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 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.

Great fun to learn the history of area. Kids enjoy it, personal tours, great antique car collection.read more

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.

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.

Had a nice morning getting my nerd on (visiting family in nearby Topeka) & learning about combat…read moreaviation. Who knew any of this stuff? I did find a plane with Boston roots (101st Tactical Fighter Squadron--The Irish Guard) from "Logan Field" c. 1962. It's scheduled to be repainted to its original markings, complete with shamrock. I also didn't realize Amelia Earhart was born in Kansas. And the irony of putting Rosie the Riveter on a kitchen apron (see the cute gift shop) isn't lost on me! A wonderful outing for history buffs all sorts! Go!

My aviation nerd boyfriend loves anything aviation so I knew we had to go here. There are huge…read morehangars and the one has planes in greater repair than the other. One hangar was like an airplane graveyard, but that was fun too because you could see how the plexiglass on the planes shattered and how the old planes were created with curved wood. They have planes like the ones Snoopy flew and giant helicopters. It don't know my plane and airplane names, but I read some of the information and I know some were used in WWI, WW11, Korea, Vietnam and etc. up until the present day. There was an upstairs level with some airplane art. I would say if you are not very mobile, you will struggle with this place because there is a lot to navigate and if you are not paying attention you could hit your head on any number of things. One of the employees told a mom not to let her kids run under the airplanes becuase they could bonk their heads. True that! One has to pay attention in this museum. My favorite part was walking into this helicopter that was built in 1965 and in service until 1988 and a gentleman who worked in this actual helicopter when it was in service was fixing it up as a volunteer. History right in front of my eyes! It's $7 to get in, a bargain!

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.

Apart from feminine hygiene products in the Men's room (who are these really for? Imho, if a man is…read morebleeding out of his holes he's got serious medical problems), the museum is a pretty nice place to visit.

Cool little roadside America stop. Inexpensive and quick education on what it was like to live in…read morethe late 1800s. Loved the the show and the museum!

Kansas 01-2024 Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House on the Prarie near Independence. I was so super…read moreexcited but Tony just didn't understand! He said it was a Girl Thing!! RIGHT LADIES??? I grew up reading her books over & over again & again! I hope I wasn't the only Ingalls Nerd !!! But, to me this was one of the highlights of my trip. It was closed for the season but just being there on the farm she grew up on, near the house PA Built, it was a little overwhelming but Tony didn't understand but it was just as amazing to me as the Grand Canyon. It was on my Bucket List and I'm so glad to have been able to walk on her farm and touch her doorknob. Weird to some? But, many will understand!!! #bucketlisttriplisatony2024

Everywhere I visit, I love checking out the local museum of history to learn the regional past…read more Watkins did not disappoint, and highlighted well what a visitor with limited time ought to know about the city's history really well. Perhaps a minor suggestion is the addition of signage that indicates where to start if one wants to explore and learn in chronological order, but I did figure it out and had a really nice time.

We spent at least an hour and a half here and I easily could have stayed longer but we had to move…read moreon. The Watkins Museum is housed in the beautifully restored Watkins bank and mortgage building, itself an important part of Lawrence history. They have some wonderful exhibits about the history of the city and I found the one about Quantrill's raid to be particularly interesting. Lots of fun artifacts and some interactive displays to entice children to take an interest in history too. The price is right--it's free but I would encourage visitors to leave a nice donation.