FLINT HILLS AMONG YAHOO'S TOP TEN TRAVEL DESTINATIONS

Scenic Kansas area listed in top 10 travel destinations

To mark the 230th anniversary of American independence, the well-known Internet website Yahoo.com highlighted its top 10 travel destinations in the U.S. It should come as no surprise to Kansans that the Flint Hills ranked number five on the list.

According to the site's listing, "Most folks consider the Great Plains fly-over country, and that's a shame because the prairies are home to America's subtlest charms and scenery. Mostly treeless and curving gently across the eastern Kansas landscape, the Flint Hills are home to the largest remnant of native tallgrass prairie in the world. Newcomers driving through this sublime setting on I-35 between Kansas City and Wichita are stunned by their first glimpse of this gorgeous landscape, but for a slower, more in-depth journey, try Kansas highways 4 (east-west) and 177 (north-south)."

The Flint Hills are in good company. Other destinations on the list include Washington state's Olympic National Park (#1), California's Big Sur (#2), U.S. Highway 50, Between Maryland and California (#3), Colorado's Pike National Forest (#4), Sun Studio in Memphis (#6), New Orleans' French Quarter (#7), Florida's Key West (#8), Yankee Stadium (#9), and "secret places" from "coast to coast" (#10).

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