollars for motor sports to $20-70
for musical performers. The 2024 Kansas State Fair will be September 6-15.
Kansas State Fair 2000 N.
Poplar St., Hutchinson, Kansas 67502
(620) 669-3600 |
St.
Teresa Catholic Church was dedicated 1911. The red brick Romanesque
Revival church, was designed by Emanuel L. Masqueray and has asymmetrical
towers of 70' and 115'. 1,500 people attended the dedication while another
1,000 waited outside. The completed and furnished church cost $51,000 including
$1,000 for the high altar and $900 for the Stations of the Cross.
St. Teresa Catholic Church, 211
E 5th Avenue, Hutchinson, Kansas 67501 (620) 662-7812 |
| Lost
Acres Ranch on the northeast side of Hutchinson is a grassroots
art environment of cement and rebar cement sculptures by the late Richard
Brown (1934-2004).
Brown spent years creating
the folk art sculptures and a number of them remain in his former yard,
where they can be seen from the street. They include western figures such
as pioneers with a covered wagon, various animals, and a native American
hunting bison from horseback.
Lost Acres Ranch 3210 43rd
Avenue, Hutchinson, Kansas 67502 |
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2006-2022 by Keith Stokes |
