Last Updated: November 26, 2021
What is Kansas Known For? (Not Just Oz)
The mid-western state of Kansas is a region of plains and prairies known as the breadbasket of the country. Its agricultural economy is made up of cattle, wheat, soybeans, and corn. The 34th state to join the Union in 1861, its rich history dates back to 1822 when the Santa Fe Trail brought hundreds of covered wagons through the area and the population grew.
Cattle drives and railroads resulted in the world’s largest cattle market in Dodge City and rough and tough cowboys like Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson Wild Bill Hickok.
Interestingly, the name Kansas came from the Kansas River which was the local Indian word for “South Wind”.
Today, Kansas is a colorful tapestry of big-faced sunflowers, fields of tall wheat blowing in the wind, and a tornado that blew a young girl and her dog somewhere over the rainbow. These facts about Kansas mean it is no surprise that it is called both the Sunflower State and the Wheat State as well.
Despite its notoriety of boring, endless prairie land, there are lots of exciting things to see and do in the state of Kansas. Did you know that Kansas City, which is partially in Missouri, has more boulevards than Paris and more fountains than Rome? Read on to find out 15 things Kansas is known for.
Table Of Contents
Show All
Kansas City
Kansas City has a wealth of things to do from exploring history to shopping to sports. See the last of the nation’s Native American dugout canoes at the Wyandotte County Museum. Follow the footsteps of explorers Lewis & Clark at Kaw Point Park.
Browse the high-end shops at Westfield Shopping Center or look for bargains at Legends Outlet.
Sports enthusiasts shouldn’t miss NASCAR racing at the Kansas Speedway or soccer at Sporting Kansas City.
Old Cowtown
Old Cowtown is a one-of-a-kind museum located in Wichita, Kansas, along the banks of the Arkansas River. The dusty, dirt roads are lined with 54 historic and recreated buildings, 27 of which are originals. Some structures were relocated from Witchita and other sites in the state of Kansas, saving them from demolition.
The buildings showcase frontier life during the late 1860s and 1870s with permanent collections of period furnishings, textiles, tools, machinery, art, and an archived collection of documents. Costumed history interpreters tell the story of Wichita’s transformation from a frontier settlement to a manufacturing area.
Wizard of Oz Museum
Visitors from around the world come to walk down the yellow brick road and bring childhood memories to life at the Wizard of Oz Museum in Wamego. Thanks to the region’s notorious status as “Hurricane Alley,” much of the original movie was filmed in America’s Heartland in Kansas State.
The museum has an amazing collection of all things Oz such as ruby slippers covered in 3,500 Swavorski crystals, movie posters signed by the original characters, and much, much more.
Go through a reproduction of the Haunted Forest with signs warning Dorthy and her friends to turn back. See 24 colorfully illustrated pages from the first edition (1900) of the book by L. Frank Baum.
The museum also features films ranging from silent movies with Laurel & Hardy to the Oz Musical starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.
Boot Hill Museum
Image courtesy of Wikimedia
Experience the Wild West of the 1800s at the Boot Hill Museum on Wyatt Earp Blvd in Dodge City where little has changed since 1870. Stroll through historic buildings like the Fort Dodge jail and a one-room schoolhouse and find out what a saloon and a general store were like in the early 1900s.
The museum has thousands of photographs and artifacts depicting early Dodge City. Special events such as a shootout between the Boot Hill Gunfighters take place in the summer.
Evel Knievel Museum
American daredevil Evel Knieval (Robert Craig Knieval) thrilled the world during the late 20th century with his death-defying motorcycle jumps over places like the Grand Canyon and the Snake River. Born in Montana and residing in Florida until his death of natural causes, he was never a resident of Kansas State. But a museum is dedicated to the legendary stuntman at the Historic Harley-Davidson store in Topeka.
The cofounders of the museum were able to procure an impressive collection of Knievel gear and memorabilia including motorcycles, helmets, and costumes. You can also get an idea of what his stunts were like with a 4D jump experience.
A Mountain That Isn’t a Mountain
It has been said that Kansas is as flat as a pancake. It’s true; in fact, geologists say it’s even flatter. But the state still has a “mountain” called Mount Sunflower, a rise in the middle of a field that is barely noticeable. Located on the Oklahoma border near Coffeyville, Kansas, Mount Sunflower is 3,360 ft above the state’s lowest point.
Ranch owners for the past 30 years have maintained a small shrine to the original owners of the homestead in the early 1900s. It has a covered picnic area, a metal sculpture, and a mailbox with a guest registry and details about the spot. It’s an endearing place to visit, and worth the drive down the long graveled road that leads to it.
Botanica Wichita Gardens
The Botanica Wichita Gardens is a top attraction in the city of Witchita. The grounds have 18 acres with 30 themed gardens to explore. For example, the Shakespeare Garden features flowers and plants representative of the Elizabethan era. The imaginative Downing Children’s Garden has a Monster Woods exhibit and a treehouse.
