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Things to do in Kansas
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Rock City Minneapolis
Sitting like ancient warriors, the
rock concretions of Rock City lay atop a hill looking down into
the Solomon river valley in the north central region of Kansas.
Cedar trees and bluestem grasses blow in the gentle breezes that
seem to caress these unique and strange spheres made of Dakota
sandstone. Some of these magnificent boulders are almost 27 feet
in diameter and are a National Natural Landmark. It is the only
place on this earth where these incredible geological creations
exist and it is a must see when visiting Kansas. There is a
small fee to enter the park area, since there are staff people
that are here to preserve the beautiful rocks and to make sure
that there aren't any destructive forces trying to change the
landscape and their individual beauty. The surrounding fauna and
flora complement the serene and solitude of these majestic
oddities, like the dickcessels and western meadowlarks that come
here to serenade the some 200 different relics. Mockingbirds and
brown thrashers will join in the song and the wildflowers like
dame's rocket, bracted spiderwort and plainsman add to the
spectacular vision. There are mosses, ferns and often
wildflowers that somehow squeeze into the crevices and cracks of
the rocks to grow and be shaded from the warm summer sun, while
the mysterious various shaped rocks bask in the glory of the
wonderful aura they have created here. Scientists and geologists
have come to the conclusion that the concretions were made
millions of years ago when the Kansas plains were covered by an
inland sea and the Dakota sandstone formations were grown.
Millennia ago, the land was higher than now and the rock
formations that were here were made of sandstone, with the
various grains of sand being cemented together by calcium
carbonate deposits. The calcium carbonate came from the water
underground as it seeped through the porous sandstone and began
settling in between the grains and created various shapes and
sizes of these fabulous rocks. As time passed, the winds, waters
and other circumstances worked on the surfaces of these rocks
and eventually the loosest sandstone was eroded away and the
results were left behind for the generations of many peoples
from prehistoric times up to today have been mystified by the
gorgeous results. Other sightings of these kinds of rocks have
been discovered around the world, but nothing that matches the
size or shape or even degree of beauty that these silent
sentinels have achieved. A definite must see if traveling
anywhere in the state or even close by. They are the only ones
of their kind and we should positively enjoy them while we can.
It has become a Mecca for school children from around the state
as they come here and are amazed. Almost everyone that comes
here has to have their picture taken with one of the unusual
shapes both for posterity and their own history.
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Museum of World Treasures in Wichita
The museum began in 2001,
when Dr. Jon and his wife, Lorna, Kardatzke wanted to create a
gateway to the past that would bring inspiration to the
community, as well as educate and entertain them with artifacts
that would increase lifelong learning and the pursuit of
excellence. It opened in the Garvey Center in downtown Wichita,
Kansas and within two years had outgrown its facility. They
relocated to the Farm and Art Market in the Old Town area of the
city transforming an old warehouse into the showcase it has
become. Although the museum isn't old in terms of existence, the
magnificent artifacts that it exhibits and displays are from
around the world and through the ages of time. Their unique
collection includes dinosaurs and fossils that have the T-rex
Ivan, a Hall of Presidents, a European Hall of Royalty, Egyptian
mummies, music and Hollywood stars exhibit and a military
collection that goes from the Revolutionary War to Vietnam. The
first floor contains a marvelous collection of antiquities from
the ancient world starting with the dinosaurs, with an
Edmontosaurus being attacked by a Daspletosaurus and the
terrible Ivan, a superb T-rex. Other relics in the floor area
include; those from Rome, southeast Asia, Greek, Etruscan,
Egyptian, African, Pre-Columbian, Mesopotamia and more. There
are also displays of cavemen, ancient weapons, 2 Royal Egyptian
mummies, gold jewelry, a sarcophagus and fantastic statues and
pottery. Another real gem and they do mean gem is a huge
amethyst-lined geode. The second floor contains one of the best
collections of European Royalty with gold jewelry and memorable
autographs with the most prominent kings and queens of the
continent going back to the 12th century. The Revolutionary War
collection contains artifacts of weapons, early documents that
include autographs of Benedict Arnold, Paul Revere, Patrick
Henry, Alexander Hamilton and John Hancock. The Hall of
Presidents is another exciting venue with all the autographs and
pictures of the 43 Presidents and George Washington's lock of
hair, whether it is his own or the wig is for you to find out.
There are excellent Civil War paraphernalia and WWI and WWII
displays with weapons. They have dressed up mannequins with the
uniforms of the services and other autographs of the main
leaders of the world. The third floor is one venue that
you must visit for sure, as it contains sports artifacts of Al
Unser, Chris Evert, Babe Ruth, Arnold Palmer, Muhammed Ali, Joe
DiMaggio, Michael Jordan and many more. The Ballard is in one of
the galleries with the actual film footage from discovering the
Titanic, many Hollywood celebrities, a Western frontier display,
a music room with memorabilia of Frank Sinatra, Mozart,
Beethoven, Elvis Presley and Maria VonTrapp.
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Kansas Museum of History in Topeka
The Kansas museum of history
in Topeka, Kansas presents the state's history from the
prehistoric era to the present with over 30,000 square feet of
displays. Inside the galleries, you will find a train from the
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad with engine and two cars,
a full sized tipi made in the southern Cheyenne style, a
beautiful 1950s diner and many, many wonderful big features.
Some of the prominent areas that are showcased in the main
gallery are from the Native American tribal history, early
settlers, Populism at the turn of the century, the Oregon and
Santa Fe trails, as well as the Bleeding Kansas and Civil War
periods. A few of the exciting items that are shown include the
field jacket worn by Dwight D. Eisenhower, John Brown's pike,
William Allen White's printing press, William Quantrill's flag,
Carrie A. Nation's hammer and George Armstrong Custer's boots.
It is proud to have one of the biggest collection of Civil War
flags from the African American regiments. The museum is part of
the Kansas Historical Society, starting in 1875, with the help
of the state's newspaper editors and publishers. The first
museum was in the state's capitol and the present building was
constructed in 1980 to hold the society's collections of objects
and exhibits. Calling it the Kansas Museum of History, it opened
on 80 acres of land in western Topeka near the Potasatomi
Mission in 1984. There is also labs for conservation and exhibit
making, a store and classrooms. The remainder of the society's
departments were moved to a new Center for Historical Research,
which was next to the museum, during the 1990s and this
magnificent complex includes a historic one-room schoolhouse,
conference center, nature trails and education center. One of
the most popular programs are the changing exhibits, podcasts
and various objects from the website section.
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