7 essential stops on a road-trip through Kansas
Make the most of a journey through the Sunflower State with our pick of the top museums, parks and historical sites
Travellers might be tempted to pass over this Midwestern state best known as the home of fictional character Dorothy Gale from The Wizard of Oz – but that would be a mistake.
Kansas represents the American heartland, dotted with farms and covered with vast plains, rolling hills and bright sunflower fields. Throw in badland-filled state parks, poignant historic sites and a museum dedicated to the 1939 movie that made the state famous and Kansas is prime road-trip territory.
If you’re gearing up for a Midwestern road-trip, here are seven essential Sunflower State stops.
1. See fossils and birdlife at Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park
Mushrooming Niobrara halk cliffs that formed 85 million years ago stretch out over western Kansas to create Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park. Noted for its well-preserved fossils of massive flying reptiles and marine creatures, the park also displays the largest population of Great Plains wild buckwheat, a native plant that grows nowhere else in the world.
Absorb the views and spot wildlife including hawks and cliff swallows via hiking trails and two scenic overlooks – or schedule a guided tours by contacting the park’s nature conservatory.
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2. Dive into aviation history at the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum
Stop by Atchinson, Kansas to discover the high-flying world of aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart, who was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
Housed inside of Amelia Earhart Memorial Airport, the museum explores her life with 14 interactive exhibits including “Muriel”, the last existing Lockheed Electra 10-E aircraft (pictured), just like the plane she flew on her final flight. Don’t miss the virtual reality flight experience, which allows visitors to attempt to pilot Amelia’s historic flight across the Atlantic.
Take epic drives through the Gypsum Hills
Roll through central and southern Kansas to take in the region’s spectacular scarlet hills, mesas and canyons.
The 68km-long Gypsum Hills Scenic Byway offers up-close views of the rugged landscape covered in layers of gypsum mineral. Or there’s the Gypsum Hills Scenic Drive, a 35km loop through the unpaved roads at the heart of the Red Hills region. The mesas and buttes were formed about 260 million years ago when compressed layers of shale, sandstone and gypsum eroded over time.
Gypsum Hills is also the location of the annual Peace Treaty Festival, held the last full weekend in September, which honours the Indigenous heritage of the area. The festival features an inter-tribal pow wow and commemorates the peace treaty that was signed near Medicine Lodge in 1867.
4. Connect with Native American heritage at the Mid-America All-Indian Museum
Ride into Wichita to explore the history and culture of the region’s Native American communities. The flags of more than 70 Indigenous tribes are proudly displayed, alongside exhibitions of traditional beadwork, baskets and pottery.
The museum also showcases contemporary Indigenous art, including the work of “Blackbear Bosin”, the creator of Wichita’s iconic Keeper of the Plains. The 13m steel sculpture stands at the confluence of the Big and Little Arkansas Rivers.
5. Explore Civil Rights history at Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park
Brown v. Board of Education was the landmark court case that ended racial segregation in American public school systems in 1954. The original case was filed in Topeka and this poignant park is housed in Topeka’s Monroe Elementary School, which was a segregated facility that now serves as a setting to learn about the historic ruling. Each room in the school examines aspects of the ruling, starting with a 30-minute film in the auditorium and moving through exhibits, galleries and a restored 1954 kindergarten classroom.
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6. Get swept away at the Oz Museum
There may not be a yellow brick road to guide you to it, but the Oz Museum in Wamego holds just as much magic as the mythical kingdom. Browse through the largest permanent display of Oz artefacts in the world, including an original flying monkey, the movie’s cloth tornado and munchkin costumes.
The museum’s four galleries also display Oz collectibles such as dolls, clocks, plates and even peanut butter. For an even deeper dive into The Wizard of Oz, head to Dorothy’s House and Land of Oz in Liberal. The house has a tornado simulation room and DIY dioramas recreating scenes from the movie.
7. Make the most of a sunflower farm
You can’t visit the Sunflower State without frolicking through fields of the golden flowers. Peak blooms are available throughout the state from late August through September, and one of the most popular is Grinter’s Sunflower Farm in Lawrence. The farm’s 40 acres of saucer-sized sunflowers supply lots of Instagram-worthy photos and happy memories of Kansas’ signature blossom.
