Steven / Midwest Explorer

31/08/2024

Michigan’s UP is no joke!

Slide 1: Horseshoe Falls in Munising, Michigan - pro-tip: Be prepared for the gnome hunt

Slides 2, 6-8: - We spent a day here, but definitely could have spent a whole week

Slides 3-4: Camping at Brevoort Lake - this is a bit off the beaten path and offers some great camping

Slide 5: Wagner Falls - Great option for anyone with mobility issues, it’s short walk and there is a boardwalk part of the way

Slides 9-10: Mackinac Island - It’s pricy, but it’s also a sight to be seen, pro-tip: Go with the tandem bike and circle the island

05/08/2024

Let me show you something amazing…

Starting my career as a guide, where do you want to go? What do you want to see? Let me show you the way…

📌 Cedar Bluff State Park
📍 near Ellis, Kansas

📌 Castle Rock Badlands
📍 near Quinter, Kansas

14/06/2024

08/05/2024

A photo dump of me just creeping around a cave in the Ozarks.

📍Bridal Cave, Missouri

A very cool experience if you aren’t afraid of some tight spaces.

Visit to book your tour 👍

01/04/2024

Would you get married here?

📌Bridal Cave & Thunder Mountain Park
📍Camdenton, MO

You can’t go to the Cave state without experiencing the caves! Dubbed the prettiest cave in MO, Bridal Cave offers:

🥾Cave Tours
🏮Lantern Tours
🔦Blacklight Tours

After your cave tour, take a hike up Thunder Mountain for beautiful views. Find it on the south end of the Lake of the Ozarks and just about 10 minutes from Ha Ha Tonka State Park! And yes, you can get married here.

PS Doesn’t slide 3 look like the Batman villain, Clayface?

22/03/2024

Stumbled upon Hey Sugar on Strawberry Hill one sunny, Sunday afternoon in the Strawberry Hill district of KCK and boy do I wish I could make it a regular stop on weekends! They serve up One More Scoop ice cream from Belton, MO. I highly recommend Mama’s Texas Sheet Cake, it was so good I didn’t even stop to take a picture of it!

17/03/2024

Headed home from our Spring Break stay on the shore of the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri, where we snagged this we wished was ours full-time.

This A-frame offered:
🛶 Lake access for swimming, kayaking and fishing.
🥾 A short 5 minute drive to State Park for incredible hiking.
🍕 Close proximity to town for food & shopping.

Did we go to more than once for souvenirs and candy? Yep ✔️

Have you been?

👉🏼 DM me for details on the and swipe to see the lake view at night.

15/03/2024

1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣…in Missouri or on Mars?

Honestly not sure looking at these pics. That underground life is pretty magical here in Missouri. Day 1 of Spring Break in the Ozarks is pretty alright.

14/03/2024

Hello, Spring Break 👋 Just landed in a pretty little spot for a bit of family vacation@in the Ozarks of Missouri.

Slide 1: view from the house 👉 swipe to see the opposite.

05/03/2024

https://kclyradio.com/clay-county/new-tiktok-ing-lincoln-elementary-principal-is-excited-for-next-step-in-career/

By Quinn O'Hara On January 31st, 2024, USD 379 announced Steven Kimmi was selected to become Lincoln Elementary’s new Principal. Kimmi says he original ...

21/02/2024

📍Out here in Lincoln, KS, capturing sunsets and getting excited for the 2024.

Are you coming on the Big Kansas Road Trip with us?

18/02/2024

📍Finally made it to Ana’s Burger Shack in Manhattan, KS. And got after it.

My review coming up soon on another platform not to be named here, as my hunt for the Best Burger in Kansas continues. Link in bio for my Best Burger map in case you got a place to add to my list.

❓Anyone know what year the named changed from Big D’s?

02/02/2024

Me vs. this burger 🍔 Is my mouth big enough? Yes. Yes it is.

📍15-24 Brew House, Clay Center, KS. Came for the burger, but stayed for the beer.

👉 How’d it rate in my tour?

@15-24BrewHouse

30/01/2024

Just capturing a bit of that Kansas pride.

📍Just outside of Minneapolis, KS. Go Cats!

29/01/2024

Kansas Day Quiz: Name the Location

How many of these places can you identify? Post your guesses in the comments and we reveal the answers later today!

28/01/2024

While I may have come in at 2nd place at the Kansas Trivia night, the Est. 1861 IPA , brewed with all Kansas ingredients, was top notch 🏆

📍Head out to celebrate Kansas Day - officially Jan. 29th - with in partnership with local brewers like offering special brews just for the occasion.

🍺 Grab a glass with a familiar phrase and the Kansas Guidebook if you don’t already have one.

P.S. Wearing my sweatshirt here - still got a few for sale. HMU if you want me.

26/01/2024

Sometimes the sign is all the encouragement you need.

One of the first burger joints I visited in the Best Burger tour: JD’s Kwik Burger in McPherson, KS.

It was GOOD. Did it make my Top Ten though? Check my link in bio to find out. And just an FYI, visiting another Kansas burger spot tonight so stay tuned for that drop so you can argue with me about how good it is or isn’t.

24/01/2024

Just a reminder that Spring Break isn’t too far away and there’s mountains out there waiting for you to climb them.

📍Here’s me at the top of Mt. Blue Sky in Colorado last year. Make a reservation to reserve your spot now and spend a whole week exploring the mountains, lakes, hikes and parks.

23/01/2024

📍Prize Package in Topeka, KS enters my Best Burger in Kansas Tour. Served in a brown paper bag with no seating except the sidewalk. That alone makes it a frontrunner in my book. But yes, It’s a really good burger. Made my Top Ten, maybe my Top Five.

