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As a long-time Kansas resident married to a Kansas native, we’ve heard the question, “Why travel in Kansas?” As people who love all kinds of travel, Kansas offers just about anything we could want as it is a large and diverse state. That’s one of the reasons you should travel in Kansas! Whether you’re looking for quiet travel and a place to relax and get away in a charming small town or state park or if you’re looking for the many activities in a big city such as Kansas City or Wichita, we’ve got you covered. There’s plenty of things to do in Kansas for anyone!
One reason to travel in Kansas is becasue we are known particularly for our amazing sunrises and sunsets. The wide-open spaces provide a chance to see spectacular sunsets. In fact, Kansas has been ranked by various organizations as one of the top seven places IN THE WORLD to see a beautiful sunset! It’s a photographer’s dream. With so many beautiful places to visit in Kansas, a short visit just isn’t enough.
With a space this big, we have a vast range of landscapes, cultures, things to do, and historical sites. Whether you are a history buff interested in the Eisenhower Presidential Museum, a sports fan wanting to see a professional soccer match, or an angler interested in our state fishing lake, we’re sure you’ll agree that travel in Kansas has endless opportunities.
1. Variety
If you are looking for outdoor activities or fun things for kids, Kansas will have what you are looking for. Quiet travel, places to just get away and chill are abundant and vibrant cities with plenty of nightlife are easy to find.
Recently we’ve been seeing some powered paragliding around our area in southeast Kansas. In the KC area, indoor skydiving is available. Pittsburg and other locations have trampoline parks that kids love. Gander Mountain in Wichita has a virtual shooting range that lets you experience the feel of shooting while not using real bullets. Wichita also has go-kart tracks and the Wichita Ice Center. Travel in Kansas can bring some extreme adventures!
Kansas and Kansans have wide interests and achievements! You can visit the childhood homes of several famous Kansans. Kansas is the home of the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum with the home that General Eisenhower grew up in on the grounds in Abilene which was ranked as one of the 20 Best Small Towns to Visit in the United States by the Smithsonian Magazine. Atchison was the birthplace of Amelia Earhart. Walter Chrysler was born in Wamego and grew up in Ellis. Museums and childhood homes are available to tour for both.
2. Cultural and Arts Opportunities
If you are a fan of the Bard of Avon, travel in Kansas is for you! You can find Shakespeare in the Park in both Wichita and Kansas City as well as enjoying the Flint Hills Shakespeare Festival in St. Mary, KS.
The Bicknell Center for Performing Arts on the grounds of Pittsburg State University offers Broadway plays and concerts of every kind. The only professional theater between Kansas City and Denver is Great Plains Theater in Abilene. For the best in performing arts in KC, check out the Kauffman Center. There are far too many museums across the state to list here, but you can find one for just about any taste, such as the Wichita Art Museum featuring artists such as Georgia O’Keeffe, Winslow Homer, and Mary Cassatt.
Salina is known for the sculpture tour through it’s downtown area. Between 15 and 25 sculptures are chosen to be presented each year and the public is encouraged to vote for their favorites. Artists from all over the country are chosen to present here and all are for sale, with the City of Salina buying the one that receives the most votes. The sculptures vary widely in style, making this one of the most interesting outdoor art exhibits you’ll find anywhere!
Civic art has become popular in nist large cities and small town across Kansas, including my hometown of Parsons. Our Carnegie library has “The Dancing Girls of Spring” by Frank Jensen and two sculptures by Stan Herd in one of our parks that is easily visible on the north side of Highway 400.
One of the most famous pieces of artwork associated with Kansas seems to be the “Tragic Prelude” mural of John Brown at the State Capital. Painted by John Steuart Curry, it carries the depicts the Bleeding Kansas era in a dramatic and forceful way. John Brown has certainly become a controversial figure, but when we stood in front of that painting at the Capital, it definitely evokes the emotion of that painful period of Kansas history.
Murals are a favorite in cities and towns across Kansas, and you’ll find breathtaking art that is the size of a grain elevator down to small paintings on the walls of downtown shops. The recently completed “Mural at the Mill” in Salina is painted on a 100-ft high flour mill and was completed by Australian artist Guido Van Helton. The mural depicts a group of children playing “Ring Around the Rosie” to emphasize what a great place Salina is to raise a family. Hunting for beautiful murals could be a full-time pursuit when you travel in Kansas!
