12 Amazing Kansas Day Trips That Are Worth The Drive

Kansas is a vibrant state with tons of history, culture, and beautiful scenery. It’s also a great place to go if you love traveling because there are plenty of day trips that will allow you to see even more of this midwestern state. As you might expect, the biggest airport in Kansas is located in its biggest city, which is Wichita. This makes Wichita a fantastic city to fly into and begin your Kansas road trip. It also happens to be located within two to three hours (or less) of some of the top tourist attractions that the state has to offer. From the Oz Museum and Tallgrass Prairie National Reserve to the capital city of Topeka and the college town of Manhattan, there are tons of amazing day trips to embark on in Kansas.

Topeka

Topeka is the capital of Kansas and the second-largest city in the state. It is located two hours east of Wichita and is a vibrant city worth the day trip. Some of the best attractions that Topeka has to offer include the Kansas State Capitol Visitor Center, the Topeka Zoo, the Evel Knievel Museum, the Combat Air Museum, and the Kansas Museum of History. If you prefer to enjoy nature, you can do so in Gage Park, Ted Ensley Gardens, Lake Shawnee, and Ward-Meade Park.

It’s also worth noting that Topeka is a city with major historical significance. During the Jim Crow Era, the famous Supreme Court case Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka overturned Plessy v. Ferguson, which declared that racial segregation in schools was unconstitutional.

Exploration Place

Exploration Place is a fantastic place to spend the day in Wichita if you’re traveling with children. It is a science museum - Kansas’ premier science center to be exact - and it is situated on the west side of the Arkansas River in the Wichita neighborhood of Delano. This interactive and educational attraction has laser shows, a STEM Station, Live Science Shows, and a Dome Theater. There is also an outdoor children’s playground, a Sensory Garden, and plenty of other permanent exhibits that allow kids to learn about biology, physics, chemistry, and more. Exploration Place in Wichita also hosts a number of events and camps throughout the year, such as Summer Camps, a Gingerbread Village, and Cookie Decorating Party around the holidays.

Dodge City

Another incredible day trip in Kansas lies in Dodge City. Approximately two hours and 30 minutes by car from Wichita, this Wild West town was founded in the nineteenth century as a military fort called Fort Dodge. It was created to protect settlers who were coming to the state or traveling through it on the Santa Fe Trail.

Even though the days of the Wild West are long gone, you will still feel like a cowboy when you arrive in Dodge City. The town’s tourism revolves around its history, with museums and guided tours of the area that will take you through Fort Dodge and allow you to witness reenactments of famous gunfights. You can even eat a chuckwagon dinner at the Boot Hill Museum. Fun fact: The expression “Get the heck out of Dodge” refers to Dodge City and dates back to the Old West.

Manhattan

When you hear the word “Manhattan,” you probably think of New York City, but the reality is that this isn’t the only Manhattan in the United States—there is also one in Kansas. A small college town affectionately known as The Little Apple, Manhattan is the home of Kansas State University. It is located roughly two hours northeast of Wichita and is bursting with charm, history, and art. The town is home to a number of museums and art galleries, like the Riley County Historical Museum, Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art (which is free to visit, by the way), and the Midwest Dream Car Collection.

It’s also a haven for anyone who loves hiking, with a number of parks and trails nearby. A few of the most popular include Tuttle Creek State Park, Konza Prairie Nature Trail, and Pillsbury Crossing Wildlife Area. While in Manhattan, make sure to stop by the Kansas State University campus, where you can walk around the university gardens that date back to 1907.

Old Cowtown Museum

In central Wichita lies the Old Cowtown Museum. Far from your typical museum, this educational space is a recreation of a Wichita of the past. It is a mix of a living history site, a museum, and a historic preservation project, as this open-air space features 54 historically accurate buildings alongside a period farm and out-buildings.

The Old Cowtown Museum first opened its doors in 1952 and sits on 23 acres of land near the original Chisholm Trail. Today, it hosts a number of events and festivals for all ages, like the County Fair in October, Victorian Christmas in December, and the Cowtown Tea Party in May. The Old Cowtown Museum in Wichita is open Wednesday to Sunday throughout the year and costs just $10 for adults and $8 for children.

Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve

Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is a second day trip that is worth your time while in Kansas. If you’ve always dreamed of seeing the quintessential prairie scenery that Kansas is known for, then this national preserve is a must. The Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve features the largest tallgrass prairie in the entire world. It also consists of over 10,000 acres of scenic grasslands, which means that there is a lot to explore. Upon arrival, you will quickly discover all the many hiking trails and paths that exist here. Hikes like the Ranch Legacy Trail and the Fox Creek Trail will put you right in the center of the prairies, where you might be lucky enough to spot one of the 150 species of grassland birds that live here.

