State tour with kids

Hi. Every year we take our kids to two new states and this year is Nebraska and Kansas. Our kids will be 6, 3, and 6 months when we visit.

We are looking for unique, historic or different things to do. We usually hit national historic sites or parks. I don%26#39;t know which ones are great for kids though.

We live near Philadelphia so we have plenty of access to children%26#39;s museums, zoos, etc. We%26#39;re pretty much focused on what makes Kansas great or different or how it affected history.

Also, we are free to tour the whole state...we don%26#39;t necessarily have to stay near the Nebraska border, etc.

If you have a suggestion of kid-friendly restaurants near the landmark, we would appreciate those too!

Thanks for your help!

State tour with kids

Being from Topeka, I invite you to stop by our State Capitol then swing by First Presbyterian Church at 8th and Harrison (we have Tiffany Windows and a tour of our sanctuary and chapel)

www.visittopeka.travel

I also am including links to our Wildlife and Parks and Tourism Depts.

www.kdwp.state.ks.us

www.travelks.com/s/index.cfm

We do still have buffalo in Kansas, and there is a farm just east of Topeka on I-70 that has an owner who lets his herd graze in a pasture on the south side of the road so tell the kids to look since you can see them most of the time.

Also if you head back home east on I-70, stop by the Kansas Speedway area called Legends with Cabela%26#39;s and Nebraska Furniture Mart as anchor stores, and there is also the Great Wolf Lodge if you want to spend the night at an inside water park...and a wide variety of restaurants!

State tour with kids

This is unique: Nicodemus National Historic Site http://www.nps.gov/nico/ About an hour away, you%26#39;ll find Hays, Kansas. www.haysusa.com/html/history___trivia.html Lots of history there, too. The Cosmosphere at Hutchinson is pretty interesting. Kansas%26#39; first territorial capital is near Junction City. Abilene has President Dwight D. Eisenhower%26#39;s childhood home as well as the Brookville Hotel, for the best fried chicken dinner you%26#39;ll ever have in a restaurant!

What dates or time of year are you looking at?

We%26#39;ll be there at the end of June. I don%26#39;t have set dates yet since we are driving and can be flexible. I just have to wait until the school year is over for my kindergartner.

Here%26#39;s some more helpful info;

www.travelks.com/s/index.cfm?aid=19

If you are interested in going further south Wichita is about 3 hours from either KC or Topeka. There are many things to do here. I don%26#39;t know how much time you are planning for your trip, but Dodge City is a easy drive from here too! It may appeal to the 6 year old if they like the cowboy theme. If you are lucky there may be a pow-wow going on at the Indian Center in Wichita; always fun to watch. Have a great trip and let me know if you need any other information!

Howdy elawson,

If you are around Western Nebraska towards the end of June, you might want to check out this.

http://www.nebraskalanddays.com/

Happy trails,

SandBilly

Something else of interest is the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Museum in Hutchinson.

www.cosmo.org.

There is also an underground salt museum in Hutchinson but they do not take children under 4 years of age.

http://www.cosmo.org

The new Official Kansas Visitors Guide just came out and you can order one online for FREE at http://www.travelks.com/s/VisitorGuideE.cfm. It will come with the new state map as well which will be helpful in your travels.

foot cream