A Lawrence Kansas Townie's Guide for Newcomers

I have lived in Lawrence my entire life. I have watched restaurants come and go, watched storefronts change hands more times than I can count, and along the way I have picked up strong, occasionally petty opinions about which bars are worth your time. When a friend recently asked me to put together a "townie tips" list for someone new to town, I realized I had never written it all down in one place. So here it is, from someone who has never known any home but this one.

This is not a college town guide written for freshmen. It is a guide for the adults moving here for a job, a spouse's job, retirement, or just because Lawrence has a way of pulling people in. If you are new to Lawrence, Kansas, or thinking about becoming a resident, this is the guide from someone who was raised here and has watched the town grow and change without ever wanting to leave it.

Understanding Lawrence Before You Unpack

Lawrence is a college town, and the University of Kansas shapes a lot of the rhythm here, but it is also a real city with its own identity separate from KU. There are two Lawrences that overlap on the map but do not always overlap in daily life: the KU-centered version, loud on game days and busy every August when a new class of students arrives, and the Lawrence that the rest of us live in the other 340-some days a year.

Knowing that distinction early will save you some confusion. A bar can be a rowdy student hangout on a Tuesday night in October and a completely different, grown-up scene on a Sunday afternoon in the fall. More on that shortly, because it surprised me the first time I noticed it.

Downtown Lawrence, centered on Massachusetts Street (everyone just calls it "Mass Street"), is the heart of the city. It is walkable, it is full of independent shops and restaurants, and it is where most of the events on this list happen. If you can, spend a Saturday just walking Mass Street start to finish before you settle into your regular routines. You will get your bearings faster than you think.

Restaurants Locals Love: A Lawrence, Kansas Guide for Newcomers Starts with Food

Every Lawrence, Kansas guide for newcomers should start with the restaurant list, because food is how most of us figure out our new neighborhoods. Here is where I send people who ask where the locals eat, as opposed to where the Yelp reviews point tourists and students.

Sable Kitchen + Bar deserves top billing. It is, without exaggeration, one of the best meals I have had anywhere, not just in Lawrence. If you are looking for a special occasion spot or just want to understand what Lawrence's food scene is capable of, start there.

Limestone Pizza•Kitchen•Bar and Culinaria are two more that belong on your regular rotation. Limestone does wood-fired pizza (and everything else) well, and Culinaria has been a steady, reliable Mediterranean fusion favorite for years. Neither one is trying too hard, and that is part of the appeal.

For a nicer dinner out, this is my working list, roughly in the order I think about them:

• 715 for an upscale dinner and cocktail experience with interesting menu items

• The Eldridge Hotel restaurant for a nice dinner or drinks in a historic building

• J. Wilson's for a solid, classic dinner out if you want to get off Mass Street

• 6 Mile Chop House & Tavern for a laid-back neighborhood feel and solid steak options

• Mass St. Fish House when you want the best seafood in landlocked Kansas

• Merchants Pub & Plate for casual meals that never disappoint (and my favorite burger in town)

• Basil Leaf Cafe for a really great Italian option

Then there is the everyday rotation, the quicker, more casual places you end up at more often than you plan to:

• El Matador and La Tropicana for Mexican food

• Big Mill for detroit style pizza, before or after a KU Football game

• Biemers (casual/drive-thru) or Q39 (more upscale) for barbecue

• Fresh Mediterranean Co (yes, in a gas station) for something quick and healthy

• Encore for Asian fusion 

• Aladdin Cafe for Mediterranean and the best lentil soup ever

• The Roost or Milton's Cafe for breakfast or a relaxed brunch

• Field's & Ivy for local beer and pizza with an awesome outdoor game area

• Thai Diner when you want exactly what the name promises - you won’t regret ordering the moneybags!

• 23rd Street Brewery for beer and pub food outside the downtown crowd - a real local institution
  

None of these are secret. Locals eat at all of them regularly. But a new resident scrolling through generic "best of Lawrence" lists online will not always land here, and this is the list that holds up over years, not just one good Google review cycle.

Restaurants and Bars Worth Skipping (Most of the Time)

I am not going to pretend every place in town is equally good, and part of being a good townie is being honest about it. The Hawk, Bullwinkle's, and Loagie's are places I generally avoid. They are not bad, exactly, they are just aimed at a different crowd and a different kind of night than most transplants moving here as working adults are looking for.

The same goes for a cluster of downtown and student-heavy bars: Leroy's, Jefferson's, and Johnny's North. On a typical weekend night, these skew young, loud, and very KU. If that is your scene, great, but if you are looking for a quieter drink with friends, you will probably be happier elsewhere most weekends.

Here is the twist, though, and it is one of my favorite oddities about this town. On Chiefs game days, The Sandbar (a bar that skews very young on weekend nights) completely transforms. It becomes a local, grown-up hangout, and a good chunk of my friends end up there with their dogs, watching the game, having a beer, and comparing notes on their fur babies. It is a fun, unexpected community scene, and it happens for what seems like every big game. Lawrence is full of these small, specific rhythms that you only learn by living here a while, and this is one of the better ones.

