FAMILY VACATIONS IN KANSAS WITH CHILREN -WHAT TO DO IN KANSAS WITH KIDS
FUN THINGS TO DO ON VACATION WITH KIDS - KANSAS
Ideas for Family Summer Vacations in Kansas - You and your family will enjoy the time spent seeing the ins and outs of Kansas. FUN & ENTERTAINMENT VACATIONS - NORTHERN KANSAS (For example - Concordia,KS - Marysville,KS - Manhattan,KS )
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Walter P. Chrysler Boyhood Home and Museum - The museum is filled with many personal items that belonged to Chrysler. The shot gun he used duck hunting, jewelry, books, and photographs are just some of the personal artifacts on display. On exhibit is a 1924 Chrysler owned by Chrysler's great grandson, Frank Rhodes.
Location: 102 W. 10th St. P.O. Box 229 Ellis, KS 67637 Tel: 785 726-3636 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Brown Grand Theatre - Restored to its original 1907 splendor, the 650 seat Brown Grand Theatre now serves as a tourist attraction and performing arts / community center for Concordia and North Central Kansas. The theatre has two balconies, eight box seats, and features a grand drape, which is a reproduction of a Horace Vernet painting titled, "Napoleon at Austerlitz. What do Napoleon Bonaparte and the Brown Grand Theatre have in common? This landmark was built by Col. Napoleon Bonaparte Brown in 1906-1907 at a cost of $40,000. Earl Brown, Col. Brown's son, was actually in charge of the construction of the French Renaissance theatre.
Location: 310 West Sixth Street, Concordia, KS 66901 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Beach Museum of Art - October 13, 1996 marked a major addition to the cultural life of Kansas State University, Manhattan, and the region, with the opening of the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art. Ross and Marianna Kistler Beach were the very generous lead donors for this new initiative at K-State, and in honor of their fiftieth wedding anniversary, Ross named the museum after his wife. The Beach Museum of Art offers a rich diversity of exhibitions and educational programs and continues to collect art that is reflective of the region.
Location: Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art 701 Beach Lane Kansas State University Manhattan, KS 66506 Tel: 785.532.7718 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Kansas State University Gardens - The KSU Gardens is a horticulture display garden that has been established as an educational resource and learning laboratory for K-State students and the visiting public. The KSU Gardens is a privately funded project located on the campus of Kansas State University. When completed, the Gardens will be a 19-acre garden designed to show hardscape and tested ornamental plant material in different aesthetic settings.
Location: 2021 Throckmorton Plant Science Center Manhattan, KS 66506-5506 Tel: 785-532-3271 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Konza Praire Biological Field Station of Kansas State University - Konza Prairie was founded in 1971 under the leadership of Professor Lloyd C. Hulbert of Kansas State University, after years of dedicated efforts to establish a field station for ecological research in the tallgrass prairie region. Several adjoining tracts, including the 2,923 hectare historic Dewey Ranch were purchased between 1971 and 1979. The station lands were purchased for Kansas State University by The Nature Conservancy with funds provided by Katharine Ordway. The site was originally named Konza Prairie Research Natural Area for the Konza Indians, a native American tribe that once inhabited the region. The large limestone ranch house and barn built in the early 1900s for the Dewey ranch were renovated in 1996 and now serve as the station headquarters. The site was re-named Konza Prairie Biological Station in 2000.
Location: 10 km south of Kansas State University and the city of Manhattan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame - The purpose of The National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame is to educate society on the historical and present value of American agriculture and to honor leadership in Agri-Business and Academia by providing education, information, experience and recognition.
Location: 630 Hall of Fame Drive Bonner Springs, Kansas 66012 Tel: 913-721-1075 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Columbian Theatre - A beautifully renovated 19th century opera house which exhibits six rare, monumental oil paintings and other artifacts from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, the great Chicago World's Fair. The Columbian offers special exhibitions in the main floor gallery, a performing arts series in the theatre, and a unique gift shop.
