Stepping Back to Enjoy Life and Art in Clay Center, KS

I came across the giant Prairie Thunder mural like many do, scrolling through my Instagram feed. I almost missed it as it flew by my screen, but the vibrant blue, green and fiery yellow had me quickly backtracking. THAT is WHERE? Admittedly, I had to Google the exact location of Clay Center, KS. As someone who loves to explore the state but lives as far east as possible, oftentimes I find intriguing attractions are at least a 3 hour car ride from Kansas City. I was pleasantly surprised to find it was just a short 2.5 hour trip, not far past Manhattan. With “Find a new mural to love” as item #7 on my 2025 Kansas Bucket List, this adventure was one I couldn’t pass up. 

With a bit of research I learned Prairie Thunder (by Miami-based artist Christian Stanley)  was one of more than 30 murals across Clay County, KS, which is made up of six towns and just about 8,000 people. I connected with Brett Hubka, one of the leaders of the mural committee that brought this project to life. I was surprised to learn not long ago there was almost no public art in the county. This was until 2020 when the local Rotary club (Hubka was the president at the time) voted to commission a mural for their annual project. That’s right, one mural. The local response was resoundingly positive, and the support for more murals took off from there. 

Brett was gracious enough to spend his Friday afternoon giving me a tour around downtown Clay Center, where a bulk of the murals can be viewed scattered throughout several blocks. During this time Dave chased Ford, around the town square. I couldn’t help notice the quaintness of the Clay Center, as we’d periodically caught a glimpse of Dave trailing behind the toddling Ford as we strolled around.

“Any questions so far?” Brett asked. Funding was on my mind. Somebody needed to pay these talented creators, who traveled anywhere from across town to across the country to share their work for all to see. Brett explained they’d received grant money from both the District Rotary and the Kansas Arts Commission. But what I really loved to hear is that a majority of the funds collected were from local businesses and individuals. It seems more now than ever it’s nearly impossible to rally an entire county around the value of something like public art. It evokes emotion, inspires and teaches us to ponder subjects and ask questions, but unfortunately not everyone sees it as essential. However, Brett, his fellow committee members, and the artists involved have done just that. 

We stopped in and chatted with Natalie and Kathryn from Grow Clay County, an organization that serves to strengthen the community and its businesses. Here they sell souvenirs inspired by some of the city’s most popular murals.They gave me a few recommendations for places to eat: Tasty Pastry, The Happy Hippie and 15-24 Brew House, where you can try locally brewed beers dressed in labels inspired by, you guessed it, the murals. I knew with a toddler tired from a long day we might be pushing it to go out to eat right away, so we headed to our accommodations for the evening. 

Brett suggested Life’s Finer Moments, and referred me to Jana Cott, the sweet owner. The Cotts originally began sharing their family’s land with hunters in 2012. They then built two cabins, dedicating part of the land as a quiet getaway for families to enjoy time together, and later a venue that now hosts weddings and other events throughout the year. Needing plenty of space to run around, it was perfect for Dave, Ford and I. We arrived just in time for a sunset stroll along the gravel path leading you from the cabins to the lovely, rustic wedding venue, where we got to meet and talk with Jana. Kansas had just started warming up for spring, and the evening chill in the air was invigorating after I’d broken a sweat on our mural tour. We skipped along the path, Ford giggling atop Dave’s shoulders as he bounced him around. I snapped some photos and videos to capture it, smiling to myself and even tearing up a little. This was the kind of core memory the Cotts probably envisioned when they opened Life’s Finer Moments. 

The cabin could fit a family twice our size, with two bedrooms, a large living room, kitchen, bathroom, front porch and back deck. However, it was heaven, as it let Ford release that bit of energy kids get right before they crash for the night. We were exhausted, and while I still have every intention to go back and have dinner and a beer at 15-24 Brew House, Dave picked us up a pizza. We were as cozy in the cabin as we would be at home and we all slept like babies. 

We had lots of Clay Center left to cover that next day, but we enjoyed a slow morning drinking coffee in our cabin. We made it back into town and to the locally famous Tasty Pastry just before noon. You know when you walk into a business right before closing and can tell the employees would prefer you turn right back around? This was not the case. We were greeted with smiles and hellos from the diners and people behind the counter, which Ford of course met with his adorable wave. We drooled at the sight of the pastries on display, and opted for an old fashioned donut, a sugar coated cake donut and the star of the show: a decadent maple bar. 

Afterward we went back to linger a little longer at the Sunflower State of Mind mural, also by Christian Stanley. Being from the sunflower state I was naturally dazzled by the sunflowers, soaring Western Meadowlarks and rolling hills. Dave and Ford had yet to see Stanley’s Prairie Thunder up close, so that was our next stop. I don’t catch my husband in awe at just anything, but even he held his breath as we stood face-to-face with the ginourmous American bison, the center focus of Stanley’s majestic work of art. 

We popped around to a few more murals and worked up more of an appetite, so we stopped in at The Happy Hippie. The downtown cafe, yoga studio and community gathering center features smoothies and acai bowls as colorful as its neighboring murals. Dave went for a yummy breakfast burrito and Ford and I fought over bites of the PB&J Acai Bowl. It was mixed with strawberries and banana, and topped with housemade granola, coconut flakes, local honey and a drizzle of peanut butter. Ford and I loooove peanut butter.

A necessary tip I’ve learned in my inaugural year of traveling with a toddler is to always scope out the local parks before hitting your destination. Ford “woah-ed” at the murals plenty, but he was absolutely bonkers over the Safari Run toddler area at Clay Center’s Dexter Park. The Safari Run was also started as a Rotary club project, and is now enjoyed by both local and visiting kiddos. The playground is meant to be accessible for children of all ages and abilities, and Ford happily wore himself out going down slides, crawling through tunnels and climbing up towers that were still short enough for mom to keep her cool. 

That’s something that really stood out to me at Clay Center - it gave me an opportunity to relax and enjoy an environment that was so welcoming, fun and affordable for my family. From the beautiful murals, to the walkable downtown and our picturesque stay at Life’s Finer Moments, to the locals who were so happy to share their businesses and community pride with us, I felt at ease the whole time. Clay Center was such an unexpected retreat and if you’re looking to break out of the ordinary for a weekend with your honey, your family, a group of friends or even a place to solo travel, you too should let this small Kansas town catch you by surprise. 

Thank you to Brett Hubka with A Mural Movement of Clay Center, Janna Cott with Life’s Finer Moments and the folks at Grow Clay County for being so accommodating to Dave, Ford and I. Click here to check out all of the murals we saw while in Clay Center, KS.