It should come as no surprise to learn that Kansas, a state steeped in family tradition, is a great place to adventure with your loved ones. Take a trip into outer space, back in time, and across the plains of Africa -- all without leaving our borders. If it's fun you're after, you've come to the right place...
Kansas Underground Salt Museum
Airport Restaurant
Kansas Cosmosphere & Space Center
Wichita
Exploration Place
Old Cowtown Museum
Diamond W Chuckwagon
DAY 1
Overland Park
At the Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead enjoy feeding farm animals, taking a pony ride or a hayride on a horse-drawn wagon, fishing in the pond and walking through a replica of an early 1900s schoolhouse.
Overland Park to Kansas City, KS – 18 miles (29 km) north on I-435
Kansas City
Get a hands-on prehistoric experience with the Discovery Dig at T-REX, where you can mine for hidden treasures and pan for fossils. Afterward, come face to face with life-size dinosaurs as you sink your teeth into a Bronto Burger for lunch.
Experience the ultimate adrenaline rush riding shotgun in a two-seat stock car driven by a professional instructor, or grip the wheel in the driver's seat yourself at the Kansas Speedway. To see the track at a slower speed, take a guided walking tour that includes the infield, garages, fuel stations, victory lane and more.
Enjoy affordable, family entertainment and unique fun between-inning events at a Kansas City T-Bones Baseball game. There’s even a kids' play area in full view of the field so parents can watch their children and not miss the game!
End your day at the Great Wolf Lodge. With eight waterslides, three pools, a four-story treehouse waterfort, kid-themed guest rooms and family-style restaurants, your kids may never want to leave.
Kansas City to Lawrence – 25 miles (40 km) west on I-70
Tour the KU Natural History Museum to see wildlife dioramas, dinosaur bones and Comanche, the preserved 7th Cavalry horse that survived Custer’s Last Stand. Be sure to download one of the scavenger hunts from their Web site so you can explore the galleries with an eye for discovery!
Lawrence also boasts one of the most beautiful downtownsin the U.S. Take a stroll down historic Massachusetts (the locals call it Mass) Street and indulge senses with blocks of antique shops, boutiques, quirky coffee shops and sidewalk cafes as the sounds of a street musician or local jazz house filter down the street.
Lawrence to Topeka – 28 miles (44 km) west on I-70
Topeka
Take a mile-long scenic ride on the mini train through the heart of Gage Park, as the engineer enlightens you on the history of the park and its many attractions. Then take a twirl on the 1908 Herschell-Spillman carousel, which features a vintage Wurlitzer band.
Visit award-winning exhibits on colorful characters and everyday folks from Kansas' past at the Kansas Museum of History. You'll see a full-sized Cheyenne tipi, a fully stocked covered wagon ready for a trip on the Oregon Trail, a 1950s diner and a fully restored 1880 steam locomotive. Kids will enjoy the children's gallery where they can crawl into a tepee, try on pioneer clothes and visit a re-created 1950s county fair.
As one of the nation's best award winning barbeque restaurants, Boss Hawg's Barbeque features the finest, freshest meats and makes all their sides from scratch. It's so good that even Maximum Golf magazine named it one of the Top 10 Barbeques in the country.
Topeka to Manhattan - 56 miles (91 km) west on I-70 and north on K-177
Manhattan
Overlooking the Flint Hills, Sunset Zoo is a great place to learn about the natural wonders of the surrounding world and your role in its preservation. Participate in a scavenger hunt/animal trivia game and investigate the zoo’s animal collection.
See some of the most incredible insects on our planet. At the K-State Insect Zoo you can view a number of exciting educational exhibits including the Tropical tree/flooded Amazonian Rainforest, the Desert-Scape, Tropical Cave, Giant Leafcutter Ant colony, and an observation beehive.
If you're looking for the perfect deli sandwich and a great festive atmosphere, Rock-a-Belly Deli has just what you want. Located in Aggieville, enjoy one of their specialty sandwiches, soups or daily specials.
Manhattan to Salina - 67 miles (107 km) west on K-18 and I-70
Salina
Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure is a one-of-a-kind experience. Both a world-class zoo with more than 300 animals and an immersive museum with seven world regions from the tropical rainforest to the polar regions. Children can even crawl through a tunnel and into a dome-covered observation room that puts them right in the middle of the bobcat exhibit.
At the Salina Art Center you will see contemporary art exhibitions and films. Be sure to visit the interactive, hands-on arts lab, which is available for all people of every age.
For authentic Italian cuisine, great atmosphere and service, make dinner plans at Martinelli's Little Italy. The minute you walk through the door you will feel as though you have actually entered a restaurant located in Italy. From the candlelit tables to the delicious aromas of traditional food, you will not be able to believe your senses.
Salina to Hutchinson - 65 miles (105 km) south on I-135 and K-61
Hutchinson
Hutchinson sits atop one of the world's largest salt deposits, which still is being mined. At the Kansas Underground Salt Museum, the first stop on your tour will be at the above ground visitor's center, then you will descend 650 feet into a mineshaft. Exhibits will tell the story of salt, touching history, mining, science, geology and business.
Watch aircraft take off and land while enjoying your lunch at the Airport Steak House. You can also view model planes hanging from the ceiling and a variety of propellers on the walls while devouring the lunch buffet or the best homemade onion rings in town.
Nationally recognized, the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center will provide a look at space exploration like no other. Experience and learn the drama and suspense, the tragedies and triumphs of the most important scientific events in human history - the race to the moon through the Hall of Space Museum.
Hutchinson to Wichita - 53 miles (85 km) southeast on K-96
Wichita
Experience your world in a new and fun way at Exploration Place. Discover extraordinary hands-on experiences. Immerse yourself in four exhibit areas focusing on flight, health, Kansas and imaginative spaces for young children. Travel to faraway destinations in the CyberDome Theater.
Visit 26 buildings from Wichita’s rambunctious frontier days at the Old Cowtown Museum. Watch presses turn at the printer’s shop and a blacksmith hammer red-hot iron. Take a covered wagon ride to the farm where you can visit with costumed interpreters that bring the rural 1880s to life.
The perfect ending today is an evening of cowboy entertainment at the Diamond W Chuckwagon Supper. Enjoy all-you-can-eat barbecue and the songs of the American Cowboy performed by the Diamond W Wranglers.