Location: 521 Lincoln Avenue Wamego Kansas 66547 Tel: 800 899 1893 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
FUN & ENTERTAINMENT VACATIONS - WESTERN KANSAS (For example - Garden City, KS - Scott City, KS - Oakley,KS )
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High Plains Museum - Established in 1959, the High Plains Museum is owned and operated by the City of Goodland. In 1979 an addition was added to the building in order to house a full-sized, automated replica of America's First Patented Helicopter. The original craft was invented and built by W.J. Purvis and C.A. Wilson of Goodland in 1909. The newly formed Goodland Aviation Company encouraged stockholders to buy shares so the invention could be completed. Kansas has a unique history and no less so Goodland and Sherman County. The High Plains Museum's collection of over 8,000 objects lets adventurers of all ages discover the past for themselves. Six HO scale dioramas tell the stories of the Kidder Massacre in 1867 and of the early pioneer's struggle to survive in an often harsh environment. Permanent exhibits tell the story of the individuals and groups who have lived here -- from the pioneer family in their soddie to the businessman in town.
Location: 1717 Cherry Ave. Goodland, KS 67735 Tel: (785) 899-4595 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fick Fossil and History Museum - The Museum has following items on display:: Rocks, Fossils, Minerals, Wood-carvings, Folkart created from Fossils and Rocks, Bead Art and Papier-Mache, Antique Clothing, Antique Merchandise, Local History Items, Large Historical Photo Collection, Sod House, Depot, and General Store and Over 11,000 Cretaceous Period Shark Teeth found in the area
Location: 700 W. Third, Oakley, KS 67748 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Prairie Museum of Arts and History - The Prairie Museum of Art and History serves as a cultural center on the High Plains of Kansas, providing the opportunity for the public to learn about art and history through its collections, in order to make a difference in their lives.
Location: 1905 South Franklin, colby, KS 67701 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Boot Hill Museum - The various exhibits throughout the museum depict life in early Dodge City. There is a collection of over 200 original guns on display, a working print shop, an extensive collection of drug store items, an entire building that was just completely renovated, and many other special exhibits. Each artifact on display is authentic and there are approximately 20,000 artifacts displayed throughout the complex.
Location: Front Street, Dodge City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Lee Richardson Zoo - The Lee Richardson Zoo is considered by many to be the pride of Garden City. Located within the 110-acre Finnup Park, the zoo is a favorite gathering spot for nearly a quarter million visitors each year. The population of animals on display at the zoo is as diverse as the human population of Garden City itself, hailing from far away places such as China, Japan, Australia, Africa, and South America to name a few. Approximately 350 animals representing more than 100 different species inhabit the 47-acre zoo.
Location: 312 E. Finnup Drive Garden City, KS 67846 Tel: (620) 276-1250 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Dodge City Zoo - Wright Park Free Zoo for a relaxing, laid back day with your family and friends. The beginnings of the Dodge City Zoo are said to have been two bear cubs that were kept to entertain tourists. We now have over 45 mammals and birds on display.
Location: Dodge City, Kansas Tel: (620) 225-8100 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Kansas Heritage Center - The Kansas Heritage Center of Dodge City has plenty of NEW! and existing Kansas materials in stock! Dramatic posters. Colorful stickers. Informative bookmarks. Recently-published books. Delicious cookie cutters.
Location: 1000 North 2nd Avenue Dodge City, Kansas Tel: 620-227-1616 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fort Dodge - Long before Dodge City was a hustling, bustling cattle town, Fort Dodge was established to protect railroad workers and travelers on the Santa Fe Trail from the Plains Indians. Today the Fort is utilized as a retirement community and nursing facility for retired Kansas veterans. A historic library and self-guided walking tour tell the fort's history to visitors. Many of the original buildings are still in use. The location also includes the Ford Dodge Kansas Veteran's Cemetery. East Highway 400, 620-227-2121
Location: Dodge City, Kansas Tel: 800 653 9378 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Scott State Park - Hidden in the western Kansas prairie, Scott State Park is a startling oasis of natural springs, deep wooded canyons, and craggy bluffs. The 1,020-acre park surrounds the 100-acre, springfed Scott State Fishing Lake .