Ice Cream Rules in This Town

This might seem like a small thing to include in a guide for new residents, but trust me, you will need to know this within your first few weeks here, especially if you have kids or just enjoy a summer walk downtown.

Betty Rae's, on the west side of town, and Sylas & Maddy's, downtown on Mass Street, are the two ice cream shops everyone in Lawrence has an opinion about. Both are excellent. Betty Rae's is a little more of a destination trip, and Sylas & Maddy's is the easy downtown stop after dinner or during a Final Friday walk. Pick a side, or better yet, do not pick a side and just rotate.

Where to Find Community and Events Year Round

One thing I tell every new resident is that Lawrence's calendar has a real rhythm to it, and some months are simply bigger than others. Late spring through fall is when most of the outdoor festivals and community events happen, so do not judge the town's energy level by a quiet February.

Here are the recurring events worth putting on your calendar as soon as you arrive:

• Art in the Park, a long-running community art event in South Park

• Haskell Indian Art Fair, held on the Haskell Indian Nations University campus and an important cultural event for the region

• Theatre Lawrence shows, if you enjoy live theater without leaving town

• Red Dog’s Dog Days, a long-running community workout program - if you complete the whole season, you get a t-shirt

• Old Fashioned Christmas Parade, downtown, and a good marker that the holidays have officially arrived, filled with horses and carriages from all around the region

• Festival of Trees, another holiday season favorite filled with uniquely decorated trees and lively bidding

• Downtown Lawrence Street Parties, a variety of concerts that take over parts of Mass Street, hosted by a fellow townie 

• Sandbar Block Party, a summer weekend festival with local music and lots of fun

• Busker Fest, street performers taking over downtown for a weekend

• Downtown Lawrence Sidewalk Sale / Midsummer Night on Mass, when downtown shops spill their inventory onto Mass Street

• Zombie Walk, exactly what it sounds like, and a fun, weird Lawrence tradition

And then there is Final Fridays, which happens in the Arts District and downtown and is still going strong. Local galleries and studios open their doors, and it is one of the easiest, lowest-pressure ways to meet people and start feeling like part of the community. I would put this near the top of the list for anyone new in town who wants a regular, casual way to get out of the house.

One event worth leaving town for is not technically in Lawrence at all. Block off the third weekend in October and take the beautiful twenty minute drive to Baldwin City for the annual Maple Leaf Festival. It is filled with craft vendors, good food, and beautiful fall sights. Save room for homemade, fresh donuts from the Masonic Lodge on High Street. Parking around the festival grounds can be a little wild, but if you drive into the neighborhood near Baker University, you will likely find street parking pretty easily.

Give Back: Volunteering and Getting Connected

If you are the kind of person who wants to plug into the community quickly, and given my own background in the nonprofit world I would encourage everyone to at least consider it, Lawrence makes it fairly easy to find your footing.

The Roger Hill Volunteer Center, run through the United Way of Kaw Valley, is a good first step. Their volunteer platform lists opportunities across dozens of local nonprofits, so instead of trying to research every agency in town individually, you can browse by interest and find something that fits.

The Lawrence Public Library is another resource I point people toward constantly, and not just for books. Their Community Resources page is one of the most comprehensive lists I have seen of local agencies, services, and support organizations in Douglas County. If you are trying to figure out where to turn for anything from food assistance to legal aid to senior services, this is a useful starting point, and the library also has a printed Community Resource Guide if you would rather have something physical in hand.

The Fundraising Gala Circuit

This is a part of Lawrence I know well from my own consulting and volunteer work, and it is worth mentioning because these events are a real part of the social calendar here, not just a professional obligation. If you want to meet people, support good causes, and get a sense of who is who in Lawrence's nonprofit and civic community, these are the big ones to know:

• St. Patrick's Day Parade, a downtown tradition and one of the most visible community events of the year

• Fur Ball, benefiting the Lawrence Humane Society

• Dinner on the Curve, supporting Van Go, a local youth arts nonprofit

• Changing Lives Gala, benefiting the Ballard Center

• Hearts of Gold Ball, supporting LMH Health Foundation

• Annual Gala, benefiting Just Food, the local food bank

• Art Auction, benefiting the Lawrence Arts Center

You do not have to attend all of these, obviously, but even going to one or two a year is a good way to meet engaged, community-minded people, and it usually means a nice night out for a cause you can feel good about.

Getting Around: Streets, Parking, and Downtown Etiquette

Driving and walking in Lawrence come with a few unwritten rules that every longtime resident knows and every new resident finds out the hard way, so let me save you the trouble.

Kentucky Street and Tennessee Street run one way through the area near downtown, from 19th Street up to 6th Street, and they catch new residents off guard constantly. Be extra careful here, and if you can, just avoid that stretch entirely from August 15th through September 15th, when KU's fall semester kicks off and traffic patterns get unpredictable fast.

Game days bring their own detours. Unless you’re intentionally attending the games, avoid 9th Street between Iowa and Massachusetts Street all day on KU football home game days, and avoid 19th Street between Iowa and Massachusetts Street on KU basketball home game days, usually starting a couple of hours before tip-off and lasting about an hour after the final buzzer.