3. One of a Kind Attractions
If you love the thought of traveling to outer space, don’t miss the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson. It has the world’s largest collection of the Russian and the American space programs. It has a planetarium and the Carey Dome Theater that surrounds you and immerses you in the movie. There is a flight simulator. They host Space Camps for students from 3rd grade on up, which our children were fortunate enough to attend.
The Cosmosphere is a site that no one is expecting to be in the center of Kansas, but it will astound you and is one of my favorite attractions in the state. This museum alone might answer the question of why you would travel in Kansas. You walk into the museum right under a SR-71 Blackbird and it just keeps getting better from there.
While in Hutchinson, you might as well visit Strataca The Underground Salt Museum, definitely a one of a kind attraction! My husband and son camped down there on a Boy Scout trip once. When you travel in Kansas, you can find attractions that are not found anywhere else in the world. As a side note, you can find excellent home cooking restaurants from the Amish in that area!
4. Historical Sites
For history buffs, you have plenty of Civil War history with many sites to learn about the border war, John Brown, and the “Bleeding Kansas” era. Humboldt, ranked as one of th 15 Best Small Towns to Visit in 1014 by the Smithsonian, has a unique trail of reminders of the impact of the Civil War on individuals. However, you also have the cowboy and western expansion history with sites such as Boot Hill in Dodge City and areas where you can still see remnants of the Santa Fe Trail, as well as aviation history with many Amelia Earhart sites around Atchison and the strong aviation background of Wichita.
Abilene is the original Cowtown as it was the end of the Chisholm trail. All the longhorns that were driven up from Texas were loaded on rail cars there and sent east. Travel in Kansas can take you through some of the most influential periods of growth for the United States in it’s westward expansion.
Also in Abilene, The Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum with President Eisenhower’s boyhood home is open Tuesday through Sunday, and it’s easy to spend quite a few hours there looking at the history of the “Eisenhower Era.”
We went to the museum in the afternoon and ended up going back again the next door because there was so much to see there. The museum is packed with content and beautiful displays and videos. You can follow history from the end of World War I all the way through the founding of NASA at the museum. General Eisenhower was clear that he was very proud to have been from Abilene!
The once-every-four-years Medicine Lodge Peace Treaty reenacts a critical point in the history of relations between the American government and the Native Americans. This event, which is about to celebrate it’s 100th birthday, features a intertribal pow-wow, a rodeo, a street dance, several outdoor performances on Main Street, a parade with a herd of longhorns being driven through town, lots of interesting food trucks, a chance to visit the Carrie Nation home, and, of course, the Peace Treaty pageant itself which is held on the banks of the river near the actual site of the signing of the treaty. This is the type of event that makes travel in Kansas so exciting!
Another interesting and important historical site in Kansas is Nicodemus in Graham County. It is the only remining western town established by Black settlers during the Reconstruction Period in 1877. It still has a small population and is a National Historic Site. It illuminates a piece of American history that many of us know nothing about.
5. Outdoor Activities
For those looking for outdoor pursuits, hunting, fishing, camping, hiking and cycling opportunities are abundant in Kansas. Beautiful and inspiring outdoor landscapes are available such as Kansas’ own badlands, the Arikaree Breaks, and the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, the largest area of original prairie tallgrass left in the United States. The importance of preserving the prairie as a separate ecosystem is just really beginning to be understood, and this Preserve is a fantastic place to learn why we need prairies as much as we need forests. Set in the stunning Flint Hills in the central part of the state, it’s easy to imagine going back to a time when most of the Great Plains looked like this.
Fishing-The Mined Land Wildlife Area in southeast Kansas offers a unique fishing experience. This area was strip-mined from 1920-1974 and is now managed by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. Over 1000 strip-mined lakes are in this property, varying wildly in size and depth. One of the lakes is stocked with trout. There are several cabins for rent in the MLWA. It’s hard to imagine any angler wouldn’t find a place to suit their style here! Big Brutus, the enormous electric shovel that was used to remove top soil to get to the coal is one display in this area. It’s an engineering marvel not to be missed when you travel in Kansas.
