Things to Do in Kansas

Massachusetts Street, the main street in Lawrence, is a very popular tourist destination and part of it is listed on the National Registry of Historical Places. The street features many buildings that were built during the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century and which are of historical interest, including the Free State Brewing Company, Weaver’s Department Store, and the Granada Theater.

Many of these significant buildings are marked with bronze plaques explaining their significance. The Watkins Museum displays exhibits related to local and state history. Nearby green spaces include a city park and a Japanese Friendship Garden. The street is also a shopper’s paradise, with many shops offering unique products.

833-½ Massachusetts Street, Lawrence, KS 66044, Phone: 785-842-3883

The Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center is a space museum, planetarium, and STEM ed-ucation center in Hutchinson, Kansas, famous for restoring and exhibiting spaceships as well as organizing space camps.

It now displays over 13,000 spaceflight artifacts, making it the largest collection of Russian and US space artifacts in the world. Some of the unique and authentic ob-jects in display have actually been flown into space or were a flight-ready backup. There is also a large amount of space suits on display as well as a V-1 flying bomb, a V-2 rocket, a Vostok space capsule, a Lockheed SR-71 blackbird, the Liberty Bell 7 Mercury spacecraft, and the Apollo 13 command module Odyssey.

Hutchinson Community College, Hutchinson, KS 67501,1100 N Plum St, Phone: 800-397-0330

The OZ Museum in Wamego is dedicated to The Wizard of Oz. It features over 2,000 artifacts that relate to L. Frank Baum’s books, the well-known movie as well as the silent films and board games. The museum was founded in 2004 and has encouraged the de-velopment of several Oz-related businesses, now known as the Oz Cluster.

A perfect time to go there is for the OzToberfest, when an annual street festival is held, offering many fun activities for adults and children, including a costume contest, a window art contest, hot air balloon rides, a yellow brick road bike ride as well as food and drinks, music, live presentations, and much more from the magical world of the Wizard of Oz!

511 Lincoln St, Wamego, KS 66547, Phone: 785-458-8686

The Museum of World Treasures in Wichita, has a vast display of historical pieces, ranging from complete fossil dinosaur skeletons, including the famous Ivan the T. rex, to Egyp-tian mummies, a section of the Berlin Wall, and three floors of the most diverse collection from world history.

As it is a non-profit organization, it provides educational programs, events, and exhibits thanks to the generosity of its donors. The museum is located at the Farm & Art Market Building in Old Town and also offers a banquet room for birthdays, weddings, and meetings.

835 E 1st St N, Wichita, KS 67202, Phone: 316-263-1311

Attractions for Couples

Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is a 10,894-acre national park located in the Flint Hills region, north of Strong City, Kansas. It protects a remnant of the tallgrass prairie that once cov-ered 170 million acres of the United States, stretching from Indiana to Kansas and from Canada to Texas.

Nowadays, only 4% remains, the rest having mostly been plowed under for urban or agricultural development. The park contains over 500 species of plants, 39 species of reptiles, 31 species of mammals, and nearly 150 species of birds. There are a number of hiking trails and bus tours and you can also drive along the many trails, although most of the flora and fauna are too small to be seen from a passing car.

2480B Kansas 177, Strong City, KS 66869, Phone: 620-273-8494

The Kansas State Capitol Building in Topeka is the headquarters of the executive and legislative branches of government for the state of Kansas. The dome of this building was modeled after that of the United States Capitol. Visitors can tour the building, including the dome, which involves a climb of 296 steps from the fifth floor.

There are two tour options, one which showcases the history of the Capitol building and the other which comprises the dome tour. The visitors’ center features exhibits related to Kansas history, the state government, and the Capitol building itself as well as an auditorium and a tour desk.

SW 8th & SW Van Buren, Topeka, KS 66612, 785-296-3966

Recommended Activities for Families

The Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead is located in Overland Park, Kansas, and is a family-friendly farm experience and educational facility. The farmstead gives visitors the opportunity to view and interact with farm animals, birds of prey, and butterfly gardens. There are interactive activities such as nature walks, a full-scale country schoolhouse, a fishing pond, and horse and pony rides.

The 12-acre park hosts a variety of activities throughout the year and boasts attrac-tions for all ages. The park has several refreshment options during your visit, including a restau-rant featuring typical amusement park fare and an ice cream parlor.

13800 Switzer Road, Overland Park, KS 66221, Phone: 913-897-2360

The Sedgwick County Zoo is a zoological park in Wichita. It is well-known for its efforts in con-servation and its breeding of rare species. The zoo is home to over 2,500 animals from almost 500 species. The park is laid out according to geographical region and each section includes animals from that part of the world.

Tram tours of the zoo are included in the admission price and boat tours of certain sections are available at an additional cost. Sedgwick County Zoo has four different food and beverage locations which serve snacks, light meals, and drinks. Giraffe feeding sessions are available several times a day and special events happen throughout the year.

5555 Zoo Boulevard, Wichita, KS 67212, Phone: 316-266-8211

The Kansas Speedway is a 1.5-mile race track and motorsports facility in Kansas City. The speedway hosts several annual NASCAR events, including two Sprint Cup Series races. The area near the hotel includes a movie theater, an outdoor shopping mall, and several hotels, in-cluding the Hollywood Hotel and Casino, which is located at the track and overlooks turn two.

The casino features 100,000 square feet of gaming floor and nearly 30,000 square feet of other entertainment amenities. The track features the Richard Petty Driving Experience, which allows visitors to actually drive a race car on the track.

400 Speedway Blvd., Kansas City, KS 66111, Phone: 866-460-7223