Prairie Lodge Motel — Hotel in Council Grove

This year (2022) marks the seventh year we have stayed at the Prairie Lodge Motel for at least a week during Spring and Fall. If we didn’t believe that this is the best place to stay in the area with a great hostess, Lynda, we certainly wouldn’t be returning. When Lynda purchased this Motel about 8 years ago it was rundown and received poor reviews. Lynda has been making great improvements every year. Today this is a very fine place to stay. It is on the east side of Council Grove in the beautiful Flint Hills of southeast Kansas. It is within walking distance of downtown if you don’t mind a short walk.

The Motel is reasonably priced, clean, and quiet. There are plentiful chairs on the porches for relaxing and visiting. Also a grill in the front yard if you want to cook or the kids need to work off excess energy. There is also a new gazebo on the south side of the Motel. If you want something fancier, you can rent a room from Lynda at the historic Bradford House nearer downtown. Built in 1860, it is the oldest remaining home on the Santa Fe Trail in Kansas and beautifully restored. We have stayed there also.

Regarding the Santa Fe Trail, one set of ruts is visible from the Motel a short distance to the south. There are many other trail ruts and historic sites in the area, including the historic town of Council Grove.

For anyone who loves the beautiful Flint Hills tallgrass prairies; wants to explore the Santa Fe Trail; or just get away from the rat race, this is a great place to begin. The Motel is only minutes away from a beautiful, prairie remnant at the Allegawaho Heritage Memorial Park. It is 20 minutes from the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. A few miles further south is a beautiful prairie at Chase State Fishing Lake. The great Konza Prairie is further north at Manhattan on I-70.

The Prairie Lodge Motel provides a perfect base camp for us. Of course, Lynda thinks we are crazy when we go camping, but we feel safe leaving our collection of (un)necessary stuff in our rooms. When we stay at the Motel, we spend our days hiking, exploring, and photographing the tallgrass prairies and evenings star watching beneath the dark skies at the Preserve.

Rick,...

If you are of a certain age, you may remember when there were a lot of these cabin-style mom-and-pop motels in small towns. They are pretty much gone now, so if you are interested in staying in a piece of disappearing Americana, here is your chance. However, I don't recommend it. I would have given it two stars because it is obvious that some modernizations have been made, but my husband wants me to give it zero stars because he got little sleep and the whole place was uncomfortable. So it averages out to one star. The room was so small that it was difficult to walk around the bed. A fridge and microwave (with a clock with the wrong time that could not be set) were squeezed into a corner, and there was one chair. It was difficult to unpack and there was little room for toiletries in the bathroom. The TV was small but decent. The biggest problem for my husband was that he was on the side of the bed very close to the heating unit, which made a continuous loud hum that kept him awake. There is little security to this type of room, but it probably isn't an issue in this small town. There are better options in town - more expensive, but worth it if your...

We found the Prairie Lodge easily. We had called ahead to reserve a room with a single bed and a pack-and-play for our 3-month-old baby. We got there, and as the sign on the office door instructed (it was in the evening and the manager wasn't there), called the owner. She directed us to our room, which, sure enough had a key in the door waiting for us, and the pack-and-play already assembled. Top-notch service.||||The setting was peaceful. The cabins each seem to have one or two rooms in them. The whole place was one of the quieter hotel experiences I've had, and I slept well.||||The room itself felt somewhat cramped, but was usable. There was a double bed, two chairs, the pack-and-play, a closet and bathroom. All you need, really. A mini fridge, microwave, and TV were also present. Wifi was available, but somewhat flaky.||||Overall, I don't think I've ever stayed in a 50s motel that was so well-kept. Everything was clean and well-maintained. ...