The Department of Wildlife Management owns more than 40 other state fishing lakes and state parks offer even more places to fish. Wilson State Park in northcentral Kansas is one of our largest lakes with a full marina and supplies for anglers. Many Kansans love to fish so opportunities are everywhere. Many small towns have their own fishing lakes or ponds you can check out.
Cycling is becoming more popular all the time in Kansas. The Switchgrass Trail at Wilson Lake has the Epic status from the International Mountain Bicycling Association. If you like riding on gravel, check out the Unbound Gravel event! The Flint HIlls Trail is our longest bike trail and is actually a linear state park. The Prairie Spirit Trail State Park is another well-regarded trail in eastern Kansas that has been designated as a
If you travel in Kansas with your horses, check out this list of public equestrain trails in Kansas. Obviously, horses are quite common here and there are many places to camp with them and ride them.
6. Sports
Whatever your taste in sports, we have it in Kansas.Sports enthusiasts know Kansas (and Kansas City MO) are the home of unbelievably successful professional sports teams such the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Kansas City Royals. We even have NASCAR at the Kansas Speedway. Sporting Kansas City is our professional soccer team, and they have won two MLS cups and four U.S. Open cups.
You can find PRCA rodeo at various places throughout the state. Phillipsburg has the biggest rodeo in Kansas.
College sports is huge in Kansas with KU and K-State basketball, and Wichita State baseball taking most of the limelight.
Golfing is available all over the state. From Buffalo Dunes in Garden City to Ironhorse Golf Course in Leawood in the KC area, you won’t have to leave your clubs behind when you travel in Kansas.
7. State Parks
The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks manages 28 state parks in Kansas. Most offer camping as well as other outdoor activities. Mushroom Rock State Park in Ellsworth Co, is the smallest at only 5 acres with some rock formations that have to be seen to be believed. We had never seen rock formations like these! As you can see, they look quite dramatic against the beautiful blue sky we had that day.
El Dorado State Park is the largest park in the state and located on the edge of the Flint Hills. It has campsites with corrals for those wanting to ride the equestrian trails and plenty of fishing and boating. ADA accessible trails are available. You’ll find a shooting range and also cabins for rent.
Eisenhower State Park has a full facilities for great family reunions! Check it out next time you need an outdoor space to get the family together.
Check out the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks to find the perfect state park when you travel in Kansas.
8. Food
When it comes to food, we’re known for our steaks and our fried chicken. You can actually plan a trip around the Fried Chicken Trail! Where I am in southeast Kansas, Chicken Annie’s is legendary! If fried chicken isn’t what you’re looking for, you’ll find plenty of upscale dining in the cities such as The Town Co. in Kansas City. It’s our favorite restaurant for celebrating and on the upper end price-wise.
Mexican food is very popular all across Kansas and there is plenty of home cooking and farm-to-table restaurants with super-fresh food as you venture out a little into the countryside. When you travel in Kansas, you won’t go hungry!
A favorite stop for ice cream in Kansas and all over the region is Braum’s. This chain is based in Oklahoma, but the founder came from Kansas after founding and selling his first ice cream chain in Emporia. If you need an ice cream stop, you won’t have to look far to find a Braum’s just about anywhere in Kansas.
The Icee was invented in Kansas in Coffeyville, and Pizza Hut was born in Wichita. Two Wichita State students began the business in 1958 and the original building is on the campus of Wichita State as a museum. Needless to say, pizza is popular all over the state.
9. Photography
Those beautiful sunrises and sunsets that Kansas is known for are an obvious draw for photographers. However, there are many other aspects that lend themselves to fabulous photography! When the sunflowers are in bloom, the photos are incredible. The sunflowers are blooming in late August to early October. Fields of sunflowers are one of the most popular things to photograph in Kansas.
You’ll also enjoy the western icons that you will see, such as windmills, barbed wire fences, and herds of cattle or horses. My husband took this great photo including several of these right outside of Mushroom Rock State Park.
Wildlife photography is big here. In the Cheyenne Bottoms and Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, migratory birds arrive by the thousands. They cover the area and make for wonderful photographs. Across the state, often from major roads, you will find buffalo, deer, antelope, longhorns, and prairie dogs to take pictures of. We’ve even seen a mountain lion, but it was moving too fast to catch on film.
