Garden of Eden

I would just like to start by saying that there is a moldy corpse of a man that has been dead for 84 years. Do you even need another reason to visit? If you do, the art house is located in the wonderful town of Lucas, KS. You get: a scenic drive in, an interesting house full of sculptures with a rotting dead guy, and the World’s Largest Collection of the World’s Smallest Replicas of the World’s Largest Things is right next door (it even has a petrified ham and an aggressively cuddly cat).

What a fun and interesting place to visit so glad we took the time to go here. Put this on your places to go list.

OK, for those who think of Kansas as a long, long road between Kansas City and Denver, this is a treat. Not only is the house and gardens a awesome tour, but the town offers so much more than a short stop. Growing up in Kansas, this was something I had heard about but never experienced. A good day trip from central Kansas, but good stop along the way for those coming through the state.
We were going to the area, and chose to make the trip, and are really glad we did. The staff was very welcoming and very interesting to listen to the history of the house. I just can’t imagine building a concrete cabin (house) at 64 through my 80’s. The sculptures throughout the yard have to be seen, as the pictures just do not do them justice.
Worth the trip, as well as the other stops in town, can make a great day. I know we enjoyed it.

I reserved an AirBnB in Lucas that is right across the street from this gem. I only looked in from the outside because it was closed and off season. Now I want to return and explore fully. It is an amazing work of naïve art from a man who had a very interesting set of populist political views and obviously a fascinating life. I highly recommend this as a stop for the photo ops alone. The town has other folk art fancies as it is the folk art capital of KS. Next time if. I am there during the day I will definitely check out the local Czech meat market.

This is definitely a one of a kind tourist attraction. But it’s really worth the time if your cruising through Kansas on I-​70, drive a little ways north and check this place out. It’s really amazing what this strange man created.

If you think you’re a native Kansan and haven’t been to the Garden of Eden, it’s time to make a trip. From Wichita, the drive has a lovely, surreal quality to it, with all of the limestone fenceposts and enormous wind turbines. The Garden of Eden itself almost defies description – just go. Don’t miss out on seeing Dinsmoor’s moldy corpse, either! I’m thinking this place would be great at Halloween time. Hearing Dinsmoor’s story will help you broaden your understanding of what can be accomplished in one lifetime.

Weird, but very artsy and interesting!”
I found this place off the beaten path as I was heading on I70-​W. I took a risk and decided to get off and head towards Lucas, KS. It was an awesome and rewarding risk! To get to Lucas, you have to take Hwy 232 which is also known as the Post Rock Scenic Byway. There are a total of 9 scenic byways in KS and Post Rock is one of them. It was a BEAUTIFUL Saturday morning and I just set the cruise control to 60, rolled down all my windows and put my sunroof on tilt. The scenery along highway 232 was beautiful! Not all of KS is flat so you can see some hills off in the distance during your drive. Wilson Lake is another sight you’ll see as you make your way to Lucas, Ks. It is a good sized lake and has some awesome homes built along it. It’d be beautiful to wake up to a lake side view every morning!
Once you arrive in Lucas, Ks you’ll find that it is just another small Kansas town that has one main street, a grocery store, a gas station and others necessities. This town is mainly made up of art and probably thrives off that and tourism. I was the first to arrive at the Garden Of Eden and it looked weird. I always hated art in high school along with other subjects such as history, but as I’ve matured I’ve become more curious about places, things, and the stories behind them. As with everything that I do, I go into it with an open mind. The admission fee to the Garden Of Eden was only $ 6 so it’s pretty reasonable.
The folks there will give you a tour of the inside of the house and some history behind items contained within. The tour guide that I received was a young 18 – 20 year old girl and she sounded pretty enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the place so I have to give her credit for studying her history and speaking skills. A lot of the stuff inside the house is original and antique so you’ll find a lot of «DO NOT TOUCH» signs. About 5 minutes into my tour 4 senior citizens who were retired joined me. After a brief intro of the first room in the house you’ll watch a brief 11 minute video that gives more insight about the history of the establishment. After that you’re free to roam the upstairs and downstairs of the house. There were a lot of interesting items inside that house and I was amazed that all of it was original! In the lower part of the house you will find the kitchen which was just amazing! I was amazed because I tried to empathize about life back in those days compared to the modern-​ness of today.
There is just a lot of history in that house and I would love to post all my pictures, but that would spoil the fun! You’ll have to go see it for yourself to appreciate it!
After you tour the inside you’ll get a tour of the outside of the house. Oh yeah, the guy S.P. Dinsmoor is buried in the backyard somewhere too. You’ll get to see him. I’d love to go on and on with my review, but it’ll get REAL LENGTHY! Ha! So, I’m going to end it now along with a few photos and let you go see it for yourself!!! =) =)
If you love art or history or are just curious in general this is a place that you must see!!!

This place is 100% B.A.N.A.N.A.S.
Do you like…
Outsider art?
Cement statues depicting Bible scenes AND pseudo-​socialist ideology?
Taxidermy?
Looking at decomposing human corpses?
Strawberry patches?
Then you really should make the drive out to Lucas and check this place out. It really is one-​of-​a-​kind and it’s virtually inexplicable unless you go and check it out yourself.

Wow. This place is a trip. In the middle of a quiet little residential street in Lucas, kansas, all of a sudden this place pops out. Everything is made of concrete. No matter how much it looks like something else — it’s concrete. Amazing!
But — This guy (Mr. Dinsmoor) was totally cuckoo.
Here’s what my little book said:
«Biblical scenes are interspersed with political messages. In the backyard, Labor is crucified while a banker, lawyer, preacher, and doctor nod approvingly. On one pillar, an octopus representing monopolies and trusts grabs at the world. A soldier and a child are trapped in two of its tentacles. Ms Liberty later drives a spear through the head of another trust octopus…»
Dinsmoor started this place in 1905, at 64 y/​o, his concrete home opened as a tourist attraction way back in 1908, while he kept building (and romancing — he married a 20 y/​o in 1924. — and there’s a story of her burial. Stubbornness or love, you tell me)
Dinsmoor is buried in a special glass-​sided coffin on site.