Zip lining and festivals and dining, oh my!

Manhattan, Kansas, called  “The Little Apple,” is a small city with a big appetite and lots of cool things to do.

“Downtown Manhattan has fabulously unique destinations that are unparalleled,” says Michael Goens, communications coordinator for the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce. “Harry’s Manhattan is a three-time Wine Spectator Award of Excellence winner, and has been named multiple times as best restaurant in Kansas in Midwest Living magazine’s Best of the Midwest selection.”

Each year on the Friday following Thanksgiving is the Festival of Lights, which illuminates several blocks of downtown Manhattan and includes the state’s largest Christmas tree, which stands more than 60 feet high.

The current season of the McCain Performance Series, which runs September through May, will include “Cabaret,” The Temptations, “Jersey Boys,” “The Sound of Music” and Kenny G.

Springtime in Manhattan has prime weather for hiking, biking and off-roading. Visitors to Tuttle Creek Reservoir can do some kayaking, practice their archery, play disc golf, go boating and skiing, and rent cabins.

The Flint Hill Discovery Center will host the Rainforest Adventure and Be the Dinosaur exhibits in 2018; its immersive theater experience will tell the story of the Great Plains and the ever-dwindling tallgrass prairie.

For more information, email Goens or go to visitmanhattanks.org.

Top photo by Visit Manhattan Kansas