An eye opening trip to Rural Middle America

Recently I joined my parents for a trip to visit family and little did we know how far our travels would take us from our daily amenities. I have traveled to other countries, some poor, some small, some remote, but my trip to Goodland Kansas took me for a spin!

After a long 3hr drive from Denver Colorado, seeing nothing more than flat farmland and the occasional tree, we finally arrived to Goodland Kansas and luckily had a room at the newest hotel in the City, the Holiday Inn. We settled into our room and made our way out to visit some family. I could not believe how many empty buildings, stores, and hotels were just sitting as if they were abandoned one day out of the blue. Some stores appeared open, but they were not and the only places that were available were of course the local Wal-Mart and a few food joints. Yet this sleepy town occupies just over 4,000 residents and has its own community college and schools. With more residents dying than being born each year, this town appears to be in a slow decline.

So what did we do in Goodland?  Besides visiting family we took our own little tour of the 4 mile wide by 4 mile long city in about an hour. We were able to literally stop in the middle of the brick paved Main Street to capture a photo of the historic buildings and broken down classic cars. My parents and I got excited when we saw playground toys even they remember playing with as children - still planted in the local parks. Remember the merry-go-rounds you’d spin on until you fell off or got sick, and the spring loaded bouncing animal rides? They still have them and they were fun to play on! Something that would most definitely be deemed as “unsafe” in my fast paced city and removed immediately.

My eyes were opened to the fact that even though I live in a growing and very populated city that there are places right here in America that are living in the past - and yet stuck in the present hard economical times. Travel is usually about fun for me, but this time it was also an eye opening experience that places in need are not just in other countries, but in our own backyard!

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Holiday Inn Express - Goodland, Kansas (A renewed love for Holiday Inn)

What's in Goodland, Kansas? Well, a whole lot of nothing, but we were on a trip to visit family and this City was in our itinerary and thank goodness for the new Holiday Inn Express! This hotel almost seems like a diamond in the rough if you’re driving through Northwest Kansas. A few other hotels in this ghost town have come and gone, leaving just a couple to choose from.

It has been years since I've stayed at a Holiday Inn and I didn't recall any fond memories of them in the past. I was more than impressed with the new simple, yet stylish decor and clean atmosphere the new Holiday Inn Express & Suites offer. I had no idea that they were in the midst of revitalizing the hotel chain by remodeling with significant changes both inside and out of their over 3,200 hotels across the World. To find one, simply look for their newly updated, hip logo on the outside of the hotel and this is signifies the updates have been made.

Our room was spacious with a King size bed and couch that pulled out into another bed. I was traveling with my parents so the couch was mine for the night and it was decent for a pull out, although I was envious of their plush looking comforter and mattress they got to sleep on. The room had a nice little sink area with a microwave and small fridge, perfect for keeping our drinks cold. There was also a nice flat screen TV and a desk area for your computer.

To my surprise I hadn't noticed when I pre-booked the hotel that there was a morning breakfast provided. My dad just about jumped for joy when he saw his favorite - Biscuits and Gravy available along with the eggs, bagels, breads, cereals, cinnamon rolls, and fruits. I didn't expect much out of this Holiday Inn when I booked it online and the breakfast was fresh and an added bonus I hadn’t planned on.

Our stay was a brief one night, but it has made me reconsider future stays in the Holiday Inn Express hotels. Their efforts in creating a fresh, clean updated hotel has quickly put them back into my books as a good hotel chain. I would highly recommend this Holiday Inn if you’re on the road through Kansas and have to make a stop in Goodland (Just a three hour drive East of Denver, Colorado) ShareThis