Location: Lake Scott State Park 520 W Scott Lake Dr. Scott City, KS 67871 Tel: (620) 872-2061 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Home of Stone - Visitors can tour this three-story limestone house, built in 1881, to view period furniture and clothing.
Location: Vine Street Avenue A, Dodge City, Kansas 67801 Tel: 620-227-8808 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Gunfighters Wax Museum - Located in the Kansas Teachers' Hall of Fame, this museum features life-size wax figures of famous, and infamous, cowboys of the Old West.
Location: 603 Fifth Avenue, Dodge City, Kansas Tel: 316-225-7311 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
FUN & ENTERTAINMENT VACATIONS - CENTRAL KANSAS (For example - Abilene,KS - Hays,KS - Hutchinson,KS )
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Sternberg Museum of Natural History - The Sternberg Museum of Natural History is located in Hays, Kansas, right along I-70. The museum is an exciting and educational destination for travelers, school groups, and families. The museum features exciting permanent exhibitions.
Location: 3000 Sternberg Drive Hays, KS 67601 Tel: 877-332-1165 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
McPherson County Old Mill Museum - Standing tall on the banks of the Smoky Hill River, the McPherson County Old Mill Museum preserves the early heritage of McPherson County. The museum collects, preserves, researches, exhibits and interprets materials related to this heritage with special emphasis on the period from 1870 to 1910.
Location: 120 Mill Street/P.O. Box 94 Lindsborg, KS 67456 Tel: (785)-227-3595 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Greyhound Hall of Fame - One will be greeted by our resident greyhounds, both retired racers. These greyhounds only chase after your heart and affection. Meeting a greyhound close up and personal will prepare you for an experiance like no other. Walk through a story book of history and heroes. We are open 7 days a week, 9 to 5 daily.
Location: 407 S. Buckeye Abilene, KS 67410 Tel: 785-263-3000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rolling Hills Refuge - Imagine the thrill of seeing a rare white rhino lumbering toward you or seeing four massive polar bears eyeing a giant walrus from across the frozen water. A snake charmer coaxes a deadly cobra out of his basket.All this and more is Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure; both a world-class zoo with over 300 animals and an immersive museum with seven world regions from the tropical rainforest to the polar regions.
Location: 625 N. Hedville Rd. Salina, KS 67401 Tel: 785-827-9488 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad - located in the Historic 1887 Rock Island Depot, Old Abilene Town, 200 SE 5th, south of the Eisenhower Presidential Library & Museum. 1-1/2 hour 10 mile round-trip from historic Abilene to Enterprise, Kansas through the Smoky Hill River Valley. Ride in restored 100 year old coach/diner or open-air observation car pulled by 1945 ALCO S-1 diesel-electric locomotive. Cross the Smoky Hill River on a high steel-span bridge. See the 1919 Baldwin 4-6-2 "pacific", Santa Fe #3415 A&SVRR is restoring for future excursions.
Location: 200 S. Fifth Street P.O. Box 744 Abilene, KS 67410 Tel: 785-263-1077 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ottawa County Historical Museum - One of the world's premier George Washington Carver exhibits.
Location: 110 South Concord, Minneapolis KS 67467 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Museum of Independent Telephony - The Museum of Independent Telephony tells the story of C.L. Brown, whose independent Brown Telephone Company of Abilene, Kansas, grew to become the telecommunications company known today as Sprint.
Location: Abilene, KS 67410 (785) 263-2681 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Dwight D. Eisenhower Library & Museum - The Eisenhower Library is a national repository for the preservation of historical papers, audiovisual materials and the artifacts relating to Dwight D. Eisenhower and his times. The Library makes this record accessible through research, museum exhibits, public programs, and educational outreach.
