The Tiny Town Filled with Outrageous Outhouses
Fan favorites include the Tomb of King Toot, Crapper Barrel, and Wipe Out.
What happens in the outhouse usually stays in the outhouse—except in Elk Falls, Kansas, where the 28th annual Outhouse Tour runs from November 22 - 23. The self-proclaimed “Outhouse Capital of Kansas,” also known as the “World's Largest Living Ghost Town,” plays host to over a thousand guests for the celebration, quite the accomplishment for a tiny town of 113 people, as visitors tour uniquely decorated commodes and vote on a winner.
“You’ve never been on a tour that’s anything like it,” Steve Fry, a local resident and one of the founders of the tour, said. “I always tell people to follow the laughter.”
Drive Time:
6 hours from Dallas
8.45 hours from Denver
9 hours from Austin
It’s a leisurely stroll through Elk Falls to admire the outhouses, tucked among backyards in an “outhouse grove.” Simply swing by the outhouse HQ between 9 am and 5 pm, pick up a map, and—if you’re feeling extra flush—drop a dollar for a voting button that lets you help choose the top toilet. The competition is fierce.
Fan-favorites like the Tomb of King Toot, Crapper Barrel, and Wipe Out have battled for the top spot, but the themes change every year. Most of the outhouse designs are kept under wraps until the tour, but Fry teased one entry: It will feature an image of someone sitting in an outhouse with their pants down (don’t worry, all the essentials are covered). Visitors can stick their head through a hole and become the "person on the pot" for a photo op. Fry’s considering names such as Photoshoot or Potshot.
For a truly unique experience, don't miss the old schoolhouse, now home to the Homer Allison Outhouse Collection—a quirky display of outhouse-themed figurines and collectibles donated to the Friends of Elk Falls. You can also tour the Keefe House, a charming early 1900s farmhouse, complete with its original WPA outhouse, affectionately named "The Eleanor." Enjoy live bluegrass music from the band Beyond Reach, performing at various festival spots, and explore the craft fair and quilt show at Calvary Chapel for even more entertainment.
Since Elk Falls isn’t home to any restaurants, Boyd Koehn, president of the Friends of Elk Falls, serves free ham and beans out of the school house, while chicken and noodles are for sale at Elk Falls UMC. Other food vendors set up as well, and in nearby Moline—about a 15 minute drive—the Swinging Bridge Cafe serves down-home favorites such as spaghetti and meatballs or chicken enchiladas.
The festival got its start as an open house for Elk Falls Pottery, where Fry and his wife, Jane Fry, still provide pottery demonstrations every year. But the town wanted to find something uniquely their own to draw crowds.
“We were discussing what we could add to the open house, and someone said, ‘We’ve got a lot of outhouses,’” Fry said. “We figured it would only last one year. It started as a joke, but we were amazed at the response.”
Our picks for…
One more thing to do outdoors: Walk out on an 1893 iron truss bridge to view the Elk Falls waterfall, then hike down to the water’s edge.
One thing to eat: Homestyle apple dumplings baked by Kansas resident Twila McCammon are available from a vintage trailer parked by Calvary Chapel. They can be ordered a la mode.
One thing to drink: In nearby Independence, Stoney’s Grub and Pub serves domestic beers and cocktails in a casual country bar atmosphere. In nice weather, you can sit on the patio.
The place to stay: Less than 20 minutes from Elk Falls, the Cattle Baron Inn bed and breakfast, housed in a 1920s mansion, is a great choice.