Stroll through butterfly gardens, Koi pond pavilions, and sculptures among more than 4,000 species of plants.
Another thing worth visiting while you are in Wichita, Kansas, is the Wichita Art Museum. Which after Kansas City, is yet another great place for art lovers!
Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve
Image courtesy of Wikimedia
Find out what the American West looked like before farms and towns were established at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in the Kansas Flint Hills. Now that less than four percent of America’s 170 million acres of tallgrass prairie is left, this is one of the few places to experience this unique ecosystem.
Choose from a bus tour or hike the area with a self-guided phone tour. Special events are offered throughout the year including an open-air symphony concert.
Flint Hills Discovery Center
The Flint Hills Discovery Center is a fascinating interactive center located in the city of Manhattan. Part science and part culture, it focuses on the history of Flint Hills, wildlife, nature, and American inventions and pop culture.
Exhibits detail things like the tallgrass prairie ecosystem and the conservation of North American bison. Feel the prairie winds blow at the Immersive Experience Theater while watching a film about the evolution and history of the Flint Hills. A rooftop terrace affords a view of the city, and you can dine at the nearby Blue Earth Plaza.
Keeper of the Plains
The Keeper of the Plains statue at Witchita’s Keeper Plaza shows how deeply rooted Native American heritage is in Kansas. The 44-foot tall steel statue guards the public plaza in downtown Kansas City where the Big and Little Arkansas Rivers merge. Native Americans consider the land near the life-sustaining waters to be sacred.
Learn more about Native American culture at the plaza’s Mid-America All-Indian Center. Don’t miss the impressive “Ring of Fire” display which takes place for 15 minutes every night.
Monument Rocks
Image courtesy of Wikimedia
Did you know geologists think Kansas was once underwater? Hard to believe since it’s thousands of miles from the sea. It is thought that the massive rock formations developed over 80 million years ago when the area in western Kansas was underwater.
Also called the Chalk Pyramids and declared as a National Landmark, the Monument Rocks are located 20 miles south of the town of Oakley. You’ll find signs for the turnoff near US 83. Take your camera for some fantastic Instagram photos.
World’s Tallest Waterslide
Kansas boasts the world’s tallest waterslide and the most thrilling waterpark ride on the planet. Called “Verruckt”, literally the German word for “insane,” you’ll find it on the Kansas side of Kansas City at the Schlitterbahn Waterpark.
After stepping on a scale to make sure you don’t weigh more than 550 lbs and reading several pages of warnings, you can climb the 264 steps to the top and whiz down at 70 mph for a truly verruckt ride.
Ghost Towns (and a Big Ball of Twine)
With abandoned homes, empty schools, and silent churches, ghost towns are disturbingly interesting. Kansas has a few such towns to explore. Plan your fuel stops in advance and plot a route to see some of them.
Diamond Springs folded shortly after the Civil War, and Dunlap was abandoned during the Great Depression. LeHunt’s population dwindled to nothing after its cement plant closed its doors, and Elmdale’s population fell to 50 residents with one store after flooding in the 1950s.
Season your trip with a stop in Cawker City to see one of America’s quirky roadside attractions, an 11-foot-wide ball of twine. The city claims that it’s the largest ball of twine in the world created by one man.
Iconic Foods
Kansas-style barbeque is wildly popular all around the state, and if you claim Texas or the Carolinas’ barbeque is better, be prepared for a whoopin’. Kansas barbeque is slow-cooked over several different kinds of wood and smothered in a thick tomato and molasses-based sauce.
Bierocks are another iconic food in Kansas. Brought to the state by German immigrants decades ago, the bierock is yeast dough filled with seasoned ground beef and sausage, onions, and shredded cabbage and baked until golden brown.
Famous Kansans
Dwight D Eisenhower, Image courtesy of IAEA Imagebank
The most important person born in Kansas was Dwight D Eisenhower, the 34th president of the United States. Learn about his contributions to American politics and society at the Presidential Library in Abeline. It features five buildings and was built on the site of his former elementary school.
The famous American aviator Amelia Erhart was born in Atchison, Kansas and environmental activist Erin Brockovich hails from the town of Lawrence. Saxophonist Charlie Parker was born in Kansas City. Vivian Vance from Cherryvale played Lucy’s neighbor and best friend in the classic comedy “I Love Lucy.”
And remember binge-watching “The Tiger King” during the 2020 pandemic? Zoo operator and now convicted felon Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage (aka Joe Exotic) was born in Garden City in 1963.
About the Author Anna Timbrook
Anna is the co-owner of expert world travel and can't wait to share her travel experience with the world. With over 54 countries under her belt she has a lot to write about! Including those insane encounters with black bears in Canada.
