Lucas, KS

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Founded in 1887 Lucas, is a farming community of 407 people, is known as the "Grassroots Art Capital of Kansas". The World’s Largest Souvenir Travel Plate welcomes you to town, and traditional Post Rock limestone architecture enhances neighborhoods and downtown businesses.

Lucas is home to a thriving downtown, the volunteer built and ran, Lucas Area Community Theater, 3D, state-of-the-art Movie Theater, and some wonderful art experiences. The theater is used for weekend movies, school events, concerts, plays and other community events.

The World Famous outsider art environment, the Garden of Eden has been an attraction since 1907, built by Civil War Veteran S.P. Dinsmoor.

Over 150 three story concrete structures show the pioneering spirit of this town that embraces art by everyday people. The Garden of Eden is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, also consists of a stone "log cabin" home and a mausoleum where Mr. Dinsmoor and his first wife are buried. Bowl Plaza is a public restroom with "Bling"! Covered with mosaics inside and out this restroom was created by locals, and is a "One of a Kind"! Bowl Plaza is the 2nd Best Restroom in the United States in a contest by the Cintas Company in 2014.

Miller's Park - From the 1930's until the early 1960's Roy and Clara Miller of Lucas traveled the United States and brought rocks back home and used them to build miniature mountains and buildings. The mountains represent some of their favorite places like, Pikes Peak in Colorado, and the buildings were replicas of Lucas businesses and churches.

The sculptures were sold after the Miller's deaths in the late 1960's, and have been sitting in a field at Hay's for 40+ years. The Kohler Foundation obtained the collection in late 2012 and had them moved back to Lucas and restored. The sculptures now sit just east of the Garden of Eden and are open to the public year round.

The Grassroots Art Center houses the work of untrained artists of the region. As a child Florence Deeble lived just a half a block from the Garden of Eden and watched Dinsmoor work on his creation. She then started creating post card scenes of some of her favorite vacation spots in her backyard from concrete and rocks brought home from her travels.

While in Lucas don't miss The World’s Largest Collection of the World's Smallest Versions of the World's Largest Things Museum just south of the Garden of Eden. Be sure to see the World's Smallest Mural and the circus wagons.

Stop by for a taste of traditional recipe Czechlovakian bologna from Brant’s Meat Market, now in its fourth generation, and experience the quirky wonderful things Lucas has to offer.

Lucas is nestled in the heart of Post Rock Country and the Smoky Hills region of Kansas. It is located in Russell County at the junction of K-18 and K-232 highways just eight miles north of beautiful Wilson Lake, the "Clearest Lake in Kansas". Winding around Wilson Lake from Wilson to Lucas is the Post Rock Scenic Byway.

The byway kiosk at the west end of the Wilson Lake Dam tells the history of the limestone used in the area and the towns of Lucas and Wilson. Watch for Chelsey, Janea, Bill and Leo D., the 4 "Faces in Limestone" as you travel north of the Wilson Lake Dam to Lucas.

Lucas has an active PRIDE Program that has many ongoing community projects. As you look down Main Street you will see these projects in the flower planters, benches, Mini Park, flag pole, city park playground, Lucas Theater, baseball park improvements, cemetery directory and the community bulletin board.