Pittsburg Travel Guide

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See and climb around in a huge steam shovel. There a many old mines in southeastern Kansas. One of the remnants of that time is a huge steam shovel. It is like a great ship stranded out on the prairie. It is a novelty at least and a grand adventure if you have some imagination.

I thought it would be lame but we took some kids there and they went nuts. My nephews ask to go every time they come to visit.

Do not forget to stop at Josie’s Restaurant in Scammon for dinner on your way out.

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Just north of Pittsburg is a small preserve for the American Bison. If you have never seen one or if this is your only chance to see one I would recommend a brief stop to look them over.

The keystone to the prairie eco-system it is in my mind the mascot of this bioregion. They were the base for the nomadic tribes that roamed the great plains.

After the destruction of tens of millions of individuals there are fewer than 500,000 left. Don’t miss a chance to see a few of those that remain.

There is a hiking trail that starts on the south west corner of the site.

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I repeated this tip in Local Customs for Pittsburgh as it fits both categories.

Many of the folks that built Pittsburg were from the Balkans and they started a festival that continues today.

This is your classic small town event. It cost next to nothing. It is $4.00 this year (2011). This allows you to attend a ton of different activities. There is a bike century, a 5k run, a quilt show, cute baby show, food, live music, remote control airplane show, antique train rides. You get the idea.

It comes along every September. So if you are able it is well worth the trip.

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Not sure where to put this tip. It is not really shopping or a restaurant.

We stop here every time we are in town. This is a cake shop in every good since of the word. It is run by Heather and her husband. They have purchased the old building and are fixing it up. this is a big commitment. Until I had friends that did this in our home town I did not know how difficult and important this was to a small town.

She makes CAKES! Look at her web site they are just GREAT!

They make coffee and have cupcakes for you to buy it is the least expensive quality treat in Pittsburg.

Be sure to stop in if you are in town

This is not high cuisine. It is just plain old fare. It is the kind of place that used to be in every town but is now so rare.

It is right downtown in an old building. Many of these old cafes are just that. A bit run down and in need of a good cleaning. Not Otto,s it is clean and bright. It could have opened just a few years ago. In reality it has been running for decades.

The wait staff is just fantastic. they are friendly efficient and Johnny on the spot with the coffee. They know all the regulars and what they order. I have herd more than once "the regular today Jimmy?"

So by pass McCrappy on the edge of town and stop at Otto's

Favorite Dish: Nothing fancy here. I have only had breakfast here. It was typical 1955 pancakes. eggs, bacon and the like. The coffee is folger's but there is plenty of it.

It makes me want to wear my hunting cap, a flannel shirt, a pair of worn jeans and my most broken in pair of boots.

Be sure to tip generously

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I do not tend toward chains but I will make an exception here. This is in any case a small regional chain I think less than 4 restaurants.

It is an american Pizza place. The two that I have been to are near universities. They are clean and the staff is friendly and motivated.

You order at the counter and they bring your pie to the table.

I know it is not Naples. Still in a country with USDA compromised cheeses it is pretty good.

Favorite Dish: We like the wheat crust. The pesto sauce is a nice change. I assume that if you are in thisshop that you like pizza. So you should be able to cobble together a pizza selection that you will like.

the ingredients are fresh and of good quality and the staff cares so it will be hard to go wrong.

We were cruising through Pittsburg one night and looking for food. It was Sunday, not too late either, but past sunset. Much to my surprise most places were closed. But Applebees was open and lots of people inside, mostly students. There's applebees all over the place and this is another one. I like the local memorabilia on the walls, every town is different and It helps to get a feel for the community by checking out the walls of Applebees. The waitress was friendly and talked to us out of towners for a while.
I'll get to the food in the next section

Favorite Dish: I'm sort of partial to the salads, since lately staying away from fried foods. So I can recommend the Santa Fe (southwest) salad. But I also like the shrimp and spinach salad, and the Ceasar is another one that's definitely worth the money. And if you order a full size salad there's a chance you won't be able to finish the whole thing it's so plentiful.