Above: Ike’s statue at his Presidential Library and Museum in Abilene. Kansas Travel & Tourism photo

Eight wonders of Kansas are chosen

During this election year, many people are casting votes for favored candidates. While Americans have several months before a new president is chosen, more than 24,000 citizens have selected the eight wonders of Kansas.

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius announ-ced the eight wonders in a ceremony on Jan. 29 at the state Capitol. The winners of the contest–a project of the Kansas Sampler Foundation– were selected from 24 finalists. The eight wonders, in alphabetical order, are:

• Big Well in Greensburg
• Cheyenne Bottoms and Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in Barton and Stafford counties
• Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum in Abilene
• Kansas Cosmosphere & Space Center in Hutchinson
• Kansas Underground Salt Museum, Hutchinson
• Monument Rocks and Castle Rock in Gove County
• St. Fidelis Church (Cathedral of the Plains) in Victoria
• Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in Chase County

For more information on the wonders and what makes them unique, visit www.8wonders .org.
Kansas Travel and Tourism has information to assist you in planning a trip to Kansas. Click on www.travelks.com or call (800) 2 KANSAS (252-6727). •

Travel purists pick atlas for road trips

Few people can see a road atlas without thinking of vacations, adventures, or other memories of travel. And fewer can resist flipping through one, looking for the familiar or dreaming of exploring new places.

Modern technology can provide alternatives for maps and directions, but atlas loyalists cite lower cost, reliability, ease of use, portability, and detailed available information as advantages of the printed format. It is considered an essential item to keep in a vehicle at all times.

Covering the United States, Canada and Mexico, the AAA Road Atlas features the latest AAA/CAA comprehensive road information, as well as inset city maps, same-page town indexing, driving times, and mileage tables. The North American version is available in standard, large print, and pocket editions. It is available at your nearest full-service AAA office, at better bookstores, and online at www.AAA.com/BarnesAndNoble. The cost for members is $8.95, $12.95 for non-members. Your local AAA office can also offers expert travel planning and booking services, as well as complete resources for auto travel.

AAA Exclusive Getaways are preplanned vacations that include extras like lodging, meals, tours and more. Regional packages are available to Chicago and Memphis, but destinations explore the continental United States. These trip packages are great for people who prefer to drive to the destination. As your AAA travel professional for details.

Explore new wine trail

This spring, discover Missouri’s newest group of wineries, the Ozark Mountain Region Wine Trail. Six wineries make up the trail that stretches from Joplin to Seymour in southwest Missouri. Wineries along the trail, which opened August 2007, offer tastings, tours and special events. The wineries are:

• Keltoi Vineyard in Oronogo, (417) 642-6190
• OOVVDA Winery in Springfield, (417) 833-4896
• Le Cave Vineyards in Billings, (417) 744-4122
• Whispering Oaks Vineyard, (417) 935-4103
• White Rose Winery in Carthage, (417) 359-9253
• William Creek Winery in Mt. Vernon, (417) 466-4076.

This spring, Le Cave has several events including a St. Patrick’s celebration on March 15, and May Day Spring Fling on May 3. Bring a picnic or purchase a basket at the winery and enjoy local bands.

For information, visit www.missouriwine.org or call (800) 392-WINE (9463).