👉 Head to my TikTok to hear how I got in trouble for filming and to cast your vote for the in Kansas. Only 200 something spots are in the running so NBD. Will probs my wrap this project in 2027?

17/01/2024

📍Get yourself a guy who can work a Kansas tourism kiosk at the mall, not because he was asked to, but because it was there.

11/12/2023

Currently accepting offers to go back to Breckenridge, CO. What do I bring to the table?

✔️ I always have Hot Hands

✔️ Good tunes

✔️ I am equally interested in the sunrise and the sunset

✔️ I’ll drive

Just shoot me a DM. Please. This is Day 3 of praying for SNOW ❄️

08/12/2023

Is throwback Friday a thing? Probably not, I am just missing the snow and colder weather. Call me crazy, but I like it. Just check my thermostat.

This pic is from close to the beginning of the journey, when I convinced Domingo to do a morning hike after an entire night of snow. We did get lost. I did realize that I had a hole in my boot. But hey, we made it.

📍Oscar Trail at Tuttle Creek State Park near Randolph, KS

14/11/2023

Not gonna lie, this may very well have been my first trip to Oklahoma City. I’ve driven through it, but never stopped and stayed awhile. While it may have been my first, it will not be my last.

When you’re there, check out Wheeler Ferris Wheel. It pairs some great views with some classic fun! If you are there over the summer, be sure to check out their concert series. The Wheeler District is just a hop and skip away, too.

P.S. There is a two person minimum for the cars on the ferris wheel, so don’t be like me…have friends.

Visit OKC Travelok Wheeler District

06/11/2023

Crossed two more Lady Liberty replicas off of my list this weekend. It is not lost on me that this is kind of a weird reason to drive halfway across the state, but here are two things I’ve learned: (1) It is a mystery just how many there actually are in the state of Kansas and (2) There have been so many other amazing things along the way.

What kind of things do you go out looking for?

Slide 1: 📍Garnett, Kansas
Slide 2: 📍Parsons, Kansas

31/10/2023

You know a haunted tour is going to be good when you are told you can only take pics/video on the main floor of a 4 story Grand Victorian Mansion. What can’t I show you? A room full of….wait, you should go to find out for yourself, I'm not getting cursed.

📍The RavenHearse Family Manor at the Historic R.A. Park Home in Atchison, KS

Visit Atchison Kansas
Haunted Atchison, Kansas

30/10/2023

Humboldt, KS has been on my go-to list for a long time. And then they were featured in an NY times article as one of the 52 Places for a Changed World. I just stopped in on my way back home for Fort Scott, but that was enough to get me hooked.

Let me tell you, the Honeybee Bruncherie don’t mess! It felt like I was back in NYC with all the flavors and the ambience. I recommend the crispy breakfast potatoes and and the Aperol Spritz.

Pic 1 - Life is Fine Plaza
Pic 2 - Honeybee Bruncherie
Pic 3 - Unfortunately, this is just who I am as a person.

A Bolder Humboldt HoneyBee Bruncherie
Kansas Tourism

29/10/2023

A few years ago, against TLC’s advice, I was chasing waterfalls. This year it seems like I may be chasing bridges. Hopefully, this a slightly safer endeavor.

It’s not my first time in Lindsborg and won’t be my last, but the fall colors definitely enhance the experience.

📍 Old Mill Bridge in Lindsborg, KS

Which bridges do you think I need to see?

Visit Lindsborg

28/10/2023

Even on cloudy days, you can still find some blue sky in Kansas. Sometimes it’s the actual sky, sometime it’s this sculpture, and sometimes it’s just my glowing personality.

This sculpture “invites the viewer to consider how the natural Kansas sky and the art installation work together.” Look, I’m not saying it made it happen, but after a cloudy, overcast morning and afternoon those blue skies opened up. Coincidence?

📍 Blue Sky Sculpture in Newton, KS

P.S.This is one of the 8 Wonders of Kansas Art

Choose Newton Kansas Sampler Foundation

27/10/2023

Trying to find the best burger in Kansas ain’t easy, but somebody has to do it, right? I guess I will take one for the team. Considering starting a GoFundMe for my cardiologist bill.

📍Prize Package in Topeka, KS.

This is the kind of place you can order ahead and I would suggest doing so. There is not seating inside and I am going to guess that when you end up going there will also be very little parking. That is how you know it’s good!

Did it make my top 10? Well, you’ll have to wait to find out.

Visit Topeka Prize Package

25/10/2023

A visit to Haunted Atchison has been on my travel to-do list for a minute. Figured there couldn't be a better time to visit than Witches Weekend so we did that.

Here's 3 "Haunted" things that make it Worth the Stop:

1. The Sallie House. Widely known as the most haunted house in Atchinson, and arguably the country, you can spend the night here. (Why would you?!?!?) Or do a self-guided tour. I chose the latter and was it creepy? Yes. Are there outlines of figures in the window in the pic I took of the house? See for yourself: Slides 1-2.

2. RavenHearse. A house haunted by its past’s ghosts and ghosts that the owner, a self-proclaimed Vampire, brought with him. Ask for the extended tour that takes you into the house's attic and basement....that may just have a coffin or two in it. Will let you discover just how many on your own. Slides 3-4.

3. Not really sure if this place is haunted or not, but what better thing during Witches Weekend than visit a cemetery? Haunted or not, it's a gorgeous cemetery, one of the most interesting I've seen across Kansas. And locals do have a lot of stories about the grave markers and the cemetery's history. Slide 5.

Thanks to for hosting! Head to their link in bio to explore all the haunted and non-haunted things to do in Atchinson, Kansas 👻 🎃 🦇