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The Atlas/Kansas/Hays House 1857 Restaurant & Tavern

Hays House 1857 Restaurant & Tavern

Established in 1857 by Seth Hays on the Santa Fe Trail, Hays House is documented as the oldest continuously-operating restaurant west of the Mississippi River. The stone building at 112 W. Main in Council Grove anchors the north end of the Flint Hills National Scenic Byway. The menu leans on Kansas comfort food — award-winning Chicken Fried Steak, slow-smoked brisket, and house-made pies — in a dining room that has fed travelers for more than 165 years. Recognized as one of the 8 Wonders of Kansas Cuisine by the Kansas Sampler Foundation.

Kansas
Region
Food & fuel
Stop type
Standalone stop
Atlas
// Why riders stop

The northern gateway diner for the Flint Hills Scenic Byway: a genuinely historic building, reliable Kansas comfort food, and an easy lunch stop before heading south on K-177 into open prairie.

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// Nearby & related
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Gypsum Hills Scenic Byway Overlook Corridor
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The Gypsum Hills Scenic Byway runs 42 miles on US-160 west from Medicine Lodge to Coldwater through Barber County's Red Hills — iron-rich rust-colored mesas, cedar-studded canyons, and open buttes that are visually unlike anywhere else in Kansas. The landscape is sometimes called the 'Little Grand Canyon of Kansas.' Wildlife sightings (pheasant, deer, wild turkey) are common along the two-lane corridor. Voted one of the 8 Wonders of Kansas by the Kansas Sampler Foundation. Medicine Lodge itself has the Stockade Museum and the Carry A. Nation Home for a quick cultural stop before or after the ride.
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Kansas Motorcycle Museum
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Founded in 2003 by motorcycle racer Stan Engdahl, the Kansas Motorcycle Museum at 120 N. Washington St. in Marquette houses more than 100 vintage and rare motorcycles including a bike once owned by Elvis Presley. The museum is a Kansas Sampler Foundation pick for 8 Wonders of Kansas and hosts the annual Thunder on the Smoky rally each September. Open Monday–Saturday 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Admission charged; located in the Smoky Hills along US-81 north of Interstate 70.
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Schrumpf Hill Scenic Overlook
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An award-winning pull-off on K-177 approximately three miles south of Cottonwood Falls in Chase County. The overlook features paved walkways and interpretive panels describing the flora and fauna of tallgrass prairie — one of the last large intact examples in North America. From the elevated berm, the view sweeps across undulating bluestem grassland with no structures visible in any direction, a panorama that motorcycle travelers on the Flint Hills Scenic Byway consistently cite as a highlight of the corridor.