4 Best Sights in Council Grove, Kansas

Containing the last vestiges of the bluestem, or tallgrass, prairie, that once covered much of the Great Plains, this preserve also includes a stone mansion and barn built in 1881. Hiking-trail maps are at the visitor center or at kiosks near the park's historic ranch buildings. Routes range from less than 4 miles to 13 miles. Hikers should be cautious of bison and not approach if they come in close contact. A short training session about safe backcountry hiking is offered at the visitor center during daytime hours. Three catch-and-release ponds are open to the public for fishing, with a Kansas fishing license.

Built in 1892, this two-story redbrick bank is listed on the National Register of Historic Places—and it's still a working bank, one of Kansas's oldest. The striking architecture combines Romanesque arches, stained-glass windows, and a stunning Byzantine dome. Around 1900 a decorative tin ceiling was installed, followed in the 1940s by marble panels on the lower walls and around teller stations. Tours are available by appointment.

In 1851 Methodist Episcopal missionaries built a school for Kaw children, now known as the Kaw Mission State Historic Site. You can learn about the converging of the two cultures through exhibits featuring leather handicrafts, beadwork, textiles, weapons, and furniture, which also showcase the heritage of the Kaw Indians, the Santa Fe Trail, and early Council Grove. Its oak floors, rosewood features, porches, and light fixtures—added during a 1926 remodel—are in immaculate condition. An eight-minute video, "The Original Kansans," is a great prelude to the self-guided tour.

Depicting a pioneer mother with two children, this is one of 12 monuments across the country dedicated to America's pioneer women. St. Louis sculptor August Leimbach's work, made of algonite stone, was dedicated in 1928. Other sculptures can be seen in cities such as Cumberland, Maryland, and Upland, California, all along the National Old Trails Highway, now U.S. Highway 40 and Route 66.