Kansas for Kids (continued)

The Midwest doesn't get any more middle than Kansas because the exact center of the continental U.S. is found here. Many travelers avoid the state altogether or rush across its Great Plains en-route to other places, which is a big mistake! Kansas can't claim an ocean or a mountain range, but it has a subtle beauty and a slower pace that we found idyllic. We enjoyed driving down long stretches of traffic free, two-lane road, surrounded by miles of rippling wheat and sunflowers with their happy faces waving in the breeze. It gave us a sense of calm and vastness that we had not experienced in other places.

Once cowboys on the Chisholm Trail drove vast herds of longhorns north in search of the railroads and to cater for the new population, cowtowns like Abilene and Dodge City were born. Today, the State boasts many monuments to its Old West past such as the restored cattle town of Dodge City. Here we visited the Boot Hill Museum, which recreates the Boot Hill Cemetery and Front Street as they looked in the 1870s. Near Boot Hill is the Gunfighter Wax Museum, located in the Kansas Teachers’ Hall of Fame. In Abilene, the Dickinson County Heritage Center describes the history of the wild frontier and the early pioneers.

Wichita, the largest city in Kansas, famed today for aircraft manufacture, is home to the Museums on the River District, which includes an art museum and a botanical garden. A great place to visit is the Old Cowtown Museum, which introduces visitors to the cattle days of the 1870s with open-air history exhibits. The Mid-America All-Indian Center Museum is where traditional and modern works by Native American artists are on display, but a must visit place is the magnificent Exploration Place with its many fascinating discovery exhibits. Wichita is also home to Sedgwick County Zoo, one of Kansas’s top tourist attractions.

We visited and stayed in many interesting places during our short trip through Kansas and we saw and experienced many wonderful things that would please any family looking to enjoy a unique family experience. The blend of old and new is quite unique; the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center in Hutchinson is rapidly becoming the most comprehensive space museum in existence, whilst the Sternberg Museum of Natural History in Hays features exhibits that recreate the days of Kansas 88 million years ago when the mighty T-Rex roamed the land and Kansas was covered by water. There are no white-knuckle ride theme parks in Kansas, instead they have the wonderful Exploration Place in Wichita with its extraordinary, educational hands-on experiences for people of all ages, or kids can enjoy exploring one of the historic frontier forts in Western Kansas and experience the sights, sounds and smells of the 1860’s. Also, the choice of accommodation is exceptional, varying from the historic Castle Inn Riverside in Wichita, the Victorian Verandah Country Inn located on a 57 acre Free State Farm in Lawrence, Hedrick’s Exotic Animal Farm in Nickerson (near Hutchinson), Moore’s Ranch, a simple family ranch that raise Texas Longhorn Cattle and do their ranch work in the old-fashioned cowboy way, and the recently opened Great Wolfe Lodge, Kansas’s largest indoor waterpark resort.

These are details from our own experiences of the many interesting places to visit, stay and eat that will help make your family trip to Kansas a memorable and enjoyable one.

 RECOMMENDED PLACES TO VISIT

Travel from the tundra to the tropics, exploring life on earth, past and present. An internationally acclaimed research, education, and public service institution that discovers, documents, and disseminates knowledge of earth's biological diversity and natural environments to benefit science and society.

This center hosts a vast system of trails, a bird-watching area and prairie observatory. The main building houses nine permanent exhibits. The park encompasses 71 acres and contains approximately eight acres of never-plowed prairie with nearly 180 species of native plants. Here the kids will enjoy seeing many of the animals on display and exploring the trails.

Great family entertainment on a working farm with live farm animals, hay maze, straw romp, and pumpkin decoration classes.

Located in the Kansas Flint Hills, this portion of the once-vast tallgrass prairie is being preserved as a critical resource for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations. The only unit of the National Park Service dedicated to the rich natural and cultural history of the tallgrass prairie ecosystem, the preserve was established in 1996. A massive three-story barn houses a bookstore, resource and exhibition center, and the 1.75 mile trail presents marvelous vistas as well as an opportunity for detailed looks at the prairie ecosystem.

Families will enjoy these prairie adventures designed to give travelers a taste of the pioneer life without the hardships. Offering a choice of half or full day group trips, or the regularly scheduled weekend outings, all are held on a working cattle ranch in the beautiful Flint Hills of Kansas. These tours disguise education as fun as you travel across the prairie in authentic antique wagons and enjoy campfire-cooked meals and traditional entertainment.

This is top of the list in terms of must visit places in Kansas. Located on a 20-acre site along the scenic Arkansas River in downtown Wichita’s Museums on the River district, this is a great place to discover extraordinary hands-on experiences for people of all ages. There are four exhibit areas focusing on flight, health, Kansas, and imaginative spaces for young children. Experience digital state-of-the-art, computer-generated shows in the CyberDome Theater, hold on to your full-motion theater seat in the Simulation Center, take a breather in the great outdoors at the picnic grove and adventure play yard, and finally, test your putting skills during the summer at an 18-hole Mini-Golf course unlike any other.

