Kansas destinations, parks and attractions

Are you going on a road trip to Kansas, looking for tips about the destinations so you and your party can enjoy it, be comfortable and not spend a fortune?

Here are some of the top destinations in Kansas and tips about visiting them.

Buffalo Bill Cultural Center - gift shop, restrooms, picnic area, picnic area (bring your own food), birthday parties, weddings and wedding parties, school tours, group reservations
3083 Us highway 83, Oakley, KS 67748. Phone: (785) 671-1000. Fax: 7856711244. Email: events@buffalobilloakley.org. Open: Dawn till Dusk; September 15 to October 31. Directions: Just west of the intersection of Highway 83 and 2nd street. Click here for a map and directions. Oakley Corn Festival is Saturday October 10th from 8 am to 4 pm. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa/MasterCard, Discover. Click here for our Facebook page. The Buffalo Bill Cultural Center is a Kansas community partner Travel Information Center. We have Kansas state maps, brochures, and a great gift shop featuring many Kansas made products. Come in for travel assistance, enjoy a cup of coffee, and stay for a picnic lunch. We are pet friendly outside and inside. Our spacious parking lot can accommodate cars, RV’s, buses, and trucks of any size. Visitors learn about the stories, the people, the history and landscapes that define our plains culture both past and present. Oakley Corn Festival takes place the second Saturday of October. It features the Kansas State Cornhusking Contest commemorating the era of national cornhusking contests with horse drawn wagons and competitive hand husking. Other activities: antique tractor display, antique engines, food vendors, Corn Cob Toss, Pumpkin Decorating, Rural-Life demonstrations, Corn money dig. as well as the Girls Day Out a fair that hosts over 100 different sales vendors.

National parks and monuments in Kansas

Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Site:, Topeka, KS.

The story of Brown v. Board of Education, which ended legal segregation in public schools, is one of hope and courage. When the people agreed to be plaintiffs in the case, they never knew they would change history. The people who make up this story were ordinary people. They were teachers, secretaries, welders, ministers and students who simply wanted to be treated equally.
California National Historic Trail, Various States CA,CO,ID,KS,MO,NE,NV,OR,UT,WY.

Follow in the footsteps of over 250,000 emigrants who traveled to the gold fields and rich farmlands of California during the 1840s and 1850s: the greatest mass migration in American history. The California National Historic Trail is over 5,000 miles long and covers portions of 10 states. Step into history along more than 1,000 miles of ruts and traces from travelers and their overland wagons.
Fort Larned National Historical Site:, Larned, KS.

Discover a complete and authentic army post from the 1860s -1870s! This well-preserved fort on the Santa Fe Trail shares a tumultuous history of the Indian Wars era. The sandstone constructed buildings sheltered troops who were known as the Guardians of the Santa Fe Trail.
Fort Scott National Historical Site:, Fort Scott, KS.

Promises made and broken! Who deserves to be free? The fight for freedom! Soldiers fighting settlers! Each of these stories is a link in the chain of events that encircled Fort Scott from 1842-1873. All of the site's structures, its parade ground, and its tallgrass prairie bear witness to this era when the country was forged from a young republic into a united transcontinental nation.
Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, Sixteen States: IA,ID,IL,IN,KS,KY,MO,MT,NE,ND,OH,OR,PA,SD,WA,WV.

The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail is approximately 4,900 miles long, extending from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to the mouth of the Columbia River, near present day Astoria, Oregon. It follows the historic outbound and inbound routes of the Lewis and Clark Expedition as well as the preparatory section from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Wood River, Illinois.
Nicodemus National Historical Site:, Nicodemus, KS.

Formerly enslaved African Americans left Kentucky at the end of the of post-Civil War Reconstruction period to experience freedom in the "Promised Land" of Kansas. 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.
Oregon National Historic Trail, Various States ID,KS,MO,NE,OR,WA,WY.

Imagine yourself an emigrant headed for Oregon: would promises of lush farmlands and a new beginning lure you to leave home and walk for weeks? More than 2,000 miles of trail ruts and traces can still be seen along the Oregon National Historic Trail in six states and serve as reminders of the sacrifices, struggles, and triumphs of early American settlers.
Pony Express National Historic Trail, Various States CA,CO,KS,MO,NE,NV,UT,WY.

It is hard to believe that young men once rode horses to carry mail from Missouri to California in the unprecedented time of only 10 days. This relay system along the Pony Express National Historic Trail in eight states was the most direct and practical means of east-west communications before the telegraph.
Santa Fe National Historic Trail, CO,KS,MO,NM,OK.

You can almost hear the whoops and cries of "All's set!" as trail hands hitched their oxen to freight wagons carrying cargo between western Missouri and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Follow the Santa Fe National Historic Trail through five states and you'll find adventure and evidence of past travelers who made this remarkable trip before you!
Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve:, Strong City, KS.

Tallgrass prairie once covered 170 million acres of North America, but within a generation most of it had been transformed into farmland. Today less than 4% remains intact, mostly in the Kansas Flint Hills. Established on November 12, 1996, the preserve protects a nationally significant remnant of the once vast tallgrass prairie ecosystem. Here the tallgrass makes its last stand.

Kansas State parks and historic sites

Kansas Seasons, bugs, topography and climate

Kansas has a temperate but continental climate, with great extremes between summer and winter temperatures but few long periods of extreme hot or cold. The annual average temperature is 55 °F (13 °C). The growing season ranges from mid-April to mid-September.

Kansas Camping tips

State park vehicle permits, annual camping permits and 14-day camping permits for the season will go on sale beginning mid-December.

Campsite reservations for the next season can be made beginning at noon in midDecember

MINIMUM STAY NOTICE: A four-night stay will be required for camping reservations during Memorial Day weekend, and three-night stays will be required for camping reservations during the Fourth of July and Labor Day weekends.

Count on the Sunflower State if you love to camp, go RVing or catch a nap in a cabin. Whether it’s an overnighter or an extended stay, you’ll be amazed at the year-round options Kansas state parks, state fishing lakes and wildlife areas have to offer. From “primitive” tent campsites to utility sites for RVs, there are abundant opportunities for a relaxing outdoor experience. And, cabins with many of the comforts of home - including heating and air-conditioning - are available for rent at many state parks and some state fishing lakes and wildlife areas. Cabins are a great option for enjoying outdoor Kansas anytime of the year.

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Reserve America

Reserve America: Search for campsites and cabins in Kansas, the U.S. and Canada

* Note: you must be 18 or older to rent a cabin or campsite.

The number of campsites available for reservation will vary by park - in most parks about half of the sites can be reserved. The rest will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Shelter and group campground reservations can be made through the park office where the facilities are located. When camping is allowed at a state fishing lake or wildlife area , sites are available only on a first-come, first-served basis and cannot be reserved.

There are both state parks and private campgrounds in Kansas.