Introducing the Freedom and Fried Chicken Trail

This article was written and originally posted by The Emporia Gazette on February 18, 2025:

Tourists and Southeast Kansans will soon be able to try the Olpe Chicken House, alongside other notable Fried Chicken spots in Southeast Kansas, in the newly launched Freedom and Fried Chicken Trail.

The trail is a collaboration between Visit Emporia, Visit Fort Scott, and Explore Crawford County, and features historic and well-known fried chicken restaurants. Lelan Dains, former Director of Visit Emporia, said that the idea was born out of regular meetings with the three entities, otherwise known as the Southeast Kansas Tourism Region.

The trail ties together two distinctly Kansas concepts – freedom and fried chicken. The Olpe Chicken House, opened in 1958, has served as a significant fixture of Lyon County, and the trail includes Chicken Annie’s and Chicken Mary’s, two longstanding Pittsburg restaurants. The trail combines Southeast Kansas’ famous fried chicken locations with its tourism moniker – “the land of the free.”

“We had a lot of assets that pointed to our heritage, particularly regarding the fight for freedom, but we weren’t always sure what we could do around that,” Dains said. “It finally occurred to us, well, people love to travel for food, so let’s tie these two concepts together. That’s the genesis of where it came from.”

Aside from the Olpe Chicken House, Chicken Annie’s, and Chicken Mary’s, the trail includes Pichler’s Chicken Annies in Pittsburg, Gebhardt’s Chicken Dinners in Mulberry, Barto’s Idle Hour Steakhouse and Lounge in Frontenac, Chicken Annie’s Girard in Girard, Nu Grille and Aunt Toadie’s in Fort Scott, and the Chicken Shack Restaurant in Bronson.

Dains said that the trail would also encourage patrons to learn about the history and visit historical sites in the region, such as Emporia being the founding city of Veteran’s Day, and fighting for labor rights in Pittsburg.

“I want people to walk away and say, ‘oh, this is an area of the country, a part of our state here in Kansas, that is rich with history, with very vibrant and rich people and some good fried chicken along the way,” Dains said.

Dains hoped that the trail would benefit the communities involved, as well as the tourists visiting. He cited the potential for economic growth with the trail, as it would bring in more gas station purchases, and occasionally hotel visits.

“We knew that by tying those areas of southeast Kansas together with these multiple communities, we could create a stronger narrative and a larger pool to get people to come in, hopefully for a weekend trip or more and experience all of these spaces that we love and enjoy,” Dains said.

Visit freedomandfriedchicken.com to start exploring!