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Lucas, Kansas: The Garden of Eden

RoadsideAmerica.com Team Field Report

Address:
305 E. 2nd St., Lucas, KS
Directions:
In town, on the southeast corner of 2nd St. and Kansas Ave.
Hours:
Summer daily 10-5; Mar-May 1-4. Or by appt. (Call to verify) Local health policies may affect hours and access.
Phone:
785-525-6395
Admission:
Adults $7.
RA Rates:
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Garden of Eden.

The Garden of Eden

A unique mix of biblical folk art and political posturing. Built by the late Sam Dinsmoor, who's still part of the attraction; his corpse is on display in a glass coffin in the back yard. No photography in the mausoleum. Many sculptures visible from the sidewalk.

Roadsideamerica.com Report... [10/23/2016]

Visitor Tips and News About The Garden of Eden

Reports and tips from RoadsideAmerica.com visitors and Roadside America mobile tipsters. Some tips may not be verified. Submit your own tip.

The Garden of Eden

This is literally one of the best places I've ever found on RoadsideAmerica. The Garden of Eden is weird and wonderful and strange. The people are nice. Its worth the drive, and you can walk your dogs around the property outside and the neighborhood. So so great, I've been two times! (All of Lucas is a delight.)

[Ruth, 10/08/2020]

Garden of Eden.

Garden of Eden

The Garden of Eden in Lucas, KS is the oldest intact folk art environment in the United States. And S.P. Dinsmoor had himself embalmed and entombed right there in the pyramid mausoleum!

[Kelly Ludwig, 01/02/2010]

We always enjoy stopping for a peek at old Sam's glass-sided coffin to see what shade of green he's progressed to...

Garden of Eden - The "Helper"

We were entirely smitten by the Garden of Eden and recommend highly taking the time off your journey on I-70 to points east or west, to head north to Lucas. Our tour guide was a hoot. I'll assume he is a local Lucas resident, probably in his 70s. He informed a small crowd of visitors regarding all the pertinent facts surrounding Samuel Dinsmoor and his achievements. When he was describing the cement sculptures he repeatedly mentioned Dinsmoor's "Negro helper." My husband was finally pushed to enquire, "Did this 'Negro helper' have a name?!" Our guide was momentarily flustered, but recovered nicely, although we never learned the assistant sculptor's name....

Once again Dinsmoor was ahead of his time, and like Warhol and Oldenburg, conceived of the idea but had others bring his dream to life. What a true artiste!

[Carolyne Janssen, 06/25/2003]
Garden of Eden

Just dropped by the Garden of Eden yesterday. A girl probably about 16 or 17 was the only person there. I asked her how much it was -- she said it was free to look around the house and yard, but a guided tour evidently cost. There were a bunch of signs up mentioning a fee, so I don't know...

I asked her if "the guy" was in the backyard and she perked up and said yeah... she had the key to the mausoleum and asked if I'd like to go see him. He's looking a bit moldy and dusty... but he's still there for the viewing, complete with beard. Also there is a small locked compartment just above the coffin that contains all the visitor guest books since the beginning of him opening the place up...They continue to put them in today.

Read something there that said in Dinsmoor's will it stated it should be free for his relatives and descendants to view his body, but he wanted to charge a dollar for other people to view him. Dinsmoor decreed that if he saw that dollar he'd be sure to give the visitors a smile back.

[Zenobia, 08/25/2000]

Nearby Offbeat Places

Mini-Mount-Rushmore of Florence DeebleMini-Mount-Rushmore of Florence Deeble, Lucas, KS - < 1 mi.
Roadside Sideshow ExpoRoadside Sideshow Expo, Lucas, KS - < 1 mi.
Grassroots Art CenterGrassroots Art Center, Lucas, KS - < 1 mi.
In the region:
World's Largest Hand-Painted Czech Egg, Wilson, KS - 16 mi.

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