The 10 Best History Museums in Kansas, Kansas

Decatur County Last Indian Raid Museum Transports you back to a Different Time From the Indian Raid of 1878 and other battles and skirmishes, to Buffalo Hunters, homesteaders, connections to people like Wild Bill (James Butler) Hickok, the Great Western Cattle Trail, the Museum is dedicated to preserving history. The museum has fifteen structures with thirteen authentic buildings dating from 1885-1952. Our historic Sod House was built on site in 1958 and the other authentic buildings were relocated to the museum grounds from surrounding locations in Decatur County to create a village setting. Enjoy self-guided tours by using our tour map and QR Codes on the buildings and many of the displays. These will give you general and more detailed information.

This complex features sod houses which are open for touring.

The exciting and unique story of early Dodge City is told daily along Front Street at Boot Hill Museum. The museum chronicles the establishment of a rough and rowdy cattle town known as Dodge City. The museum is located on the original site of Boot Hill Cemetery and highlights the glory days as Queen of the Cowtowns with creative, lively, interactive displays and activities the entire family will enjoy. Boot Hill Museum is open all year long where you can belly up to the bar for a cold sarsaparilla, enjoy some of grandma’s homemade fudge in the General Store or take home a lasting memento of your old west experience from the Boot Hill gift shop. During the summer months, children’s activities, gunfight reenactments, country-style dinners and the Long Branch Variety Show provides entertainment like none other! Cool off in the Beatty and Kelley Ice Cream Parlor before you become a character of the past in an Old West Photo.

Oldest documented mosasaur skull in the world; 15 foot Xiphactinus Audax; over 10,000 shark teeth; thousands of fossils & unique fossil folk art; sod house; replica Union Pacific depot; creamery; general store; military memorabilia; hundreds of historical photos. Gift shop. See the Military Memorial Garden of Honor in the park behind the museum. Drive south 25 miles and see the Monument Rocks, a limestone formation designated one of the 8 Wonders of Kansas

Be transported back in time at this unique, 23 acre open-air history museum that recreates Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas from 1865 to 1880. Museum staff dress in period costume and demonstrate everyday activities including, gardening, tending livestock and cooking. Historic Wichita Cowtown Inc. works with the City of Wichita to further the Museum and its mission. Established in 1950, Cowtown's unique programming chronicles Wichita's transformation from a frontier settlement to a cattle town to an agricultural and manufacturing area. The Museum has the distinction of being accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, the highest national recognition achievable by a museum. Accreditation recognizes high standards in individual museums and ensures they continue to uphold public trust. Only 3 percent of the nation's estimated 34,144 museums are accredited.

The striking "White Buffalo" sculpture outside offers an inkling of the interesting exhibits inside this museum, including a steam locomotive, a Southern Cheyenne teepee, one of the largest collections of prairie memorabilia in the U.S. and a hands-on children's area. Admission is $10 for adults, and $5 for children aged 2-17. Admission includes admittance to the discovery place.

The Amelia Earhart Birthplace is a historic building and museum that was the birthplace of aviator Amelia Earhart. It is located at 223 N. Terrace in Atchison, Kansas, United States. The house was built in 1861 in a Gothic Revival style & is on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River. In 1897 Amelia Earhart was born in the home, which belonged to her maternal grandfather, Alfred Gideon Otis (1827–1912), a former judge, president of the Atchison Savings Bank & leading citizen in Atchison. The Earharts attended nearby Trinity Episcopal Church where Amelia was baptized. The birthplace was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 & is now a museum featuring memorabilia & artifacts about Amelia Earhart. The house served as a private residence until 1984 when a local citizen, Dr. Eugene J. Bribach, contributed $100,000 to the Ninety-Nines to acquire the property. The house was built in 1861 in a Gothic Revival style & is on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River. In 1897 Amelia Earhart was born in the home, which belonged to her maternal grandfather, Alfred Gideon Otis (1827–1912), a former judge, president of the Atchison Savings Bank & leading citizen in Atchison. The Earharts attended nearby Trinity Episcopal Church where Amelia was baptized. The birthplace was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 & is now a museum featuring memorabilia & artifacts about Amelia Earhart. The house served as a private residence until 1984 when a local citizen, Dr. Eugene J. Bribach, contributed $100,000 to the Ninety-Nines to acquire the property.