Lewis & Clark Trail – Kansas 2 – Freedom's Frontier NHA

LEWIS & CLARK TRAIL
KANSAS AUTO TOUR 2

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A whole lot of history is wrapped up and ready to be discovered in the Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area. Here, in western Missouri and eastern Kansas, the idea of freedom gained a new meaning and purpose.

You can see the impact here where early-day settlers dreamed of a new life in a new land. After the Lewis and Clark Expedition era, people settling in the northern states and in the southern states each wanted to adopt their own brand of expansion for this western frontier. This conflict led to the Civil War. Much of the turmoil began on the Missouri/Kansas border…now designated as the Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area.

Visitor centers, museums, attractions and historic sites can help visitors better understand the historic events leading to these unique chapters in America’s diverse history. The visitor centers and museums can also recommend great places to see and enjoy around the area including the Flint Hills and Tuttle Creek Lake. The Tall Grass Prairie National Preserve in Kansas, the Lake of the Ozarks, Table Rock and Grand Falls in Missouri are also nearby.

This program is sponsored and funded in part by the National Park Service Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation; Illinois: the Greater Metropolis Convention and Visitors Bureau, Friends of Fort Massac, the City of Vandalia, and Illinois Ohio River Scenic Byway; Missouri: Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau, St. Charles Convention and Visitors Bureau, Washington Chamber of Commerce, Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau, Jefferson City Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the City of Boonville; Kansas: the Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area, the Kansas City Kansas Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Salina Chamber of Commerce, the Manhattan Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Atchison Area Chamber of Commerce, the Leavenworth Convention and Visitors Bureau, Visit Overland Park and the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism.

This tour guides users to 14 locations across eastern Kansas.

Scroll down to begin the tour.

MAP

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Stop 1
Kansas City, KS

DIRECTIONS

Lewis & Clark Park at Kaw Point, an inspiring historic site at the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri Rivers, is where Lewis & Clark and the Corps of Discovery camped and recovered after their exhausting journey against the rising currents and a strong headwind on June 26, 1804. Today, the park offers walking and biking trails, an education pavilion, open-air encampment theater and outstanding views of downtown Kansas City. Murals and signage recognize the area’s history and Native American tribes.

Kansas City, KS is home to Schlitterbahn Warerpark Kansas City, Kansas Speedway, Sporting KC and an array of exciting attractions, unique-themed restaurants and shopping experiences. The Village West area boasts 400 acres of shopping. Find big bargains at Legends Outlets Kansas City, Cabela’s and Nebraska Furniture Mart. History comes alive at the Quindaro Overlook, Old Quindaro Museum, John Brown Statue and the Underground Railroad Museum. All are a part of the Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area.

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Stop 2
Shawnee, KS

DIRECTIONS

Shawnee Town helps visitors re-live life on the farm in the old days while the Wonderscope Children’s Museum opens young minds to the future.

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Stop 3
Olathe, KS

DIRECTIONS

Western history comes alive at the Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farm Historic Site in Olathe. Ride in a stagecoach and see a working 19th century farm complete with crops, livestock and fun.

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Stop 4
Overland Park, KS

DIRECTIONS

Spark your child’s imagination at Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead, where they can be hands-on with the best outdoor experiences!

Take a stroll through the beautiful Museum at Prairiefire, the only location outside of New York to host American Museum of Natural History exhibitions. Get an adrenaline rush at iFly! Their 120 MPH wind tunnel allows to you experience free-fall conditions as you skydive indoors. Explore Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens or the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art for a more cultural experience. Overland Park’s charming downtown is home to eclectic shops and local restaurants… all just 20 minutes from Kansas City, Missouri.

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Stop 5
Lawrence, KS

DIRECTIONS

Home of the University of Kansas and the Haskell Indian Nations University. The mounted remains of the cavalry horse Comanche, who was the lone survivor of the Battle of the Little Bighorn is on display at the University of Kansas’ Natural History Museum.

Lawrence invites visitors to stroll, dine, and shop in its scenic downtown area. Attractions include the exhibits and documents at the Dole Institute of Politics, the Booth Family Hall of Athletics, the University of Kansas’ Natural History Museum, the Lawrence Art Center, and the Lied Performing Arts Center as well as the Watkins Community Museum of History.