Location: 200 Southeast Fourth Street, Abilene, Kansas 67410 Tel: 785 263 6700 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Salina Art Center - The Art Center has been recognized for its innovative exhibitions and programs, including the permanent Interactive Area for children of all ages.
Location: 242 S Santa Fe, Salina, Kansas 67401 Tel: 785 827 1431 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Kauffman Museum - Tallgrass prairie reconstruction with over 15 species of grasses and more than 100 wildflower species, award-winning permanent exhibit Of Land and People which tells the story of the coming of the Mennonites from Europe to the central plains in the 1870s and their encounters with the prairie environment and its people. An historic farmstead with heritage flower and vegetable gardens around the 1875 Voth-Unruh-Fast House and the 1886 Ratzlaff Barn, changing special exhibitions which have garnered numerous awards for excellence.
Location: 27th and North Main, Bethel College, North Newton, Kansas 67117 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reno County Museum - The Reno County Museum, 100 South Walnut Street, Hutchinson, Kansas, has since 1986 educated and entertained thousands of visitors on the rich history and traditions of central Kansas and Reno County. The museum features five interpretive galleries with exhibits which change regularly, a research library, a children’s gallery, public meeting facilities, and gift shop. Also on the museum grounds are a restored homesteader’s claim house, and locomotive and caboose.
Location: 100 S Walnut PO Box 664 Hutchinson, KS 67502-0664 Tel: 620-662-1184 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center - One of the world's premier space museums began as the dream of a Hutchinson civic leader who looked to the stars. Patricia Carey, fueled by her life-long interest in science and motivated by the national urgency created by Russia's launch of Sputnik, created one of the first public planetariums in the central United States.
Location: 1100 N. Plum Hutchinson, Kansas 67501 Tel: 620.662.2305 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Kansas Underground Salt Museum - The Kansas Underground Salt Museum will be a facility unlike any other in the United States. Visitors to the salt museum will enjoy a trip 650 feet below ground where they will board a tram that takes them to over 100,000 square feet of galleries devoted to telling the story of salt from the earliest known use to the present day. Patterned after salt museums in Wieliczka, Poland and Hallstatt, Austria, the Kansas Underground Salt Museum will be the only museum that exists in a working salt mine anywhere in the Western Hemisphere.
Location: 100 S Walnut PO Box 664 Hutchinson, KS 67504-0664 Tel: 620-662-1184 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Marion Historical Museum - The museum displays a wide variety of artifacts, keepsakes and memorabilia that tell the story of this area. The first families who settled in Marion Centre were the Billings, Griffith, and Schreves. 23 people came in 5 covered wagons in 1860 to establish homes on this frontier. Pictures, Bibles, and family keepsakes from these courageous folk are featured collections
Location: Main at Central Park Marion, KS 66861 Tel: 620-382-3432 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
FUN & ENTERTAINMENT VACATIONS - EASTERN KANSAS (For example - Kansas City,KS - Topeka,KS - Lawrence,KS )
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Topeka Zoological Park - The World Famous Topeka Zoo exhibits include: The Animals and Man Building, Tropical Rain Forest, Discovering Apes, Black Bear Woods, African Savannah, Birds of Prey, Water Bird Lagoons, Lions' Pride, and Children's Zoo.
Location: 635 SW Gage Blvd Topeka, KS 6606 Tel: 785-368-9131 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tomahawk Ridge Aquatic Center - The city's largest overall pool facility. Visitors can enjoy a long slide, small water slides, zero depth, fountains and shade structures. Location: 11950 Lowell, Overland Park, KS Phone: 913/327-5675
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Kansas State Capitol - Learn the fascinating story of John Steuart Curry's murals, see the spectacular chambers of the Senate and the House of Representatives, gaze upward to view the marble and the glass panels of the dramatic Capitol dome.