Old Cowtown Museum – Wichita – www.old-cowtown.org

This 1870s Kansas cattle town on the Chisholm Trail is a nationally accredited open-air living history museum with over 11,000 artifacts. Cowtown features over 40 buildings, including working blacksmith, carpenter and newspaper shops, historic homes, a livery stable, bank, saloon, drug store, bath house, law office, general store, and even a funeral parlor. Each home has a vegetable garden using period seeds and there are costumed, historic interpreters in many of the sites to demonstrate and discuss the area's history from 1865-1880.

A ten-acre corn maze planted in a unique patriotic design provides a lot of fun for all the family. There are trivia questions and riddles posted throughout the maze, events at weekends and live entertainment.

A haven for kids and a great place for a family day out, the 247-acre zoo has more than 2,500 amazing animals in eight imaginative and naturalistic exhibits including the African Veldt, North American Prairie, Children's Farm, Koch Orangutan & Chimpanzee Habitat, Herpetarium and Jungle. The nationally renowned zoo is among the top 25 largest in the U.S and has an animal collection of 433 species. Pride of the Plains, a new exhibit designed to look like an African Savannah, houses warthogs, meerkats, and a pride of African lions.

Here you will see fiery hot molten glass being shaped into beautiful sculptured art pieces and glass blowing demonstrations.

This world renowned space museum features the largest collection of US space artifacts outside of the National Air and Space Museum and the largest collection of Russian space artifacts in the Western world. It has an IMAX Dome Theater with the largest projection system in the world, Dr Goddard’s Lab that transports you back in time to the laboratory of the father of modern rocket science, and a Planetarium Theater with educational star shows and entertaining laser light shows. The Cosmosphere is home to the actual Apollo 13 command module Odyssey, and SR-71 Blackbird spy plane, the world's largest collection of space suits, and the largest collection of Soviet space artifacts in the Western world.

The only one of its kind in the United States this fantastic museum, 650ft below the Kansas prairie, is opening late 2004 to explore the story of salt in a subterranean environment few people have seen before. In safe, climate-controlled surroundings the intriguing story of salt will be told and the majority of exhibits, programs and activities will take place underground. Apart from being educational, this will be a fun experience for all the family.

This is an accredited western-history village museum located on the original site of Boot Hill cemetery in downtown Dodge City. Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday and Bat Masterson were just a few famous names that formed their reputations here, and life in the 19th century is interpreted through audio-visual programs, exhibits, a reconstruction of Dodge City in 1876 and old west restorations. The complex consists of historic and reconstructed buildings including an 1879 cattleman’s home and the jail from Fort Dodge. During the summer months there are variety shows in the Longbranch Saloon, demonstrations at the printing and blacksmiths shop, stagecoach rides and gunfight re-enactments. The Dodge City Trolley is a good way to learn about the town’s folklore while visiting the sites where history was made.

Fort Larned National Historic Site – Larned – www.nps.gov/fols/

This is an outstanding authentic frontier military post, one of six in Kansas. During early 1860s, Fort Larned was the northern anchor of the line of forts defining the southwestern military frontier. The first duty station for the 10th US Cavalry was located here from 1867-1869. Today, the fort features nine original buildings as well as a reconstructed blockhouse with more than 40 rooms restored and furnished in the style of the period

The museum houses more than 3.7 million specimens and features a recreation of the days 88 million years ago when the mighty T-Rex roamed the land and Kansas was covered by water. See giant sea swimming lizards and fish, the famous fish-within-a-fish, and the children's Discovery Room where children of all ages can learn through hands-on experience with specimens and live creatures of the Great Plains.

Neither a Kansas twister, ruby slippers nor a benevolent witch are necessary to get to and from Oz these days. A visit to Wamego and the new Oz Museum is all that is required to mesmerize the kids as they meet Dorothy, Toto and all the characters and wonders of the world-wide phenomenon that is Oz. The Oz Museum, houses the largest private collection of Oz memorabilia in the world and consists of more than 2,000 items from the 1939 "The Wizard of Oz" movie, released by MGM, based on Frank L. Baum 's classic children's story and starring Judy Garland.

This working farm breeds some of the smallest double registered miniature show horses found in Kansas. Shown in seven states, these horses have been placed in the top 10 in the nation and all the winning ribbons are on display. Miniature horses are now being trained in the USA as See and Eye guides for the partially sighted people.

Discover the history of the wild frontier, the days of Tom Smith and Wild Bill Hickok, and the wild and woolly days of the cattle drives to Abilene at the end of the Chisholm Trail. Also, explore the stories of the early pioneers as they settled the Great Plains and turned the great American desert into their home.

