ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

Those looking for some good vacation ideas for this summer within the Sunflower State will soon have just that opportunity thanks to the Kansas Department of Tourism.

The Sunflower Program will start Thursday, July 9 and run through Sunday, Aug. 2. Tourism Deputy Director Jordan Roemerman said there is a lot to be excited for this summer.

“We are excited for this year’s Sunflower Summer program to get started, we think it’s going to be great for everyone,” Roemerman said. “There will be about the same number of attractions we had last year, and we will have a few new attractions this year. We are very, very excited about those new ones on board and the opportunities they'll present for Kansas families. We're excited to see how that works, and we know Kansans love exploring Kansas with the Sunflower Summer Program, so we always love to see people out on the road exploring and falling in love with our state..”

The program sees many participants every year, and Roemerman said she hopes to see high numbers again this summer.

“I would encourage folks to really get out of their comfort zone and explore more than just your backyard with the Sunflower Summer Program,” Roemerman said. “This program gives everyone access to attractions across the state. People can go to a new community they’ve never explored before, so I would encourage people to plan a family vacation around Sunflower Summer and the spots we’ll have on the app. And for families who are social media-savvy, we would love it if they use #SunflowerSummer, and post pictures and stories and videos – the more we're able to share the success of Sunflower Summer, the more sustainable it is as a program in the future. My favorite part is seeing Kansas families fall in love with our state. This is a program I would have loved and enjoyed when I was younger, and my family would have also loved to have had these experiences. We’re really encouraging families to use this program and use it as an opportunity to explore and do so affordably. I think this is a really cool program, and I love how we are a part of it. I think this is the only program of its kind in the nation. We are the only ones that do something like this at this scale, so I'd also encourage Kansans to really take pride in that fact we're investing in our future Kansans.”

For those planning on participating in the program, Roemerman offered encouragement to keep an eye online.

“Anyone wanting to participate can head to sunflowersummer.org and all program updates will be posted on that Web site first,” Roemerman said. “We also encourage people to keep checking the app, which will be updated throughout the summer, and we'll be utilizing push notifications for the app as well. People can also check out the Kansas Tourism social media pages as well, all of the major announcements for the program will also be posted on Facebook and Instagram, so there are a few ways people can keep up with what all will be happening this summer. I think usage will probably be fairly similar to last season, maybe a little bit more in terms of the number of tickets. We see a lot of folks using tickets on the weekend, so I would encourage people, if your family has a day off this summer, or could stand to take a few days off the summer during the week, doing that would get you a little bit less of a line at some of those attractions.  Utilizing the program all week long, I think, is definitely something I hope to see branch out a little bit more this year, But most importantly, I want to really encourage people to use this program and love this program and let us know how the program impacts them and their families.”

Overall, Roemerman said, she hopes for another successful Sunflower Summer.

“As a reminder, the program will only cover one adult admission, much like it was last year, so keep that in mind. I would also encourage people to call attractions ahead of time – we try to work with them to make sure the hours are correct on the app, but things happen,” Roemerman said. “We had a few attractions last year have to close for a day or two at the last minute, so always make sure you're checking with the attractions before you go as well.”