Location: 10th and Jackson Topeka, Kansas 66612 Tel: 785-296-3966 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Kansas Museum of History - Experience eight decades of western exploration from Lewis and Clark (1804) to George Custer (1874).
Location: 6425 SW Sixth Avenue Topeka KS 66615-1099 Tel:785-272-8681 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Topeka Performing Arts Center - Topeka's newest facility designed to showcase the performing arts. Available for performances, rehearsals, meetings, and special events, the center provides the best in cultural entertainment. The wide variety of events includes touring Broadway shows, dance companies, major symphonies, popular singers and entertainers.
Location: 214 SE 8th Avenue Topeka, KS 66603 Tel: (785) 234-2787 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wonderscope Children's Museum - Wonderscope Children's Museum, located in Shawnee, Kansas (a Kansas City suburb) provides an enjoyable hands-on, interactive environment for children, their families, and school or community groups to explore science, technology, the arts, and humanities.
Location: Shawnee, Kansas City, Kansas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens - Goals to bring educational, recreational and cultural opportunities to the facility support that vision. Nearly 85 percent of the property will be dedicated to the preservation and restoration of natural ecosystems. The remaining portion will include traditional botanical gardens, a 16,000 square foot visitors center, an 8,000 square foot conservatory, as well as a maintenance facility.
Location: Located less than a mile west of U.S. Highway 69 on 179th Street, exemplifies Overland Park's vision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
U.S. Cavalry Association & Research Library - The U.S. Cavalry Memorial Research Library, opened to the general public, is a repository of historical Cavalry literature and documents. As part of the Library, we are developing a one-of-a-kind computer data bank of biographical and genealogical information on cavalrymen of all ranks and of all times. The Library serves as a center for disseminating Cavalry history and providing information to members and the general public.
Location: PO Box 2325, Fort Riley, Kansas 66442-0325 Tel: 785/784-5797 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Children's Museum of Kansas City - Jumpstart a child's love for learning. Explore a museum that invites them to "Touch everything!" Exhibits are designed to stimulate the imagination and creativity of children ages two through eight and encourage all-age family interaction. A number of exhibits compliment and support the educational curriculum of the Kansas City metropolitan area by providing "Community Worker" role- playing environments.
Location: 4601 State Avenue, Ste. 92 Kansas City, KS 66102 Tel: (913) 287-8888 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Topeka Civic Theatre - Founded in 1936, Topeka Civic Theatre is the oldest continuously running community dinner theatre in the country. In July of 1999, TCTA completed construction of our new home in the former Gage Elementary School. The school was built around 1929 and is rich in architecture and design.
Location: 3028 SW 8th Avenue Topeka, KS 66606 Tel: (785) 357-5211 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Combat Air Museum - Much more than a collection of aircraft, the Combat Air Museum houses a wide variety of military aviation artifacts ranging in time from the First World War to the present day. Aircraft engines of many sizes and types are on exhibit as well. A similated field kitchen is set up and ready to prepare and serve a meal and a field chapel, complete with portable organ, is ready for services. A re-creation of a German POW barracks was constructed based on first hand experience of two museum members, authentic down to the bare light bulbs, straw-filled mattresses and barbed wire. Exhibits include an extensive display of artifacts and dioramas and a growing gallery of military aviation art.
Location: Hangars 602-604 "J" Street Forbes Field Topeka, Kansas Tel: (785) 862-3303 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
University of Kansas Museum of Anthropology - The purpose of KUMA is to foster an appreciation of the significance of the physical and cultural diversity of humanity through the creation, preservation, and dissemination of knowledge about peoples around the world from earliest times to the present.
Location: Museum of Anthropology University of Kansas 1340 Jayhawk Blvd. Lawrence, Kansas 66045-7550 Tel: 785.864.4245 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Spencer Museum of Art - The Helen Foresman Spencer Museum of Art is the art museum of The University of Kansas, Lawrence. The building also houses the Kress Foundation Department of Art History and the Murphy Library of Art & Architecture.
