This Kansas Town With Threshing Bee Festivals, Parks, And Tractors Is Anchored By An Offbeat 'Rock In The Road'

Unique roadside stops across America come up with all sorts of gimmicks in hopes of stopping traffic. In McLouth, Kansas, they went with a more direct approach. You'll have no choice but to slow down when driving through this town to avoid running into a large rock in the middle of Granite Street. The rock isn't a flashy, massive attraction, but those who have ventured out to McLouth to check out this glacial erratic are rarely disappointed. 

This rock, and the town that is embracing the oddity by developing around the rock instead of removing it, has an interesting cult status. One reviewer described their experience on Tripadvisor by saying, "Nowhere on God's green earth is there such a breathtaking battle of the beauty and nature clashing with the impending creep of man-made structures." A blogger on the Kansas Sampler Blogspot wrote, "You won't 'Get Kansas!' till you see this rock." To know this rock is to love it. And the best part is, you don't have to go that far out of your way to see it for yourself. 

McLouth and its famous rock are only 40 miles from the Kansas City International Airport and Topeka, and less than 30 minutes from the thriving art scene and low cost of living in Lawrence. Alongside the town's star attraction, McLouth hosts frequent truck & tractor pulling events, plus the Threshing Bee Festival, an awesome celebration of agricultural yesteryear. While it might not seem like much when looking at the map, McLouth has a lot going on for a place once described by its residents as "just a small town with a rock in the road.

The first thing you should do in McLouth is slow down. There are no street signs indicating that you're about to meet the Rock in the Road. The attraction is marked on Google Maps as the McLouth Granite Boulder, and you really will have to pay attention to make sure you drive around it. A resident on Reddit estimates about two cars per year hit the rock. Turn onto Granite Street and boom, a large pink Sioux quartzite boulder, carried here thousands of years ago by a glacier, blocks your path.

Legend has it that when they first paved South Granite Street and East Lucy Street in downtown McLouth, it was easier to pave around this rock than move it. They tried to dig the rock up in the past, but no matter how much they dug, they never got to the bottom of it. Now, pavement runs right to the rock's edge, creating an interesting sight. 

After you check out the rock, head towards North Union Street to stock up. You can grab food and coffee at the Sweet Life, order pizza at Casey's, or build your own picnic lunch at the Country Harvest Apple Market. McLouth makes it easy to eat your meal outside. The city maintains three parks with playgrounds, shelters, and picnic tables. Rose Park is also home to a unique disc golf course, known for its tricky shots. One of the best times of the year to visit McLouth is in September, for the Threshing Bee and Fall Festival. The festivities celebrate pioneer-era tools used for threshing — separating edible grain from the stalks of harvested cereal crops — with daily threshing, thresherman's breakfasts, antique tractor pulls, and much more.

A lot like the Rock in the Road, there's a lot more going on in McLouth than appears at the surface. Still, it's a small town with a population of under 1,000 permanent residents and no hotels. Luckily, the sprawling fields and highways of Kansas run right through town and quickly connect you to more action. 

There are a few ranches and quaint inns near McLouth, like the Circle S Ranch, located only 10 miles from the Rock in the Road. You'll find plenty more places to eat, interesting things to see, and good places to sleep in Topeka and Lawrence, the two largest nearby population centers. The Kansas River runs through both of these towns and creates a great place to get outside and stretch your legs. Topeka has a cool riverside ATV Park, and in Lawrence, a network of hiking and Mountain Biking trails takes you right along the river's edge. 

If you're a fan of roadside attractions, you can cross several more off your bucket list without heading too far from McLouth. The Rock in the Road is approximately an hour and 15 minutes from a unique tourist spot dedicated to Dorothy and the gang, called the Oz Museum. This exhibit in Wamego, Kansas, is home to a first-edition copy of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum, commemorative ruby slippers, and rooms filled with rare Oz artifacts. McLouth is also close to Truckhenge Farm, another interesting roadside stop that's part art installation and part gun range. The property has old trucks cemented in 42,000 pounds of concrete, a 30-acre fishing pond, bottle art, and much more.