ALLEGAWAHO MEMORIAL HERITAGE PARK

COUNCIL GROVE

In the Flint Hills, take a short hike and reflect at this rural monument to the Unknown Kanza Warrior. This site was once home to the last Kaw village in Kansas before the tribe’s removal in 1873.      

CENTRAL BRANCH RAILROAD

WATERVILLE

All aboard for a ride that includes a 540-foot-long railroad trestle above the Big Blue River. The Central Branch Railroad once carried youth during the Orphan Train era and German prisoners of war during World War II. 

THE GEOGRAPHIC CENTER OF THE UNITED STATES

LEBANON   

Beef up your bragging rights by standing in the center of the 48 contiguous states and stepping inside a tiny chapel visited by Bruce Springsteen for a commercial broadcast during Super Bowl LV.

HOME ON THE RANGE CABIN

ATHOL

A profound sense of place remains at this original homestead cabin that inspired Brewster Higley to pen the lines that became the lyrics to the state song, “Home on the Range.” Sing it here for maximum effect.

OZ MUSEUM

WAMEGO 

You’re off to see the Wizard among 2,000 artifacts from the 1939 film (including an original Winkie spear) and the L. Frank Baum's novel on which it was based. Two doors down, bite into a Yellow Brick Burrito from Toto’s TacOZ.

Journey through stories of the Orphan Train and Pony Express between Beloit and Marysville while holding your horses for stops brewing with local artistry.

Jump-start with a Buzzed Monkey smoothie—it combines bananas, chocolate, peanut butter and coffee—at Kettle in Beloit. Then follow State-9 to Concordia, home to two one-of-a-kind attractions. It took 6,400 bricks to construct the nation’s longest three-dimensional, sculpted brick Whole Wall Mural, measuring 140-feet in length. Play a game of I Spy while checking out the various scenes from local history, including the faces of three orphan boys whose stories are told at the nearby National Orphan Train Complex. Poignant displays and a full-size rail car show how 250,000 orphaned or abandoned children traveled west by rail in search of new homes. 

Use GPS to take backroads to Courtland if you’re feeling adventurous, or follow US-81 and US-36 for a smoother route. Inspire your inner artist while painting clay vessels at Soul Sister Ceramics, or purchase ready-made pottery and home decor if you’re short on time. Depot Market, in a historic Courtland train station, provides a perfect pit stop for grabbing a juicy apple or other homegrown snack before heading an hour’s drive east. 

In the 1860s, riders on horseback carrying mail pouches passed through Marysville at the Pony Express Station—now Pony Express Barn and Museum. Stick around for dinner and a stroll through downtown, or backtrack west to Washington, topping off your trip with food and libations at Kansas Territory Brewing Company. The friendly pub specializes in American lagers that go down easy with pizza, wings and sandwiches.

The Army brought Jim Sands to Fort Riley in 1996, but now the former Junction City commissioner is on a new mission: expanding visitors’ horizons with the Black History Trail of Geary County. The growing trail marks sites such as Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8773, started by Black people who, after serving in World War II, were rejected by the existing VFW posts.

Sands’ daily routine often begins with Stacy’s Restaurant, where the waitress puts in his order of pancakes based on how many fingers he raises when he walks in the door. “It’s a little place that’s been renovated inside, and boy, do they deliver a breakfast,” he says. It’s also no top secret that for dinner, Sands loves seeking out The Cove Bar and Grill on Milford Lake. “The ambiance of that location, looking out on the lake with the moon and the stars shining off the water, it’s just gorgeous to sit there,” he says. Sands reports their chicken fingers are so delicious, that he once almost had to reorder takeout for his wife because he ate too many on the drive home. For between meals, Sands recommends Buffalo Soldier Park and its memorial that salutes Black cavalry regiments.

BOURBON AND BAKER

MANHATTAN 

Share small plates of Midwestern- and Southern-influenced cuisine with culinary twists, and save room for cakes and cookies preordered from the bakery for a late-night snack. The extensive list of 90-plus whiskeys pleases even the snobbiest of sippers.

LEGACY KANSAS

ABILENE

Two award-winning restaurants merged in 2022 to offer the best of both. Choose either Brookville Hotel’s classic skillet-fried chicken or Munson’s Prime premium dry-aged beef as your entree. Sides include Brookville’s sweet and sour coleslaw (a family recipe). 

RENAISSANCE CAFE

ASSARIA

You’re sure to score (amazing food, that is) at this former high school where tables overlook the gym. Fresh takes on Northern Italian cuisine star seasonal ingredients. Warm up with the antipasto platter showcasing charcuterie and produce from regional farms. 

As of 2022, Abilene is home to the World’s Largest Belt Buckle, and you can climb the back staircase to “wear” it for an epic photograph. Resembling a rodeo trophy buckle, the colossal metal clasp (nearly 14 feet tall and 20 feet wide) features a longhorn head surrounded by images representing local attractions.
 

The World's Largest Belt Buckle isn’t the only superlative stop in the state. Discover countless more in the 2024 Official Kansas Travel Guide.