Some Touristy Stuff, More Tacos, and Whiskey
Part 2: Day two started with saving some money. We decided the breakfast at our Holiday Inn Express & Suites looked pretty good. So, we saved money by eating at our hotel, something that’s become more and more important to me on my travels. By the way, there isn’t much to choose from in Dodge City for breakfast.
There is an IHOP, but I’m not a fan, and there’s Miss Kitty’s which looks like one of those sweet little road trip finds but doesn’t open until 9 am. If Ryan waits that long for breakfast, he starves to death (almost true). There is a fine coffee shop with breakfast, but I’ll write about that in the next post.
After breakfast, we took the dog for a long walk around Wright Park, which as I indicated in my last post, is next to the Holiday Inn Express, just past Long Branch Lagoon, a water park. Every kid’s dream hotel is next to a water park so every kid’s dream hotel is the Holiday Inn Express in Dodge City, Kansas.
Wright Park is grand, it has huge trees, a playground, a pavilion, a zoo currently closed for construction, an amphitheater and more. There is a dog park that Ryan utilized on one of Fritzi’s morning walks.
Every day we’d spend time at the park that’s been around in some capacity since 1880. Incredibly well maintained, we’d always see someone working to change garbage cans and keep the park clean. In fact, he saw us on day one and said “hi” on the subsequent days. This green, treed park is popular, but big enough for all the picnickers and football throwers to be spread out.
Also popular with birds, the big trees are home to many species, but to our delight, we saw a lot of Mississippi Kites. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen one, so it was exciting. My bird photos were taken on a cell phone so go to this link for photographs of Mississippi Kites.
The park’s southern border is the empty Arkansas River. The river, which runs through Colorado towns like Pueblo and Lamar, is a large, dusty, dry riverbed when it reaches Dodge City. In much of Kansas, the Arkansas is all but dried up, but the larger story is complex, and I won’t go into it here. It’s a bummer about the river being dry because it would be a nice backdrop to the beauty of Wright Park.
In the time of Wyatt Earp, seemingly revered in this town, the river was expansive and a bridge was necessary to bring all the cattle into town from Texas via the Great Western Cattle Trail.
I refer to Wyatt Earp being revered because Dodge City is proud that he spent time here. The main drag through town is Wyatt Earp Boulevard. Wyatt Earp lived in Dodge City twice and was the town marshall.
Bordering on 80 degrees by the time we reached Boot Hill Museum, we were happy to be in air conditioning. Routinely at the top of all the best museums in the West lists, we had to drop in and do a little exploring. Plus, I’m a sucker for museums that have real buildings erected that accurately depict a town’s past appearance, like the South Park City in Fairplay, Colorado.
Here is a little walk down the recreated Dodge City Front Street boardwalk:
Having been around since 1947, Boot Hill Museum is a must-visit in my illustrious opinion. From the gift shop to the cemetery, from the rebuilt Front Street to “Gunsmoke” on the television in a replica living room that reminded me of my grandparents’ house, it’s excellent. I learned later that “Gunsmoke” was my Grandpa Kerr’s favorite television show.
For those who may be unaware (like me). “Gunsmoke” was the longest running western on television and although it was filmed in California, it was set in Dodge City. It ran from 1955 to 1975.
As a bonus, the staff at Boot Hill Museum are funny, and chatty and got us to sign up for the show that evening. We were visiting a week before the Long Branch Variety Show got underway for the summer, however, they were offering tickets to a soft opening on the weekend we were in Dodge City. We bought the tickets and promised to return that evening for the show, starting with a shootout followed by dinner and entertainment. By the way, a ticket to the show includes admission to the museum.
The museum visit takes a couple of hours, so plan accordingly. We walked around Dodge City a bit, and while there are a few interesting buildings, its days as a Wild West town are lost among modern office buildings and posters plastering the windows of businesses.
Mexican markets, Mexican restaurants, and Mexican ice cream shops dominate Dodge City’s downtown. This is an indicator of the large Mexican-American population. After looking around, we lunched at Mariscos Nayarit on the second floor of Eryn’s Downtown Center.
