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Kansas Tourism: Start your new year with a bucket list of travel challenges from Kansas Tourism.

December 9, 2022

3 Min Read
Longhorns coming out of barn
CHECK OUT THE BUCKET LIST: Start your new year by exploring the state and marking off a few items of the Kansas Tourism 2023 Kansas Bucket List. For example, explore the state’s railroad history at Chisholm Trail Days in Abilene, Kan.Courtesy of Kansas Tourism

A new year brings welcome changes, as well as some Travel Kansas staff recommendations for your bucket list of Kansas attractions to share with you for inspiration.

“Home on the Range” cabin. Visit the original site where our state song was written. Dr. Brewster M. Higley wrote the poem, “My Western Home,” in 1871 about his Kansas homestead and the serene beauty of the property.

Kansas State Capitol. You can choose from self-guided, historic, or dome tours of one of Kansas’ most iconic buildings. The Capitol's distinctive copper dome with “Ad Astra” statue is a prominent feature of the Topeka skyline, but the view inside the dome is just as spectacular. From the first floor, gaze upward to appreciate the beautiful murals, glass panels and bright copper-and-brass railings of the dramatic dome.

Visit another country without leaving the state. Kansas is home to charming small towns with big names. Find yourself in Norway, Cuba, Canada or Denmark.

Get lost in a lavender field. A sea of purple is sure to take your breath away. There are several lavender farms listed at travelks.com so you can find a lavender farm near you.

Nicodemus National Historic Site. Formerly enslaved African Americans left Kentucky at the end of the post-Civil War Reconstruction period to experience freedom in the “Promised Land” of Kansas. Today’s Nicodemus represents the involvement of African Americans in the westward expansion and settlement of the Great Plains. It is the oldest and only remaining Black settlement west of the Mississippi River.

Big Well Museum. Not only does the museum house the World’s Largest Hand Dug Well, it also tells the story of overcoming adversity with the aftermath of, and rebuilding after, the May 2007 tornado that destroyed much of the town.

Frederic Remington statues. Norton, Kan., is home to eight Frederic Remington statues, including a life-size casting of “The Bronco Buster.”

Walk the Yellow Brick Road. Strut your stuff in Liberal, Wamego, or Sedan like Dorothy and the “Wizard of Oz” gang. Each of these towns has a claim to the Oz legacy.

Stay in a treehouse. Elevate your sleeping experience at Elmdale Treehouse Rental, Hidden Valley Wilderness Retreat or The Barns at Timber Creek.

Dalton Gang Hideout Museum. Once the home of Eva Whipple, sister to the famous Dalton Brothers Gang, this property has the outlaw hideout, escape tunnel, museum and a Western souvenir shop.

Ride a train. Ride the rails of history in Kansas during Chisholm Trail Days in Abilene, hop aboard the new electric train at Gage Park in Topeka, or catch one of the Midland Railway’s event trains in Baldwin City.

“Ad Astra” missile silo. Stay atop a decommissioned Atlas F missile silo base. You can tent-camp or bring the RV, with water, electrical, and internet being ready for the 2023 season. Be sure to add on a tour of the base.

Mural hunting. Communities across Kansas are vibrantly vamping up their downtowns and streetscapes. Wichita, Salina, Hutchinson and Clay Center are great stops for an artistic scavenger hunt.

Route 66 through Kansas. Get your kicks, Kansas-style. We have 13 fun-packed miles of the “Mother Road” right here in the Sunflower State.

Sharples-Terry is public relations and communications manager for Kansas Tourism. Kansas Tourism aims to inspire travel to and throughout Kansas to maximize the positive impacts that tourism has on the state and local communities. For more trip inspiration and to order a free Kansas Travel Guide, head to travelks.com.

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