This is museum is an incredible gem! I would have never expected a museum of this caliber in this…read moresmall town. The exhibits are thoughtfully designed. This 1888 Santa Fe train depot interprets railroad history and local history through thematic rooms, some of which are interactive. The upstairs has an old general store, a one-room school (which kids can play in), an old soda fountain, an industry room, a Victorian parlor, and an old farm house kitchen. The downstairs has rotating exhibit space and an experiential exhibit about Bleeding Kansas, as Franklin County was the site of a massacre led by John Brown, which fueled the Civil War. My young son especially enjoyed the large model train layout! Great staff provides an overview of the museum upon entry. There is a modest entry fee. The site is accessible.

Orginally opened in 1984, the museum was Closed for three years to Completely revamp the Entire…read moremuseum with exhibits designed by award winning Dimensional Innovations (The Amelia Earhart Museum and Atlas9 are two of their amazing designs), the Kansas Museum of History reopened in winter 2025 and it is amazing! The Why Kansas Gallery acts as the crossroads of the 5 other galleries(plus a special events space) with themes of What Is/Was Kansas, Bleeding Kansas, Connecting Kansas, Making Kansas and Changing Kansas. Sit in a traditional teepee, play engineer on a 1880 Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe train (which now has several cars open to explore, several airplanes, and look down into a log cabin from a new elevated ramp... don't miss this! It is easy to miss! Lots of fascinating information on the fight for statehood and freedom, women's suffrage,, civil rights, industries and SO much more plus interactive exhibits(actually smelling the stockyards was a highlight..LOL). Such a rich history. Lots of imaginative play areas for kids inside and out, plus an authentic one room school house and restored Indian mission visible on the nature trail with a swinging bridge. They gave us a scavenger hunt at the front desk that takes you through the whole museum and if you finish it you earn a fun souvenir button or snall toy :) Even if history isn't your thing this museum is vibrant colorful fun and informative and is a true gem and a worthy day trip for any and all.

This was actually a disappointing stop. We're RVing around this part of the country learning about…read morethe area, history, etc. There was no mention of industry, agriculture, etc. I have no idea of what crops are grown in the area or what the area produces. No mention of Eisenhower (famous WW2 leader and the only President from Kansas). Lots of displays on racial prejudice, slavery, LGBTQ+/- etc. Really disappointed. This entire building taught me nothing about Kansas.

I had been here once when I was in elementary school I believe. There is a parking lot around the…read morecorner but it is very pricey, your best bet is try and find a spot on the street. There is a lot to take in (4 floors worth). There is a large section of fossils that accordingly to the displays were found in KS, which is mind blowing that there were dinosaurs this close near us. I really liked the large collection of taxidermy birds that allows you to see a bunch of the local verity in person. This museum covers everything from fossils, life reptiles, germs and more. It is well worth the suggested $7 donation at the door.

Have visited Lawrence, KS a number of times over the last 18 years and had never gone to this…read moremuseum. Made a point of doing so today, while in town again. It is a very nice museum, with an incredible amount of items on display and presented well. Would recommend it to anyone interested in natural history and such. It is free ... and they do recommend a $7 donation. Donate the $7, it is well worth it.

Awesome place, run by an actual Veteran of foreign wars! The video was a lil long (30-45 mins), but…read morewe suggest taking in everything you can.

Easy destination and interesting. This is the conclusion to the battle of Westport that began in…read moreKC's famous bar district. Cheers.

This place is a TREASURE!! The quantity and quality of artifacts and fascinating historical items…read moreis very impressive. The attendant was extremely knowledgeable and very adept at explaining the historical significance of the exhibits -- particularly the role that the Lecompton Constitution played in the early days of Kansas and Lincoln's presidency. There is so much to see that I want to return and spend more time. A lot of Kansas history is stored in this museum.