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Stop 6
Topeka, KS

DIRECTIONS

Visitors won’t want to miss Kansas historic State Capitol and at the Kansas History Museum they can see a Cheyenne Tipi, a Wichita Grass Lodge, an 1880 Steam Locomotive, and exhibits and displays that bring Kansas’ frontier history to life.

Topeka also features Old Prairie Town, the Great Overland Stage Museum and the Combat Air Museum. Popular Topeka destinations also include the historic Ritchie House, the Topeka Zoological Park, the priceless Louis Comfort Tiffany stained glass windows at First Presbyterian Church and the Ted Ensley gardens.

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Stop 7
Manhattan, KS

DIRECTIONS

Manhattan is home to Kansas State University. Adjacent to the university you’ll find Aggieville, a 125-year old shopping district offering unique eateries, bars and restaurants.

Historic downtown Manhattan features the Flint Hills Discovery Center with fascinating interactive exhibits for visitors of all ages. The Riley County Historical Museum showcases the area’s pioneer heritage. The Konza Prairie Biological Station features buffalo in their native prairieland. Walk on “the wild side” at the Sunset Zoo. The Wildwood Outdoor Adventure Park offers 7 thrilling zip-lines. Tuttle Creek Lake provides great outdoor adventures and is located 5 miles north of Manhattan on US Highway 24.

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Stop 8
Marysville, KS

DIRECTIONS

A bronze statue of a hard-riding Pony Express rider, plus life-style interactive murals and barn-quilt blocks depicting the Pony Express, all located in the Marysville Park. The original Pony Express Station No. 1, Barn and Museum plus the Korster House Museum and the 11-mile Marshall County Connection are all popular visitor destinations as well as the Hollenberg Pony Express Station northwest of Marysville on the Little Blue River.

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Stop 9
Washington, KS

DIRECTIONS

Over 100 vintage cars, trucks, and tractors are on display at Herrs Memory Lane, and Pony Express and Oregon Trail rooms are featured at the County Historical Museum.

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Stop 10
Abilene, KS

DIRECTIONS

This town remembers Wild Bill Hickok, John Wesley Hardin, the “baddest” outlaws in all the west and all the wild days in Old Abilene Town.

Abilene was the epicenter of Texas Cattle Drive Days in the 1870’s. The Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home by sharp contrast remembers the General who led Allied Forces in Europe during World War II. Abilene’s popularity as an Old West Cowtown is enhanced by the Dickinson County Heritage Center, the C.W. Parker Carousel, and the Abilene Smoky Valley Excursion Train.

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Stop 11
Salina, KS

DIRECTIONS

The Rolling Hills Zoo is home to 418 animals and 118 species, and their wild-life museum creates a “trip around the world” through lifelike dioramas and animatronic figures.

The Smoky Hill Museum chronicles the history of this region with both permanent and changing exhibitions. Don’t miss their children’s area – The Curiosity Shop – new in 2017! Sculpture Tour Salina is a downtown outdoor exhibition of artwork, on loan from across the country, which changes each May.

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Stop 12
Newton, KS

DIRECTIONS

Home to the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame, the 1886 Warkentin House, and the Harvey County Museum.

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Stop 13
Wichita, KS

DIRECTIONS

23 acres of structures, streets and stories make up Old Cow-town Museum, bringing to life the wild and wooly days when Wichita hosted Texas cowboys coming up the Chisholm Trail. The Mid America Indian Center, the Great Plains Nature Center, and the Sedgewick County Zoo are three prime examples of all the great things to see and do in Wichita.

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Stop 14
Emporia, KS

DIRECTIONS

Visitors can tour nearby Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Red Rocks Historic Site and the Flint Hills National Wildlife Refuge adjacent to John Redmond Reservoir north and south of Emporia for outstanding examples of the bounty and beauty of the Great Plains.

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For more information, go to:
VisitKansasCityKS.com
SalinaKansas.org
Manhattancvb.org
FreedomsFrontier.org
TravelKS.com

For other Lewis and Clark Trail adventures in the area, go to: www.LCGreatRivers.org

LEWIS & CLARK TRAIL
KANSAS AUTO TOUR 2

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LEWIS & CLARK TRAIL KANSAS AUTO TOUR 2

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LEWIS & CLARK TRAIL
KANSAS AUTO TOUR 2