Location: 1301 Mississippi St., The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045-7500 Tel: 785-864-4710 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum - Annually, thousands of visitors tour the National Historic Site to learn about the life of one of the world's most influential female aviators. Since the Museum opened to the public, it has consistently proven to be a leading public attraction in the Atchison area.
Location: 223 North Terrace Street ATCHISON KS 66002 Tel: 913-367-4217 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Watkins Community Museum of History - The Watkins Community Museum of History is housed in an impressive red brick building in the city of Lawrence. Permanent exhibits include vehicles, a 1920s barber shop, a Victorian parlor, the restored lobby fixtures of the original bank, an 1878 children's playhouse, clothing, quilts and other needlework.
Location: 1047 Massachusetts Street Lawrence, Kansas 66044 Tel: (785) 841 4109 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ward Meade Park - Old Prairie Town at Ward Meade Historic Site is a beautiful six-acre complex with a Victorian home, log cabin, turn-of-the-century town, plus a 2.5 acre botanical garden dedicated to preserving and sharing the early history of Topeka. Unlike conventional parks that require visitors to provide their own amusement, Old Prairie Town staff and volunteers, guide visitors through the facilities.
Location: 124 Fillmore, Topeka Kansas Tel: (785) 368-3888 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Emporia Zoo - The purpose of the Emporia Zoo is the creation of an environment which provides an opportunity of cultural enrichment for the community and surrounding area while fulfilling the Zoo's obligations to conservation, education and recreation. The zoo features naturalized exhibits, botanical displays, and a wide variety of animals.
Location: 75 Soden Road Emporia KS 66801 Tel: 620-342-6558 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Martin and Osa Johnson Safari Museum - The Martin and Osa Johnson Safari Museum is located in Osa's hometown of Chanute, Kansas...Formed in 1961 to preserve the Johnsons' achievements and to encourage further research into their fields of study, the Safari Museum (as it was originally named) has grown and flourished...The museum started with a core collection of the Johnsons' films, photographs, manuscripts, articles, books, and personal belongings donated by Osa's mother. Over the years a number of related collections have developed to broaden the museum's ability to achieve its mission to "collect, preserve, and make available the life work of Martin and Osa Johnson, while continuing their work of sharing the knowledge of natural history and cultural anthropology with the global community."
Location: 111 N. Lincoln Avenue, Chanute, KS, 66720 Tel: (620) 431-2730 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
FUN & ENTERTAINMENT VACATIONS - SOUTHERN KANSAS (For example - Wichita,KS - Haysville,KS - El dorado,KS )
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Mid-America Air Museum - As America's fifth largest air museum and home to more than 100 aircraft, the Mid-America Air Museum serves as an interactive educational resource for all visitors. The museum presents, preserves, and interprets the history of flight through its collection of aircraft and related artifacts, its exhibits, and its public programs.
Location: 2000 W. Second Street P.O. Box 2199 Liberal, KS 67905-2199 Tel: (620)624-5263 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Kansas Barbed Wire Museum - The museum presents interesting ways to learn about one of the midwest’s most important comtributions to America’s history. Dioramas of early barbed wire use, a theatre featuring educational films, the Barbed Wire Hall of Fame, the museum archives room, and a research library all help to conjure up images of settling the midwest, range wars between homesteaders and cattlemen, and the transformation of the open prairie into America’s bread basket.
Location: 120 West 1st Street, LaCrosse, Kansas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Kansas Oil Museum and Hall of Fame - Enjoy indoor exhibits on farming, ranching and oil; a hands-on children's area, Texaco Theater and Kansas Oil and Gas Legacy Gallery. The 10 acres of outdoor exhibits include over 20 pieces of oil field equipment that range in age from the 1920's to the 1950's. In addition, 8 historic buildings are incorporated to interpret the social history of Butler county and Kansas oil.
