Hays Travel Guide

 atufft Says:  The wealthier neighborhoods of town appear to cluster mostly on the west side, particularly off Hall Street, but these are newer homes of lesser architectural interest. Uptown, particularly along Fort Street leading toward Boot Hill, are only a few homes of architectural... 

 atufft Says:  At 305 West 7th Street, only a few blocks from the university but still in downtown, the First United Methodist Church has a venerable old structure of considerable architectural interest. The church doesn't have a website, so I wasn't able to determine the providence of... 

 atufft Says:  Next to the authentic and old Presbyterian church is a deceptively old appearing Volga German Haus. This and the variety of other out buildings in this pioneer field museum, are replicas of the structures built by the Volga German immigrants. Included among the images here... 

 atufft Says:  In 1873, toward the end of the lawless period, a group of Presbyterians under the leadership of "Grandma" Annie Wilson formed a congregation to reform their brethren in town, and by 1879, the limestone church shown here was built at 100 West 7th Street. This structure, one... 

 atufft Says:  Hays has a relatively new public library [2004] located on Main street which has a limestone bust of Buffalo Bill, sculpted by, guess who, local favorite, Pete Felten. Nearby is a replica of the Statue of Liberty, donated if I recall correctly, by the Boys Scouts. The... 

 atufft Says:  Hays is the Ellis County seat, the limestone faced Ellis County Courthouse [1942] of some architectural interest. Also, note the Hays City Hall, which is located in the same building as the Hays Fire Department's Station #1. In front of the city hall is a Felten limestone... 

 atufft Says:  After seeing the magnificient St. Fidelis Church in nearby Victoria, St. Joseph's is a bit of a let-down, particularly on the inside. However there are a few religious wood carvings and significant stained glass windows. In the garden, where perhaps an earlier church... 

 atufft Says:  On 13th street in downtown Hays is the venerable St. Joseph's Church. See the website for details about the history of the limestone church building, as well as the imposing limestone block "service" building across the street. Bear in mind that this is the center of rural... 

 atufft Says:  The brick and limestone buildings of Hays' Chestnut District were built after the heyday of gunslingers, Wild Bill, and Buffalo Bill. Most are early 20th century relics. 

 atufft Says:  The original or traditional downtown of Hays is known as the Chestnut District. Although the district is loaded with old brick and limestone commerical buildings, as well as brick paved streets, downtown Hays is surprisingly quiet and lacking in the sort of vitality it... 

 atufft Says:  Between August of 1867 and December of 1873 there were over 30 homicides in and around Hays. Although other Kansas wild west towns have equal claim for having had "boot hill" cemetaries, that of Hays is the original and most authentic. The name "boot hill" has it's origins... 

 worldglobetrotter Says:  If you're hungry, best hit Montana Mike's Steakhouse, 3216 Vine. The best steakhouse in the city, or in the area, period. Mike's offers up huge portions of steak, ribs, kabobs, chicken, hamburgers, salads, even shrimp. One of the most popular dishes is the steak and shrimp.... 

 coloradochris Says:  This area of the world was settled by the VogaGermans that came from the Volga River in Russia. The area has a wonderful german heritage with festivals and attrictions. One of the main events that is a must is OctubreFest or OctoberFest for the English. The festival is a... 

 Rich62 Says:  BY THE TIME A HAYS BASKETBALL GAME IS OVER THERE WILL BE millions of pieces of newspaper all over the gym. What a mess it must be to clean up. But more importantly, these shreds cover the concrete steps, making them very slippery. It looks like a lawsuit waiting to... 

 jan58 Says:  The Stone Gallery at 107 1/2 W. 6th St. is the most interesting place in Hays. It is owned by local sculptor Pete Felten (if you've driven through Hays you've seen his limestone sculptures all over town). Not only does he have a vast collection of his own works, he also...