Downtown also has its own code of conduct, and townies take it seriously. Do not J-turn (turn into an angled spot on Mass Street from the opposite side of the road) and do not jaywalk downtown. You WILL get a ticket if an officer sees you. Pay attention to the crosswalk signals too. Locals have very little patience for people who cross during the "don't walk" signal, and you will get a few looks (and probably honks) if you try it. Along that same line, watch for students who do not know that they should only walk during the “walk” signals.

A Few Practical Notes for New Residents

A handful of smaller things that do not fit neatly into a category above, but that I think about every time someone new moves to town:

• Downtown parking fills up fast on event nights, especially during Final Fridays and any festival weekend, so give yourself a few extra minutes or plan to walk a block or two.

• KU's academic calendar affects more than just traffic. Restaurant wait times, bar crowds, and even grocery store lines shift noticeably when students are in town versus during winter and summer breaks. It is worth learning that rhythm early so it does not catch you off guard.

• Lawrence is a walkable and bike-friendly city by Kansas standards, and downtown especially rewards exploring on foot rather than trying to drive and park at every single stop.

• Finally, do not be afraid to ask people for their opinions on all of this. Every longtime Lawrence resident has their own version of this list, their own favorite restaurant, their own strong feelings about which bar has gone downhill. That is part of what makes this town feel like a real community rather than just a place people pass through on their way to somewhere else.
  

Neighborhoods to Know

New residents often ask me where to look for housing, and while I am not going to pretend to be a real estate expert, I can at least point you toward the general shape of the city. Old West Lawrence and the area around downtown offer historic homes and easy walkability, and they tend to be some of the most sought after streets in town for exactly that reason. East Lawrence has its own character, a little grittier and more artsy, with a strong sense of neighborhood identity. West Lawrence is where a lot of the newer construction and larger subdivisions have gone in over the past couple of decades, closer to the bigger grocery stores and shopping centers. North Lawrence, across the river, has a small town feel of its own despite technically being part of the city.

Wherever you land, you will likely be a short drive, or in downtown's case a short walk, from most of what is on this list. That is part of what makes Lawrence work so well for newcomers. It is a small enough city that you are never really far from anything, but it is large enough that you will still be discovering new favorite spots years after you move here.

Shop Local: Favorite Downtown Businesses

All of the big box stores are located near 31st and Iowa, and you will end up there plenty for the basics (just avoid that area on KU move-in weekend, at all costs - shelter in place that weekend). But do not sleep on the local spots downtown. Lawrence has its share of chains, but you can almost always find a local option for what you need, and the staff are far more likely to remember you the next time you walk in.

A few of my favorite local shops:

• Lucky Dog for all your furry best friend's needs. Treats, toys, CBD, frosted cookies, chicken necks, everything they could ever want, and they are welcome in the store too

• Raven Bookstore, hands down the best local bookstore with the best staff. There is a shop cat to love on when you visit, and they host author events with interesting authors all the time

• Mass Street Plant Co, where the staff know their stuff. They can repot your houseplants, sell you new plants and pots, and stock a variety of gift products from local artisans

• Ruff House Paperie for cards from local and regional artists, some printed in-house, plus a lot of cool stationery, wrapping paper, and other gifting supplies

• Striped Cow, quirky and very "Lawrence." You can find gifts for every occasion in this store and spend hours just looking around

• The Toy Store, a fun place to browse for a while, with three whole floors of toys, games, and kids' books to keep you busy all day

• Mass Street Soda, a fun shop with a thousand varieties of soda from around the world and vintage candy
  

Local Music and Coffee

If live music is part of your life, Lawrence will not disappoint. Granada, The Bottleneck, Lucia, and Replay Lounge are the core downtown venues, each with its own personality and its own kind of show. A little further out, Trivedi Winery sits just outside the city limits and hosts local and regional bands and food trucks with no admission fee. Bring a lawn chair, or get there early and grab a picnic table.

For coffee, my regular rotation includes Sunflower Cafe, Uplift Coffee (which has three locations around town), Java Break, Nostalgia Room (also an amazing NA bar in the evenings), and La Prima Tazza. Every one of them has its own regulars and its own reason to become your usual, and it is worth trying all four before you settle into one.

A Word on Making It Feel Like Home

Having grown up here, I sometimes have to remind myself how disorienting it can be to move somewhere new and not know a single restaurant, bar, or event on the calendar. I never had to build this list from scratch. It was just handed to me by osmosis, one school year and one summer at a time. So my advice is to be a little intentional about building your own version of it early on. Try one new restaurant a week for the first couple of months. Show up to a Final Friday even if you do not know anyone yet. Sign up for one volunteer shift through Kaw Valley Volunteers, even a small one, and see who you meet.

Lawrence has a way of rewarding that kind of effort. It is a town that is easy to get to know once you start looking, and I hope this guide gives you a real head start rather than just another generic list pulled from a search engine. Welcome to Lawrence. I think you are going to like it here.

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