Location: 383 E. Central, El Dorado, KS 67042 Tel: (316) 321-9333 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mennonite Heritage Museum - The museum complex consists of eight buildings, including the Immigrant House and the Turkey Red Wheat Palace. Six historic buildings from the community have been moved to the museum for preservation and restoration. The Museum Store in the Immigrant House features a variety of ethnic cookbooks, local history books, wheat weaving and other handmade craft gift items.
Location: P.O. Box 231 200 N. Poplar Goessel, KS 67053 Tel: (620) 367-8200 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Coutts Memorial Museum of Art - The Coutts Memorial Museum of Art is a fine art gallery with over a thousand art objects by such artists as Renoir, Thomas Hart Benton, Frederic Remington and Charles M. Russell. Beyond the classic columns and heavy door of the Bluestem Building in the 100 block of North Main, visitors find a warm personal atmosphere in which to enjoy the Coutts memorial collection
Location: 110 N. Main, El Dorado, KS 67042-0001 Tel: (316) 321-1212 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Dyck Arboretum of the Plains - The Dyck Arboretum of the Plains invites you to become better acquainted with the flora of Kansas. Displays of native wildflowers, grasses, shrubs and trees intermingle with carefully selected adaptable plants. Whether you are a gardener, a lover of nature or seeking a place of quiet meditation, visit this one-of-a-kind prairie garden.
Location: 177 West Hickory Street Box 3000 Hesston, Kansas 67062 Tel: (620) 327-8127 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Stockade Museum - In 1874, Kansas governor A.O. Osborn organized the Kansas State Guard to help the citizens of the area build a stockade. It encompassed a large part of the present-day downtown area of Medicine Lodge and its primary purpose was to provide the settlers protection against Indian raids. It also served as a gathering place where social interaction and trading of goods could take place. The current stockade replica houses a museum and other buildings that give the visitor an opportunity to "imagine" life on the frontier.
Location: 209 W. Fowler (U.S. Hwy 160) Medicine Lodge, KS 67104 Tel: (620) 886-3553 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wichita Art Museum - The Wichita Art Museum houses one of the world’s finest collections of American art, spanning three centuries of painting, sculpture, works on paper, and decorative arts. Masterpieces by Mary Cassatt, Winslow Homer, and Edward Hopper are among the more than 6,000 works in the permanent collection.
Location: 1400 West Museum Boulevard Wichita, Kansas 67203-3296 Tel: (316) 268-4921 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Great Plains Nature Center - Serve as a resource for environmental education with school district, youth organizations, colleges and universities, conservation organizations, and other groups and individuals interested in wildlife and the environment.
Location: 6232 E 29th Street North Wichita, KS 67220-2200 Tel: 316-683-5499 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sedgwick County Zoo - The Downing Gorilla Forest is an important feature in bringing the wildlife of the African continent to the people of Wichita and Sedgwick County. As you cross a wooden bridge over the river that separates the Gorilla Forest from the rest of the Zoo you will be immersed in equatorial Africa. To wet your appetite for the experience ahead, the Nganda Island will be home to a number of forest animals. In the trees, along the bank of the river, on the edge of the Island you will see a family of colobus monkeys and DeBrazza's monkeys.
Location: 5555 Zoo Boulevard Wichita, Kansas 67212-1698 Tel: 316.660.WILD (9453) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ulrich Museum of Art - The museum has served as Wichita's premier venue for contemporary works by established and emerging artists of national and international significance. A lively schedule of provocative and challenging exhibitions is complemented by an important collection of 0th-century painting, sculpture, works on paper, and photography, as well as works by more contemporary, 21st-century artists. The museum also is known for its 70-piece outdoor sculpture collection.
Location: Ulrich Museum of Art Wichita State University 1845 Fairmount St Wichita, KS 67260-0046 Tel: (316) 978-3664 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Exploration Place - Each exhibit theme explores different aspects, perspectives, and facts about the people, places, and designed things of our ever-changing world. You’ll discover engaging, stimulating, one-of-a-kind environments and hands-on experiences about flight, health and human life, people, places and environments of Kansas, and the world of human imagination.
