Summer is well on its way! That means weeks of finding new activities for your kids to entertain and occupy them. Luckily, we’ve found some road trips in Kansas for your next great adventure. Your little bundles of energy will be excited by and educated on these trips.
1. One of the Eight Wonders of Kansas, Strataca: The Underground Salt Museum won’t just introduce kids to the history of Kansas; it will introduce them to geological history, too. Well suited for a weekend road trip, the museum is about 3.5 hours from Kansas City in Hutchison.
Strataca has underground train rides through old salt mines that will capture the attention of both kids and teenagers. For teens, there are also walking tours through the old mines that have been perfectly preserved since the 1950’s. Strataca has activities to fill a whole day with your children or you can spend a couple of hours on a tour and move along to a new Kansas find.
2. Dodge City was once dubbed the Wickedest Little City in America. The town now celebrates its history as a gateway to the West as a main stop on the Santa Fe Trail and the beginning station of the Santa Fe Train. Throughout the summer, there are tours available and stops like the Boothill Museum to introduce your children to the wilder days of Kansas.
If you are looking for a weekend or weeklong trip, the highlight of the summer in this town is the festival of Dodge City Days. Held at the end of July, this festival will keep your children captivated with a plethora of activities including a carnival, barbeque competitions, scavenger hunts, tours, movies, parades, helicopter rides and more!
3. Kansas will always be remembered for being Dorothy’s home in The Wizard of Oz. A road trip to visit Dorothy’s house is integral to any Kansan’s home state education. An old farmhouse has been restored and updated to look like Dorothy’s home in the movie. It abounds with memorabilia and replicas of treasures from the film.
The drive to Liberal is a bit of a stretch from Kansas City, but worth the time to take a trip with your children down the yellow brick road. The ruby slippers are waiting!
4. Ready for a slightly larger city AND a great natural setting? Set off for Wichita and the gorgeous gardens of Botanica. This collection of gardens is great for adults and children. The Downing Children’s Garden is a wonderland for younger kids to explore and play in the native plants of Kansas.
Botanica photo by MyWalkabout.
Botanica also has summer activities and classes for entire families, younger children or teens so you can plan your trip around a special interest.
5. Is your family keen on visiting as many states as possible? Then another one of the 8 Wonders of Kansas is perfect for your clan. The Four State Lookout is a vantage point to Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa.
With these states so easily visible, it’s also a fairly quick trip to drive through the corner of each state. 4 states in less than a couple of hours? That’s something to brag about when the kids get back home.
Whether you are on a budget or just looking for a short drive for a family vacation, Kansas has so many great spots that are hop, skip and a drive away. Planning to hit the road this summer? Tell us about it on Facebook!