Welcome to Great Bend and the Heart of Kansas.. Our 42-room Americas Best Value Inn is located in the heart of Great Bend on Tenth Street which is US Hwy 56, just west of US Hwy 281 between Harrison Street and Lincoln Street. Our rooms are comfortable and super clean. Our staff is friendly and helpful. We provide excellent value for your lodging dollar. Children stay for free ages 12 and under in parents room using existing bedding. We are dog friendly property with a fee 10 USD per stay. The name of Great Bend comes from its location on the big bend in the Arkansas River. Numerous Native American tribes were drawn to the area by the river, large herds of bison, and huge marshland rich in wildlife. The first great American trade route ?????? the Santa Fe Trail ?????? ran right through the town*s present-day Courthouse Square, making Great Bend a historic crossroads for settlers on the prairie. Over the years, Great Bend became a center for the Kansas oil industry, a training ground for B-29 crews during World War II, and continues to reign as a center of commerce and recreation in central Kansas.