Cosmosphere, Hutchison

If you’re fascinated by space, be sure to stop by the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center. Known more simply as the Cosmosphere, this Kansas attraction is only one hour from Wichita and is the second-biggest space museum in the world. Among the many exciting exhibits you will find here are the Hall of Space Museum, which has the largest collection of American and Russian space artifacts, the Cosmosphere Planetarium, and the Carey Digital Dome Theater, where you can watch a film about space that is screened on the side of the two-story dome. The Cosmosphere is open year-round from Wednesday to Sunday.

Lindsborg

Lindsborg is another amazing day trip that you can easily take from Wichita, Kansas. Roughly one hour from the state’s largest city, Lindsborg is a tiny town with a fascinating Scandinavian history. More specifically, the town was founded by Swedish immigrants in the late 1900s and over the years, has developed and retained strong ties to Swedish culture. It’s no wonder Lindsborg is known by locals as “Little Sweden,”

A few not-to-be-missed attractions in Lindsborg include the Swedish Pavilion, Coronado Heights, the Old Mill Museum, Birger Sandzen Memorial Gallery, and Hoglund Dugout. There are also many Swedish bakeries, restaurants, and coffee shops, giving visitors an opportunity to try authentic Scandinavian cuisine.

Sedgwick County Zoo

The next amazing Kansas day trip is within the city of Wichita and it's the Sedgwick County Zoo. This AZA-accredited, award-winning wildlife park is home to over 3,000 animals, including rhinos, elephants, kangaroos, flamingoes, giraffes, gorillas, and penguins. The zoo also offers Wild Encounters where guests can enjoy first-hand experiences with the animals. A few of the most popular options are the Penguin Encounter, Rhino Encounter, Elephant Encounter, and Aldabra Tortoise Encounter.

Within the Sedgwick County Zoo, there are a number of additional attractions that are not to be missed, like the Safari Express train, Stingray Cove, a Boat Ride (open seasonally), and Giraffe Feeding from a special Giraffe Feeding Station.

Oz Museum, Wamego

The Oz Museum is approximately two hours and 30 minutes from Wichita. If you’re a pop culture fan or simply love The Wizard of Oz, this is an attraction you should not miss. The Oz Museum is situated in Wamego, Kansas, and houses a collection of over 2,000 original artifacts, books, production notes, photos, and props from the movie. Guests are also invited to walk down the yellow brick road and watch the original silent movie. Overall, this Kansas attraction chronicles The Wizard of Oz's history from the earliest L. Frank Baum books to its modern film adaptations. Wamego’s Oz Museum is open daily throughout the year.

Fort Scott National Historic Site

Fort Scott National Historic Site is approximately two hours and 45 minutes from Wichita, but it’s well worth the drive. History buffs will love wandering around this important fortification. Preserved for over 150 years, the Fort Scott National Historic Site was erected in 1842 to secure America’s borders. It was constructed when Kansas was frontier land when settlers were making their way to the state and beyond. Fort Scott also ended up being an important landmark years later during the U.S. Civil War and Bleeding Kansas. Today, the attraction offers guided tours to guests that take them through 11 historically accurate buildings and 13 furnished rooms, all of which will make you feel like you’ve stepped back in time to the mid-19th century.

Botanica, The Wichita Gardens

The last amazing day trip in Kansas is to Botanica, the Wichita Gardens. Centrally located in Kansas’ largest city, Botanica is not your average garden. When it originally opened in 1987, it was much smaller than it is now, consisting of just four gardens. But over the years, thanks to the collaboration between the Wichita Area Garden Council and the City of Wichita it has grown exponentially and now spans nearly 18 acres.

The Signature Gardens that make up Botanica include the Chinese Garden of Friendship, the Butterfly Garden, the Koch Carousel Garden, and the Downing Children’s Garden. Depending on the time of year, visitors can marvel at beautiful blooming flowers, like anemones, hydrangeas, spider lilies, goldenrods, and chrysanthemums.

As you can see, Kansas is a wonderful place to plan a day trip - and Wichita is the ideal jumping-off point for all of your adventures. Whether you want to learn more about the beloved film The Wizard of Oz, see the largest tallgrass prairie on the planet, or visit an Old Western town or a military fort from the nineteenth century, you can do it all in Kansas. The best part is that you won’t even have to drive three hours from the Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport to find it! What are you waiting for? Start planning your Kansas vacation today!