Embrace Slow Living in Lindsborg, Kansas: A Retreat from the Ordinary

Friends taking Vaffledagen selfies © Courtesy of Lindsborg Convention and Visitors Bureau

Embrace Slow Living in Lindsborg, Kansas: A Retreat from the Ordinary

Need a break from the ordinary, well-traveled destination that fills your head with incessant sounds and your time with deadlines? What about visiting a place with a slower vibe, one that appreciates wide open spaces—physically and mentally? A well-known place among a select few who discover its uncommon appeal. A place to take deep breaths and stretch your body and imagination.

Consider a town tucked into a region known for appreciating the natural world—through birding, cycling, hiking, and water sports. The lay of the land and sky is wide open and constantly changing—for discerning eyes. Buffalo do roam.

In Lindsborg, small-town America is alive and lively! Folks have found in Lindsborg a few respite days or, in the long run, a soft place to land.

The history of the area says a lot about its character. In 1869, Swedish immigrants came to the area as part of the nation’s expansion onto the Great Plains. These people came with a commitment to survival and expressing their lives through music, visual arts, and an active connection to the wider world. A relatively early arrival in Lindsborg was the young Birger Sandzen, who became a prolific oil painter, arts advocate, and teacher who shaped the national view of Kansas and the West. Today, Sandzen’s style and accomplishments are celebrated at the Birger Sandzen Memorial Gallery.

Sandzen taught at Bethany College, which was launched as an academy in 1881 and went on to become a college that fostered a strong relationship with education and educators. Today, Lindsborg loves to learn, offering excellence in K-12 and higher education, as well as a devotion to music. “Lindsborg is the sort of place you’ll see students carrying their violins and trumpets home in backpacks,” said National Geographic photographer Jim Richardson, who lives in Lindsborg.

Events and activities are often on tap in Lindsborg. It is well known for Scandinavian-themed gatherings, such as its Swedish honoring festival, Svensk Hyllningsfest (October of alternating years). It’s a chance to savor Swedish meatballs and lingonberries on the town’s smorgasbord and immerse yourself in traditional music and dance. During Lindsborg’s annual Midsummer’s Festival, there’s an opportunity for everyone in the stands to pour onto the Old Mill green to link hands in learning old Swedish dances.

Yet visitors often say it is a self-guided ride around town on rented bicycles and quadricycles that helps them understand what everyday life is like in Lindsborg. Locals value good upkeep, and there’s a friendly atmosphere in locally owned shops, boutiques, and galleries on the town’s Main Street. In each location, you’ll find someone who enjoys chatting about your interests and sights they’d recommend in the area.

Lindsborg offers the stuff of life: comfortable beds, good meals, plenty of coffee and barista drinks, house-made ice cream, and a well-appointed grocery store to stock your vacation rental.

Let us help you take a chance at expanding your horizons in a place with a 360-degree horizon. Not a lazy, do-nothing vacation, but rather a thoughtful, rejuvenating, creative departure from the typical, noisy, complicated travelogue.

Browse visitlindsborg.com for sample itineraries or review first-hand reports from national observers and travel guides such as AARP and Travel Awaits.