7 Picture-Perfect Towns in Kansas
The state of Kansas is the beating heart of the west-of-the-Mississippi American Midwest, according to many. Since earning its statehood in 1861, Kansas has moved from violent days that earned the moniker "Bleeding Kansas" to a reputation among travel experts as one of the United States' most pleasant places. Kansas' small, often beautiful are less famous than cities like Kansas City or Topeka, the state capital — yet they embody the best and prettiest elements of Kansas life.
Norton
Norton, with a modest 2,700 residents, blends lovely scenery and small-town quaintness. The Norton County Historical Society and Museum offers a local view on the past. The museum's “They Also Ran" Gallery, an homage to the losers of US presidential races, offers an exhibit and the chance for a laugh. The slogan on the museum's front door is both funny and fitting: "Defeated, but not forgotten."
For some light exercise, head to the Norton Public Library, whose outdoor sculpture collection is as diverse as the people who come to see it. Elmwood Park provides green space and a stretch of water along Prairie Dog Creek, southeast of downtown.
Abilene
Abilene, population 6,400, may be small, its larger-than-life history brings American and international tourists on a constant basis. It is the childhood home of president and World War II hero, Dwight Eisenhower. In 2023, Abilene earned the title of "Best Small Town to Visit in the US" — for the third year in a row — from the Travel Awaits website.
Today, The town offers visitors a chance to see a dedicated Eisenhower museum, as well as his grave and presidential library. Architecture fans will want to see the historic Seelye Mansion, built in 1905 and thought of as one of Kansas' finest homes. The Seelye residence is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).
Lindsborg
Lindsborg, in central Kansas, has 3,800 residents and a legendary Scandinavian heritage. Referred to by its nickname "Little Sweden," the tale of the town's origins stretches back to Olof Olsson, a Lutheran pastor who in 1869 led a handful of followers from Sweden to the promise of opportunity on the American Plains.
The town would later attract more Scandinavians as well Germans and others. Their stories have taken on artistic expression, which travelers can see at the Birger Sandzen Memorial Gallery, featuring paintings of the Swedish artist of the same name. The town boasts over thirty "wild Dala horses," which are decorative outdoor figures. Lindsborg's Dala horses dot the downtown. In 2023, Lindsborg earned the number-five spot on the same Travel Awaits list that awarded Abilene its top spot for US small towns.
Salina
Salina, with 46,200 souls, owes part of its founding to a gold rush, like those in Alaska, Georgia and California. The north-central town, incorporated since 1870, later transitioned as a center of cattle raising. Seated at the intersection of Highways 70 and 135, the town today benefits from interstate traffic, shipping, and commerce of various kinds. Salina served as the western end of the Smoky Hill Trail, named after the river to which it runs mostly parallel, through Kansas and into Colorado. The Smoky Hill Trail was an early path of settlement for westbound homesteaders.
Fun and local flavor await the tourist during the Smoky Hill River Festival, held in Salina every June. Likewise, the town's Smoky Hill Museum hosts a street fair every September. Outdoorsy types should head to Salina's side-by-side parks: Indian Rock Park and the Bill Burke Sports Complex. Both are located beside the river. The town also has four NRHP-listed places, ranging from churches to a Native American archeological site.
Dodge City
Dodge City, population 27,400, is a larger Kansas town, and bursting with history. Founded in 1872, the place has seen visitors come and go ever since it inspired the expression "get out of Dodge" (when a person needs to get away for a while), which became popular in dime novels and fifties-era western television shows. The Jones Plummer Trail, National Old Trails Road, and the Sante Fe Trail all make their way through here. Today, Dodge City is one of Kansas' quaintest smaller towns.
For local culture and more of the past, the Boot Hill Museum, also called Kansas' Cowboy Hall of Fame, explores Western history and the region's dramatic earlier days. Nature lovers will enjoy the town's twenty-one parks, including the largest, Wright Park, which features the Dodge City Zoo and is popular among local families and those traveling with children.
Ottawa
Ottawa, with 12,600 inhabitants, was founded in 1865 in the east-central part of Kansas near the Missouri border. Today the place is a quaint university town, playing host to Ottawa University. The town's position on the Marais des Cygnes ("Swan Marsh") River brings together some of the best aspects in Midwestern small-town life. The river has caused downtown flooding in the past, but sixties-era work by the US Army Corps of Engineers built levees that now regulate local water flows.
For a glimpse of local history, The Old Depot Museum remembers the region's mighty railroads, while the historic district preserves a number of nineteenth-century buildings. The town's Carnegie Cultural Center, formerly a Carnegie library, organizes arts events and performances and features on the NRHP. Ottawa's outdoor zones include Kanza Park and Forest Park, which has a dedicated area for dogs.
Marysville
Marysville, population 3,400, sits in Kansas' northeast, not far from the Nebraska state line. Incorporated in 1861, it formed part of both the Oregon Trail and the Pony Express, remnants of which are marked by historical placards in town. One early traveler claimed the town "thrived by selling whiskey to ruffians of all descriptions." Since those rough early days, Marysville has developed a cultural side, starting with the Koester House Museum and Gardens, an estate built in 1876. The town's more curious claims to fame include its reputation as "Black Squirrel City," so named for a large local population of furry mammals.
Along the Big Blue River west of town, travelers can visit the Historic Trails Park, which includes a replica of a rope ferry that once shuttled Marysville's people and goods across the water.
Kansas' Small-Town Beauty Is Picture-Perfect
From "Bleeding Kansas" to cultural gems, Kansas is a place whose western roots have bloomed in full. Former presidents grew up here, like Eisenhower in Abilene; presidential history comes through thanks to museums in Norton and other towns in the state. Cowboys and outlaws have passed through Salina and Dodge City, while wealthy Midwesterners have built beautiful homes and buildings statewide. Gold rushes and floods have marked the state's smaller places, but for the traveler today, the biggest difficulty may be deciding which town to see first. Whatever a visitor's tastes, timeframe, or interests, a trip to Kansas' picture-perfect towns is bound to satisfy.
