College brings with it freedom and independence, so why not use your newfound freedom to build some road trip memories? We know you’re poor, so squeeze as many people as you can into the car with the best gas mileage. Then check out these places close to Manhattan.
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Check out more than 2,000 Oz artifacts. The Oz Museum highlights memorabilia from author L. Frank Baum, the classic film starring Judy Garland, and lesser-known productions like The Wiz starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. Drive time: 15 minutes.
Visit Fort Riley’s three museums to learn the history of the home of the Big Red One. While you’re there, you can also check out the first territorial capital of Kansas, which houses heirlooms of Kansas history and hosts traveling exhibits throughout the year. Smart tip: visit the website before you go to make sure you have the ID you’ll need for a visitor’s pass. Drive time: 15 minutes.
Forget fishing trips! When they retired, these two Junction City residents built a castle—complete with moat and gargoyles. They offer tours of their backyard castle, but you’ll need to call first. Drive time: 15 minutes.
Marysville is home to the original Pony Express station in its original spot. You can visit the museum as well as replicas of what the town looked like from 1860 to 1861, the time the Pony Express was in operation before it gave way to the telegraph. Drive time: 55 minutes.
Visit the school that marks the end of segregation in schools in the United States. The museum houses displays about the landmark court case, which was actually five cases folded together into one, and traveling exhibits that change throughout the year. Drive time: 1 hour.
This isn’t your ordinary zoo: 105 species roam in spacious natural environments. Sure, you’ll see the usual lions, tigers and bears, but you’ll also spot creatures like white camels and Indian rhinos (not to mention never-heard-of-animals like the capybara and zebu). The new museum features animatronic guides and gives you an up-close look at wildlife in the 360-degree 3D theater. Drive time: 75 minutes.
Wonder what it was like to be a hardy covered-wagon traveler? Travel back in time along the etchings of the Santa Fe Trail into Council Grove, the town founded by Daniel Boone’s grandson, Seth Hays. Take a historic walk down historic Main Street, get a taste of the town at Hays House restaurant (named for the town founder), and then journey to the grove to see the Council Oak, where the Kansa Nation signed a treaty with the area settlers and where the city got its name. Drive time: 1 hour.
Among the famous people buried here are Earl Woods, a K-State alum and father of golf god Tiger, and Nehemiah Green, governor of Kansas from 1868 to 1869. Interesting fact: Manhattan’s cemeteries are named Sunset and Sunrise.
Where: Sunset Avenue near Manhattan High.
Visit the memorial to Notre Dame’s legendary football coach, Knute Rockne. He died in a plane crash three miles outside of Strong City in 1931. Drive time: 90 minutes.
Take a trip to the most haunted city in Kansas. Trolleys take you to all the town’s haunted sites while you listen to ghost tales. You can even tour some of the houses. While in Atchison, stop by the Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum to see photographs, her childhood belongings, and—we hope—no ghosts! Drive time: 2 hours.