I don’t think this spot is ever flooded with tourists, although it appears popular with locals. It was cold beer and tacos for me, and cold beer and enchiladas for Ryan. We ate at a table overlooking the downstairs area of the “mall” which features a large antique store, and listened to Spanish being spoken around us. Mariscos Nayarit didn’t disappoint and is a fast, affordable dining option in Dodge City.
That afternoon, we walked the Chilton Park Disc Golf with Fritzi. Thankfully, the park is full of tall shady trees because it was hot and a bit humid. A drive around Dodge City revealed ofrendas in yards and the Mueller-Schmidt House of Stone. An interesting stop, it has only had two owners since being built in 1882. I don’t think it was open when we stopped by, but Mueller-Schmidt House does open for the public to look inside.
We took some downtime in our hotel room, enjoying the air conditioning. Colorado has now hit 90 degrees, so we’re better acclimated to warm weather, but in mid-May, we weren’t prepared for the heat in Dodge City, Kansas.
When it was time, we walked from our hotel to Boot Hill Museum (about five minutes). This hotel is right downtown and no other hotel is close. We didn’t think Uber would be readily available so the proximity to downtown was excellent.
At the museum, we witnessed a shootout followed by dinner and the Long Branch Variety Show. I felt like a silly tourist, but despite being a touristy activity, it was fun.
Better than I thought it would be, the shootout is filled with action. I’d want to join this production if I lived in Dodge City. The actors played their roles darn well, and I am sure that the little girls in the audience won’t soon forget the shenanigans.
A big plate of yummy beef brisket, mashed potatoes, and green beans was our dinner at the show. Running since 1958, outdoors in 2020, the Long Branch Variety Show is the longest-running show of its kind in the country. So, bragging rights if you see it.
Colorful in many ways, the Long Branch Variety Show is something to behold. A throwback to when life was less complicated and the Can Can was still risque.
My only regret is that during the soft opening, the bar was closed, so even though they were singing about beer and whiskey, we were drinking iced tea. I believe it is open during regular shows. No matter, because after it was over, we went up the hill a few minutes walk, to Boot Hill Distillery, where the bar was open.
Boot Hill Distillery is my favorite stop in Dodge City. You should go! They make excellent whiskey so I am sure it would have been Doc Holliday’s favorite spot in Dodge City.
Officially located on top of Boot Hill Cemetary, 1873-1878, a piece of this graveyard is part of the museum. So yes, Boot Hill Distillery is next to Boot Hill Museum In 1878, the first schoolhouse was erected on this site. Then, in 1929 the current building was built to house the City Hall, court, jail, fire department and police station. It’s gone on to be home to the Chamber of Commerce and more. Since 2014, however, it has been the Boot Hill Distillery.
From the whiskey to the ambiance, this distillery is one-of-a-kind. Even though I had to walk uphill in cowboy boots to get there, it is the place I’ll send everyone who travels to Dodge City.
The museum is a must-stop. Top-notch with many highly produced exhibits and one of the best gift stores I’ve been in. However, we love Doc Holliday. I am less infatuated with Wyatt Earp, yet this museum gives Doc only one mention (that I saw). His photo (very handsome, I must say) is near the Faro Room, and a paragraph or two is all he gets. His girlfriend, “Big Nose” Kate, gets around the same number of paragraphs.
Anyway, I think whoever curated this collection many years ago was no fan of Doc Holliday. Indeed, Holliday doesn’t play the same part in this town’s history as Wyatt Earp. However, if one reads “Doc” by Mary Doria Russell, it is set entirely in Dodge City. It is historical fiction, but still, we expected Doc Holliday to have a little more representation at the museum.
Ryan did buy this shirt in the gift shop:
Doc Holliday has not been entirely forgotten in Dodge City, Kansas. There is a statue of the man in front of Boot Hill Museum’s parking lot.
Next up, we head north along the Great Western Cattle Trail and encounter a few surprises.
Read the first day of our Cattle Drive Road Trip, Tacos, Wrong Turns & Cattle Truck Backups.