Many photographers enjoy traveling off the main roads and going through the smaller roads to capture great photos of by-gone eras. Old bridges and abandoned buildings make interesting studies and stunning pictures.
10. Family travel in Kansas
Kids will love Kansas! The state parks and local lakes are great for swimming and boating. We have quite a few zoos of various sizes in Kansas and a number of children’s musteums. I’ll have individual posts on many of these, so I’ll just include a beginning list of great places for kids in Kansas here.
- Curious Minds Discovery Zone Parsons- Children’s Museum My grandkids have loved this place since it first opened!
- Cosmosphere Hutchinson- Both kids and adults will be fascinated by this museum. One of my favorite places to visit in Kansas!
- Botanica Wichita Wichita -Botanical gardens which has the Downing Children’s Garden. It has a giant tree house, mazes, and other spectacular features designed to get children in touch with natuare.
- Exploration Place Wichita-Bills itself as “the state’s premier science center.” Kids of all agest will find more than enough to keep them busy and learning!
- Strataca Hutchinson-I mentioned this as a one of a kind attraction earlier, and it’s a great on for kids!
- The Kansas Children’s Discovery Center Topeka-With both indoor and outdoor exhibits and plans to break ground on an addition that will double the size, this is becoming a premier children’s museum in the state’s capital.
- Oz Museum Wamego-If the one thing your family knows about Kansas is that the Wizard of Oz is set here, don’t miss this museum with over 2000 Wizard of Oz artifacts. Follow the Yellow Brick road!.
- Tanganyika Wildlife Park Goddard-Penguins, owls, capybaras, rhino! This is an animal park you don’t want to miss if you have young animal lovers in your family.
- Riverside Park and Ralph Mitchell Zoo Independence KS-Just one of the coolest city parks ever! The zoo is free, the carousel is 5¢ and the train is 50¢. Yes, you read those prices correctly. A favorite place to take our grandkids because they can do everything as many times as they want! We don’t have to say “Just choose one thing” when we go to this park.
- Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead Overland Park-Another city -owened park (not quite as cheap as Riverside Park) with animal feeding, playgrounds, fishing, a pedal tractors track, a play barn and more. Very cool place for the kids if you are in the KC area
Regions to travel in Kansas
It’s the 15th largest state in the country with 82, 277 square miles. That’s a lot of space to wander in! It’s 417 miles from east to west and 211 miles from north to south. It is literally the “wide open spaces” you’ve heard about in the West. While Montana may be known as “Big Sky Country,” you can see incredible vistas from just about anywhere in Kansas.
When we think about Kansas tourism, we usually break it up into six areas, which will make sense when you see them. Kansas is essentially a big rectangle, so it’s easy to divide it up into Northeast, North Central, Northwest, Southeast (which is where we live), South Central, and Southwest. Because Kansas is such a large state area wise, it definitely helps with travel planning to know what part of the state any particular attraction or event is in.
How to travel in Kansas
Most travel in Kansas from one destination to another will be by car. Kansas is all about road-tripping! Those trips will give you plenty of time to enjoy the scenery, the road snacks, the license plate game, or whatever your family enjoys in the car. If you are driving, say, from Kansas City in the northeast to Liberal in the southwest, you will be on the road for well over six hours. If we want to go from our hometown of Parsons, in the southeast corner, to St. Francis, in the northwest corner to see the Arikaree Breaks, you’ll have over seven hours in the car ahead of you.
It’s much more fun to know what interesting things are along the way so that you have plenty of chances to stretch your legs or take the dog for a walk. Even the much-maligned I-70 corridor has loads of opportunities to stop and see something interesting along the way.
Just because it’s pretty hard to separate, we include places and events in Kansas City, MO, in our Kansas Travel Adventures because I don’t always know which side of the line I’m on. Planning efficiently is vital with a state this large, and we hope this blog will help you with that! We’ll provide the most useful travel information we can, mostly from our own travels. Use it as a free travel guide to find the attractions and activities that suit you and your family best. We would love to see you out the Kansas highways and byways, enjoying everything the state has to offer!