The totally hand-carved working carousel manufactured in Abilene at the turn of century by C. W. Parker Amusement Company has been completely restored. The kids will love to ride on one of the 24 horses or four chariots of this National Landmark.

This is not only a unique place to shop it’s a fun place for families to visit. Literally bringing the outdoors inside, the 188,000 square-foot showroom features an open-air environment and offers an unparalleled shopping experience. Kids will love exploring the mule deer museum and seeing the 65,000-gallon aquarium, whilst parents will enjoy rummaging through the Bargain Cave.

If you are interested to learn more about the exhilarating world of motor racing take one of the Behind the Scenes Tours at Kansas Speedway. This major motor sports facility hosts the NASCAR Winston Cup, Busch, Craftsman Truck, and Indy Racing Events. The 1˝ mile tri-oval track has grandstand seating for 78,000 and the tour gives a great insight to the preparation and running of these major events. The track also has driving schools, custom car shows, national barbecue contests and a souvenir shop.

Kansas' largest indoor waterpark resort is a fabulous place for families. The lodge has 281 family-sized suites, redemption arcade, Aveda spa, Bear Claw Cafe, and an on-site family restaurant. The central attraction is the four-story, 38,000 square-foot indoor waterpark with its interactive tree house water fort, 8 waterslides, 5 pools, 2 huge whirlpools, Alberta Falls, and outdoor water activity area. The lodge provides year-round water fun and great accommodation for all ages.

Staying at Hedrick’s is a truly unique experience. Not only do you get to stay in a Country Inn that reflects the image of Main Street in the Old West, the facilities are unique to. They include an outdoor balcony accessible from each room, a great viewing gallery overlooking an indoor holding area where you can see kangaroos bouncing around, and a Kid’s Corner and play ground. Each safari-type guest room is decorated in a style that reflects a wild animal staying on the farm, so there’s a Llama Room, Giraffe Room, Kangaroo Room, Camel Room, Ostrich Suite, Zebra Family Suite and a special Petting Zoo Room for kids. The great array of wildlife outside will keep the kids amused; there are llamas, ostriches, zebras, goats, pigs, kangaroos, and they can even kiss a giraffe (if they can reach!) or ride a camel.

The Castle Inn is a duplication of a Scottish Campbell Castle built in 1888 from drawings of a castle originally constructed in the foothills of Scotland. Idyllically located on the banks of the Little Arkansas River, the castle is a restful haven of peace and tranquillity and an ideal place to stay with older children.

Moore’s Ranch – Bucklin - www.longhorn-cattle.com

A simple family run ranch that still does the ranch work the old fashioned, cowboy way. Families are welcome to join in with day-to-day activities or relax in the solitude and nature around the ranch. Activities include horseback riding, branding, roping, cattle drives, riding fences, nature hikes, and wildlife viewing. This is a great place for families to stay and experience ranch life as well as having lots of fun in a wonderful environment.

Located on the 57 acre Free State Farm just one mile north of Lawrence, the Inn sits in the Kansas River valley. Built in 1998, this Victorian style house has ten guestrooms, all with private bath. On the farm families can enjoy horseback riding, petting the horses, goats and sheep and an outdoor swimming pool. Also available to guests are wagon or carriage rides, cattle drives, horseback trail riding and a pumpkin patch.

The design resembles a Kansas barn from the outside and a very spacious rustic lodge on the inside with a bar and excellent family rooms and facilities. Guests can take part in ranching during the summer months with experienced ranch hands, or just walk the hiking trails, do some mountain biking, pond fishing or bird watching.

A good place to spend the night if just passing through. The family suites have remote control cable TV, in-room coffee, microwave and fridge. There’s a seasonal outdoor pool, 2 indoor whirlpools, and weight room.

This family run guesthouse has good, spacious accommodation in a modernized ranch house. Families will enjoy the friendly, relaxed atmosphere and range of facilities that include hosted horseback rides along eight miles of trails, riding lessons for all ages, hand-led children’s horse rides, access to a large indoor arena, nature walks and fishing.

 RECOMMENDED PLACES TO EAT

It’s a real family treat to enjoy the famous Brookville Family Style Fried Chicken. Travelers come from miles around in search of the best fried chicken dinners in Kansas, so make sure you reserve to avoid disappointment.

A unique western-style steakhouse serving Midwestern grain fed beef cooked over an open wood fire with unique blend of spices.

Popular local venue serving delicious authentic Mexican food.

Interesting place to eat on the site of the original railroad depot and you can see actual carriages inside the restaurant.

Great place for hungry families to eat fast-food. Good choice of food and kids under 10 get their own Lil’ Trader meals.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT KANSAS VISIT:

www.travelKS.com

www.visitlawrence.com

www.visitwichita.com

www.hutchchamber.com

www.visitdodgecity.org

www.haysusa.net

www.abilenecityhall.com

www.kckscvb.org