A Small Kansas City With Peaceful Prairie Scenery Offers Delightful Downtown Food, Art, And Shops

A tranquil, picturesque experience awaits anyone traveling to Cottonwood Falls, a small town with interesting architecture that's nestled among a scenic stretch of prairie in the heart of Kansas. Travelers who appreciate countryside views flock to the area for the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. They're also drawn into the town of Cottonwood Falls for its French Renaissance-style courthouse, the waterfalls on the Cottonwood River, and the locally owned shops, galleries, and restaurants that line Broadway Street, the town's main thoroughfare. 

Cottonwood Falls is located within the Flint Hills, a region of rolling prairies in East-Central Kansas that extends almost the entire height of the state. Cottonwood Falls lies in the southern part of this region. Emporia, with a population of about 24,000, is the closest sizable town, while the nearest metropolitan area is Wichita — 75 miles away. Its proximity to Wichita, as well as the mid-sized cities of Topeka and Lawrence, makes Cottonwood Falls an appealing day-trip destination for those seeking solitude and a country setting.

The best time to visit Cottonwood Falls and its surrounding prairie is during the shoulder seasons. In late spring (from late May through early June), the tall grasses around Cottonwood Falls have turn green and the fields are dotted with wildflowers. In October, the grasses gradually turn red, mimicking fall foliage and offering a unique, Kansas spin on leaf-peeping. The summer months, though hot, bring several town events worth attending, including a rodeo, county fair, outdoor concerts, and farmers markets.

Similar to other historic downtowns of underrated Kansas cities, like Marysville, Cottonwood Falls houses many of its top attractions and family-owned shops along one main street. In Cottonwood Falls, that's Broadway Street, a wide brick lane that's lined with brick and limestone buildings. Those structures, some of which date back to the late 1800s, now house unique stores, such as Prairie PastTimes Arts and Crafts and Tallgrass Antiques. The highly regarded Vintage Bulldog sells a wide variety of antiques and collectibles from its location on Broadway. "Some fantastic finds. The owner and his staff do a great job of showcasing their treasures," one customer wrote on Google.

Though the town has a population of fewer than 900 residents, it has found a foothold in the art world. The Flint Hills Gallery off Broadway Street showcases the paintings of Judith Mackey and her granddaughter, Jessica Bell. Mackey, now deceased, was an artist for 40 years who exclusively painted outdoors and used her talents to promote the beauty of the area. Every year, Cottonwood Falls plays host to the Prairie Art Exhibit and Auction, during which art enthusiasts can purchase paintings of the Flint Hills region in support of local artists. 

Past the gallery and shops on Broadway Street is the Chase County Courthouse, which stands imposingly at one end, stories higher than the surrounding buildings. Like another lesser-known town full of European charm in Kansas, some architecture in Cottonwood Falls has a European theme. That's the case with the courthouse, which was completed in 1873 and constructed of limestone in the French Renaissance style. It's now the oldest courthouse in Kansas that's still in use.

Drinking and dining in Cottonwood Falls comes down to three establishments that offer wildly different aesthetics: the Doghouse Saloon, Grand Central Hotel & Grill, and HeBrews Coffee House. Like most other attractions in town, all three are located on Broadway Street. If you're starting your day in Cottonwood Falls, you can stop by HeBrews for a cup of coffee, or, as one visitor wrote on Google, "seriously one of the best cinnamon rolls." The restaurant offers an array of specialty coffee drinks, as well as home-baked goods, including scones, biscuits, and quiches. 

For a night of entertainment, try Doghouse Saloon, which opened in 2021 and immediately received a welcome reception from both locals and visitors. The saloon has a full-service bar, pool tables, and live music, and it was celebrated by one local on Yelp as being a "true authentic country bar where they have good music, good drinks." The establishment is an option only for those planning to be in Cottonwood Falls late in the day. They open at 4 p.m. and go until 1 a.m.

The Grand Central Hotel & Grill is the only sit-down restaurant in town, and it's a destination in its own right. The two-story brick building on Broadway first opened in 1884 as a hotel named Central House. It has remained a hotel for over 140 years, though it underwent various name and ownership changes until it was dubbed the Grand Central Hotel and Grill in 1995. The restaurant in the hotel is classified as fine dining with a western flair. It's open for lunch and dinner, and its dishes include different cuts of steaks, as well as pastas, soups, salads, and burgers.

The Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve lies 5 miles north of downtown Cottonwood Falls. The preserve, the only National Park Service unit dedicated to prairie land, protects a small remnant of the once vast prairie ecosystem that existed in the middle of America. This 11,000-acre swath has the distinction of being one of the world's last remaining tallgrass prairies. Visitors to the preserve can walk a network of nature trails that take them through hundreds of different species of wildflowers and grasses. Here, you can spot wildlife, including deer, cattle, and the greater prairie-chicken. Dozens of bison also roam the area, and visitors often get sightings of the herd along the 3.2-mile Scenic Overlook Trail.  

The route to the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve includes a stretch of Kansas Highway 177, designated the Flint Hills Scenic Byway, where travelers get views of rolling hills of prairie as they drive along. The byway goes right through Cottonwood Falls. "Beautiful drive up from Wichita north of the turnpike on the Flint Hills 'scenic highway,'" wrote one reviewer on Google. "Super easy place to get to, and hiking amongst the bison in a natural prairie reserve is just so cool, especially for a native Kansas guy like myself. You can hike as long (or as little) as you like. Highly recommended!" If you haven't had your fill of the Great Outdoors at the preserve, visitors to Cottonwood Falls can swing by Bates Grove Park on the north end of town for a view of water cascading over a dam on the Cottonwood River. For a closer look, take a stroll over the Cottonwood Falls River Walking Bridge.