yestravel

We will be driving from Fayetteville, ARK to Colorado Springs via Southern Kansas. what's to see on that route? We like museums, parks, interesting sites, so pretty much anything. We are not in any rush. Thanks!

spirobulldog

Flat land and grass is about it. Very very boring.

I assume you'll head up from Wichita and then I-70. That is probably the fastest option. I say be in a rush and get the misery over with. LOL.
Sorry, surely someone will have some ideas. We've driven that route 15 times or so from eastern OK to snow ski, rocky mountains in the summer, etc. That drive and thru Texas panhandle are very boring, IMOP.

doug_stallings

Actually, I'd recommend something a little different.

Go west through Tulsa (lots to see there depending on your interest), and then head north through Bartlesville. I love Woolaroc, the Frank Phillips ranch that is now a museum and animal preserve. In Bartlesville itself, you can tour the only Frank Lloyd Wright "skyscraper", the Price Tower, now an arts center). It's also a hotel and had an expensive but decent restaurant if you want to spend the night. In Bartlesville, I highly recommend Dink's Barbecue (on Frank Phillips Blvd. just after the hospital) or Murphy's (for hamburgers), which is closer to downtown and the Price Tower. Neither has atmosphere, but both have excellent food.

From Bartlesville, you can head north into Kansas. In Caney there's a strange little wild animal zoo with several tigers.

If you don't mind a detour on the way to I-70, there's the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve just west of Emporia.

After Wichita, however, there's very little to see unless you take I-50 through Dodge City and stop there, but it's mighty touristy.

yestravel

Thanks! Some possibilities. We love FLW, so this coluld work out.

Ackislander

Maybe take I-40 thru Oklahoma City, then leave I 40 at Elk City for US 87, through or near various national grasslands. Join I-25 at Trinidad, and at least you will have the mountains on your left for the last XX miles to Colorado Springs.

Keith

Going west from Wichita, you have Greensburg, which is becoming a center for ecotourism. The new Big Well Museum is pretty interesting, much more than before the tornado.

I also like the little Kansas Meteorite Museum at Haviland and the Fromme-Birney Round Barn & bizarre art of M. T. Liggett in Mullinville. All of these attractions are free.

Closer to Wichita, check out the Eagle Valley Raptor Center and Tanganyika Wildlife Park.

Wichita has many things worth visiting and unique local restaurants.

Keith

yestravel

Thanks -- these are great suggestions. Love soe others.

bbqboy

US 160 through Medicine Lodge, Ashland and Coldwater is a neat highway with a stretch that has nice buttes and mesas.
US 50 is also more enjoyable (actually, any road is) than I-70.
Lots of good food in Kansas.
Keith is too modest to post his website, but I'm not-
kansastravel.org

Keith

Thank you, BBQboy. I try not to abuse Fodors by promoting the site too much.