The Small Town in Kansas That Feels Straight Out Of Gilmore Girls

There’s something about fall that makes me want to curl up on the sofa, rewind a few decades, and sink deep into memories of the good old days. The days of one-stoplight towns, dimly-lit coffee shops, and hardware stores where you can still run a tab until the end of the month. Binge-watching endless seasons of the "Gilmore Girls" is a great start, but something even better is wandering through towns like Stars Hollow that still exist. 

A few months back, I stumbled upon a Kansas version, a small town straight out of Gilmore Girls. Quietly resting in the northwest corner of the state is Goodland, a town that looks as much like a forgotten movie set as it sounds like one. I was pulled in by the guise of a funky, art town, based on its claim to fame — The World’s Largest Van Gogh Painting. Since I’ve loved Van Gogh’s paintings since middle school and Kansas is the sunflower state, stopping to see it was a must-do on this Kansas road trip. Gazing 80 feet up at the “Vase with 3 Flowers” was more than worth the stop, and while I paused beneath its stilts, I noticed a giant, tin-looking water tower with “Goodland” spelled out in big, bold letters. Its vintage vibe intrigued me, so I wandered further into town.

It turns out Goodland, Kansas, has several excellent vintage attractions, a whole lot of heart, and a deep Americana history that dates back to 1887. And despite having a population under 5,000, there are several museums to explore, along with a handful of unique roadside attractions. The first one to catch my eye was the White Eagle Gas Station, a restored 1920s gas station. Its stucco exterior, clay shingles, and brick drive give it a southwest appearance, and the surrounding yard is artfully cluttered with petroleum memorabilia, including old signs and a bus.

While wandering through the collection, a local stopped me to ask if I’d seen the first helicopter at the High Plains Museum. Of course, I hadn’t, and it was nearly 4 p.m., so he urged me to rush over there before it closed promptly at five. The museum is incredibly eclectic, pieced together by the townspeople, a mix of Native American descendants and families of the homesteaders, railroaders, and soldiers who settled here after the first railroad was laid. I certainly could have spent a few hours sorting through their heritage, but the helicopter was the first priority. It turns out that a local from this small Kansas town, straight out of the Gilmore Girls, invented and patented the first helicopter. The museum has a full-size, interactive replica with moving parts, a gem to see and tinker with. 

Not surprisingly, another local stopped to chat before I could leave, telling me I should head out to see the llamas and the Grasshopper Invasion. I couldn’t resist, and trailed 3.5 miles back in the opposite direction to see the phenomenon. This time, another art piece is a giant grasshopper made from recycled tractor parts, sharing the lot with a herd of llamas, some metal palm trees, and an “It’s 5 o’clock somewhere” sign. What an incredible town full of quirky personalities and eccentric interests, just the type of personalities I hope to indulge when settling in for an episode of the "Gilmore Girls." 

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