The Arabia Steamboat Museum ends up being one of those places that sticks with you because it…read morecaptures a moment in American history that feels both impossibly distance and strangely familiar especially now that we live in a world where your Amazon package shows up overnight (or faster!). Or it doesn't and you just go online and they ship you another without a second thought. Back in the 1850s, nothing was that simple, nothing was that quick, and when you needed something, it might take weeks to arrive from hundreds of miles away and sometimes it never arrived at all which is exactly what happened here when a fully loaded steamboat carrying people and supplies hit something in the river and went down. Everyone survived but their cargo didn't and that lost cargo sat buried for more than a century before it was unearthed and brought here, laid out in a way that lets you see the everyday objects that people depended on long before modern convenience existed. Walking through the museum feels like stepping into a time capsul cracked open just enough for you to peek inside with shelves and cases full of tools, clothing, canned goods, personal items and all the little necessities that once took weeks of travel to reach their destination. It's fascinating and honestly a little humbling to stand in front of these perfectly preserved artifacts and think about how fragile the supply chain used to be, how one unlucky moment on a river could scatter someone's plans across the mud for more than a century. What makes the visit bittersweet is knowing that they're losing this space later in 2026 which is a real shame because the museum feels so rooted here and it's hard to imagine it anywhere else. If you've ever been curious about frontier life or you just enjoy the kind of museum that tells a story you didn't know you needed, see it all while you can because it's absolutely worth the stop and once you've walked through the collection, you'll be glad you didn't miss out. It's worth pointing out that the name "Arabia" has just the name of the steamboat and it has nothing to do with the Middle East so you can set that thought right away and just enjoy the story for what it is. [Review 837 of 2026 - 551 in Missouri - 26018 overall]

The Steamboat Arabia Museum is a hidden gem and easily one of the top museums in the country! It…read morecovers a piece of American history that I knew nothing about, and formats the story beautifully. Why this museum is a must-see: 1. Flawless Storytelling: The layout walks you chronologically through the boat's journey, its sinking, and its remarkable discovery in a cornfield decades later. It's succinct, clear, and fascinating. 2. Live Preservation: My favorite part was the lab where you can see staff actively working on cleaning and recovering the massive collection of artifacts. It makes the experience feel alive and ongoing. 3. Incredible Artifacts: The sheer volume of perfectly preserved items on display--from boots to fine china--is mind-boggling. If you're anywhere near Kansas City, do yourself a favor and check this out. Highly recommended!

We made a trip this past weekend to KC and had a blast. This was our first stop! I had seen clips…read moreon social media and knew my little book worms would love it. We bought our tickets ahead of time, so we could secure our time slot. However, it looked like you can get tickets there the day of. Tickets are fairly priced, $16/person. This place is a lot bigger than I thought. Once you go down the rabbit hole, there are little burrows to crawl through, stop by and check out the rabbits little house before making your way through. It took us about 2 hours to go through, my kids loved all the interactive pieces to it. They could climb in nearly everything, there was a slide, a fire pole, etc. If you aren't familiar with the books, don't worry, they keep them stocked at each section so you can read it! Once we were done, we made our way to the bookstore. They had a wonderful large staircase that people could just relax and read books which I thought was wonderful little touch. They had a great selection of books and had a section of all the books from the displays. They have a coffee shop but unfortunately it was closed when we were there. The staff was wonderful, the volunteers are all scattered throughout to help customers. The volunteers and staff truly love books and children. We will absolutely be back again!

Well put together museum where all the books you grew up comes alive…read more Brought my kids and their cousins here. They loved it. Got to sit on a story time and caught the bus. Make reading great again!

Very lucky to stumble upon the museum during business hours. Try to allow enough time for the…read morecemetary and connected buildings (like schoolhouse and barn), about 45 minutes total. Also plan to check out other Civil War sites in the area: like Osawatomie and Mine Creek. Jessica was friendly and knowledgeable, just wish the museum promoted lesser known facts (What happened to survivors?). We especially appreciated that historical artifacts were in chronological order. Don't miss the gift shop, there's something for everyone! Please remember to leave a donation, may we suggest $5 per person. These small towns take it upon themselves to preserve the history of our great nation, it's the least we can do! God bless the USA.

Really enjoyed this museum and it's free. Take advantage of a nice experience to see some…read moreinteresting things. The staff is friendly and they validate your parking.

small but mighty. for a small college museum i was very impressed with the collection.read more