Ahh summertime. Long sunny days. The scent of freshly mowed lawns. Outdoor activities and festivals galore. Watermelon slices. This is definitely my favorite time of year. On the flipside, I long for my childhood days when summers were reserved for the pool and endless hours on the playground, including weekdays. Alas, we all eventually grow up and instead, have our summer fun on the weekends while away from the office.

My husband and I recently sat down to discuss our summer weekend plans, and so far on our long list is a hiking trip to the Flint Hills, a bike ride on the Katy Trail from Booneville to Rocheport in Missouri  and a  tasting at Weston’s Pirtle Winery. Locally, we are planning for several visits to the Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, the downtown Overland Park Farmers’ Market and the always exciting Jazz in the Woods.

“But what else?” we always ask ourselves. How do we know we’re not missing something incredibly fun and unique in the city or the region? There are so many resources available for travel planning that it can be quite overwhelming when Friday rolls around and the weekend is staring you in the face. There’s TripAdvisor, the local paper, guide books, blogs, Facebook, Pinterest, and the list continues! Where is that all mighty ‘one-stop-shop’? The truth is, it probably doesn’t exist. It’s a combination of resources that can really help with travel making decisions. Here is a list of resources that I have found to be incredibly helpful for summer travel planning, which I review on a weekly basis:

1) Overland Park Events Calendar – updated daily with local and regional activities and you can sort by your area of interest.

2) Kansas City Star (Thursday edition) – great run-down of weekend events and attraction details.

3) The Pitch Calendar – extremely comprehensive live music listings.

4) Travel Kansas Blog – updated weekly with wonderful stories and hidden gems in the State of Kansas.

5) Travel Missouri Trip Ideas – categorized by themes and lots of 1 to 3 day itineraries.

Whatever your plans, summer means rejuvenation. It means time for family, for friends and for you. It’s time to recharge the batteries and satisfy the wanderlust you felt all winter long. So tell me, what’s on your list?

~Liron