Location: 300 N Mclean Blvd., Wichita, KS 67203 Tel: 316 263 3373 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Great Plains Transportation Museum - The GPTM displays a wide assortment of railroad equipment. Cabooses of the CB&Q, Missouri Pacific, Union Pacific and former Santa Fe can be toured during museum operating hours.
Location: 700 East Douglas - Wichita, Kansas 67202 Tel: 316.263.0944 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Kansas Aviation Museum - As museums are the life, the culture and the history of a community and its people, the Kansas Aviation Museum is a unique repository of our state's aviation heritage.
Location: 3350 George Washington Blvd, Wichita KS 67210 Tel: 316-683-9242 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Lake Afton Observatory - Young and old alike can share the excitement of the night sky at the Lake Afton Public Observatory. Through the Observatory’s 16-inch telescope you can view such wonders as the giant planet Saturn and its rings, the Moon with its craters and mountains, glowing clouds of gas, star clusters with thousands of stars, and distant galaxies many times bigger than our own Milky Way. After touring the universe, you can explore the Observatory's museum area with its interactive astronomy exhibits.
Location: Wichita, Kansas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Kingman County Museum - The Kingman County Historical Museum is housed in the old Kingman City Building. The building is a rectangular two-story Renaissance style structure. There are two fire trucks on display, along with a hand drawn hose cart in the room that originally housed the horses for the Hook and Ladder Fire Department. Other displays consist of period furniture and a large mural
Location: 400 N. Main, Kingman, KS Tel: (620) 532-5274 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Old Cowtown Museum - Old Cowtown is an open-air, living history museum that interprets the history of Wichita and Sedgwick County, and life on the southern plains, circa 1865-1880.
Location: 1871 Sim Park Drive - Wichita, KS 67203 Tel: (316) 264-6398 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Omnisphere & Science Center - The Omnisphere was founded in 1975 and is housed in the old Carnegie Library building that was built in 1915. The facility started with a planetarium and has evolved over the years to include hands-on science exhibits and live science demonstrations. This is a facility that encompasses a mix of education and entertainment for the whole family.
Location: 220 S. Main, Wichita. (316) 337-9174. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Botanica-The Wichita Gardens - Enjoy themed gardens such as the Butterfly Garden, Shakespeare Garden, Rose and Wildflower Garden and the new Sensory Garden. Visit Botanica's Butterfly House and stroll among hundreds of free-flight butterflies.
Location: 701 N. Amidon Wichita, KS 67203 Tel: 316/264-0448 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Joyland - Small, traditional park features a classic wooden roller coaster and a vintage carrousel.Location:Wichita, Kansas (316) 684-0179
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Kansas Sports Hall of Fame - The Kansas Sports Hall of Fame is dedicated to preserving the history of sports for the state to serve as a source of education and inspiration to all generations. The mission is achieved through providing exhibits, archives, facilities, services and activities to honor those individuals and teams whose achievements in sports, have brought distinction to themselves, to their communities and to the entire state of Kansas.
Location: 238 North Mead P.O. Box 48693 Wichita, Ks 67201 Tel: (316) 262-203 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Dalton Defenders Museum - Located at 113 East Eighth Street, just east of the downtown Plaza, the Dalton Defenders Museum houses memorabilia from the infamous Dalton Raid in 1892. Guns, saddles and the original First National Bank doors can all be seen plus many pictures taken following the raid. In addition, many items from the early days of Coffeyville are on view plus special displays on Walter "Big Train" Johnson and Wendell Wilkie.
Location: 113 East Eighth Street, Plaza, Kansas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rock River Rapids - Waterpark in Derby, Kansas with the following : Four slides, high and low dives, lazy river, basketball hoops, interactive deck sprays.
