Ward Meade Park

Popped in for a quick visit on a Sunday afternoon while passing through town. Had seen «Old Prairie Town» as an attraction in Topeka and thought it would make for a fun outing on a lovely warm October day.
The Old Prairie Town is free to visit if you just wander around outside or visit the General Store & Potwins Drug Store. The rest consists of several buildings that you can pay a fee to go inside. We had our dog with us so my husband and dog walked around a bit while I visited the General Store. It’s small but has an interesting assortment of knick knacks, funny vintage cards, victorian style accessories like broaches and hat pins. The older lady behind the counter was quite a warm and bubbly person and was eager to visit and chat.
The drug store has a working soda fountain which was a neat little perk. Again, a warm and friendly older lady was eager to help and visit. She talked me into trying something called a Green River soda which was actually DELICIOUS! Apparently back in the days when this was a working drug store the pharmacist would often mix medicine into a Green River soda to make it more palatable to drink for the children. Get it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and you’re in for a rare treat.
I love friendly docents and interesting «tucked away» places, this was a neat find, but I realize it was just a nostalgia moment. We were only there for about 30 minutes so don’t expect a great big place.