These eight Kansas destinations deserve a place on your bucket list. In Lucas, the Garden of Eden, Bowl Plaza, and the Grassroots Art Center make the town one of the state’s most unusual art stops. In Hutchinson, the Cosmosphere and Strataca pair space exploration with an underground salt mine in a way few places can match. Together, these places highlight the history and character that make Kansas worth exploring.

Abilene

The last stop on the Chisholm Trail should be on your bucket list of places in Kansas to make sure you visit. Right off Interstate 70, this town is steeped in history, which is on display at the Dickinson County Heritage Center. Here, you’ll learn about the county’s famous former residents, including Abilene’s former town Marshal Wild Bill Hickok and Joseph McCoy, who brought hundreds of thousands of cattle to Abilene in the 1860s, making Abilene into a booming cowtown. While there, take a spin on the 1901 C.W. Parker Carousel, believed to be the oldest operating Parker carousel in existence.

Over the decades, Abilene stayed in the public eye as its most famous son, Dwight D. Eisenhower, earned his first general star during World War II. Take time to explore the Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home.

Named one of the Eight Wonders of Kansas for its architecture, the Seelye Mansion was built in 1905 and is open for guided tours. Most of the home’s furnishings were purchased the year before at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. Visitors can even bowl on the 1904 Box Ball Alley that was purchased at the fair. Guided tours take guests through the Georgian-style mansion and offer a glimpse into early 20th-century life.

Two oversized Western landmarks make a bold statement in Abilene: a massive spur stands 28 feet high, balanced on its ends to form an arch, and weighs about a ton; it held the title of the World’s Largest Spur from Guinness World Records until 2017. The town is also home to the World’s Largest Belt Buckle, which measures 19 feet 10½ inches wide and 13 feet 11¼ inches tall, not including its frame.

Hays

Are you ready to do a little time traveling? Along the brick streets of downtown, 25 bronze plaques make up the Historic Hays Walking Tour, offering glimpses of local life and colorful characters, including Wild Bill Hickok, Buffalo Bill Cody, and General George Armstrong Custer.

The travel into the past continues at Fort Hays State Historic Site, where the original blockhouse, guardhouse, and officers’ quarters of this Army Fort, which was established in 1867, remain. Exhibits tell the stories of the Buffalo soldiers, enlisted men, officers’ wives, and laundresses.

To take a real leap into the past, stop by the Sternberg Museum of Natural History, which houses more than three million paleontology, zoology, and geology specimens that document life and environments in the Great Plains region of North America.

Dodge City

A Kansas bucket list would not be complete without including Dodge City, the Wild West history the Queen of the Cowtowns. The Boot Hill Museum is open year-round, but the summer season is when the quiet, little open-air and indoor complex, designed to replicate the rowdy 1870s Old West, comes alive. Gunfights take place outside, while Can Can Girls twirl their skirts on stage at the Long Branch Saloon. Visitors can also visit the General Store and Boot Hill Cemetery.

Stop by the visitor’s center and pick up a map of the Dodge City Trail of Fame walking tour. As you remain on the lookout for sidewalk medallions and statuary, enjoy the Western-themed shops and restaurants along the way.

Although Dodge City’s history is rooted firmly in the Old West, the town has more to offer. The Carnegie Center for the Arts is an architectural landmark in downtown. The distinctive two-story brick building showcases turn-of-the-century flair and is a work of art in itself. Today, it is home to the Dodge City Area Arts Council and has gallery space for local artisans.

Lecompton

Known as the Civil War birthplace and where slavery began to die, Lecompton was the only official capital of Kansas Territory from 1855 to 1861 and played a central role in the Bleeding Kansas conflict over slavery. To understand the pivotal role that Kansas played in the Civil War, you’ll want this town on your bucket list.

Two museums will take you back in time and walk you through how and why the state earned the moniker “Bleeding Kansas.” The Territorial Capital Museum occupies the building begun in 1855 as the intended Kansas territorial capitol. After that project was abandoned, it became Lane University. One of the exhibits at this museum covers Dwight D. Eisenhower’s parents, who met and got married when they were students there.

Constitution Hall, built in 1856, served as the meeting place for the pro-slavery Lecompton Constitutional Convention in 1857. It is the oldest wood-frame building in Kansas to still stand in its original location. Among the artifacts on display are a bound volume of the 1855 Statutes of Kansas Territory, written by proslavery legislators and called the “Bogus Laws” by antislavery men; a candle box in which John Calhoun buried fake ballots that were cast in a vote for the Lecompton Constitution; and an office safe owned by Charles Robinson, the first Governor of Kansas.

A tour of this little town that made a big impact on the nation includes the Lecompton city jail, a replica of the fortified home of Colonel Henry Titus, the site of the Battle of Fort Titus, and the Kansas River Water Trail.

Council Grove

Getting to Council Grove takes the visitors through the gorgeous rolling Flint Hills and celebrates the town’s history and outdoor beauty.

Just outside of the city limits is the Council Grove Lake, complete with nature trails for hiking and an all-terrain vehicle trail. There’s a swimming beach, campgrounds, and boat ramps. Council Grove is on the Flint Hills National Scenic Byway, which offers incredible views of the native grasses and flowers of the tallgrass prairie, one of the last remaining such landscapes left in the world.

Council Grove has a vibrant downtown that ties its past as a rendezvous on the Santa Fe Trail with modern preservation. Pick up a brochure of 25 historic sites, including the Post Office Oak, where travelers would leave messages; the Last Chance Store, aptly named, it was the last chance to pick up supplies before getting to Santa Fe; and the Kaw Mission Historic Site and Museum.

You can grab a bite to eat at one of the 25 historic sites. Hays House Restaurant, built in 1857, is widely promoted as the oldest continuously operating restaurant west of the Mississippi.

Lucas

A quirky arts oasis in the middle of the prairie, Lucas is a Grassroots Art community.

The Garden of Eden is a visionary sculpture stone log cabin. Internationally known as a prime example of the Grassroots Art genre, the home was sculpted by a Civil War veteran who is interred in a glass-top coffin in a self-built mausoleum on site.

Lucas has also been nationally recognized for having the quirkiest restroom. Bowl Plaza has an entire building shaped like a toilet tank. You enter through a raised toilet lid, after doing your business, have a seat on the benches in the plaza that represent a curved toilet seat, or walk along the path that represents an unrolled roll of toilet paper. Detailed mosaics cover this quirky bathroom, inside and out.

Several galleries are found around town, including Switchgrass Art Coop and the Grassroots Art Center, which has developed the Great Post Rock Limestone Courtyard, an exhibit to celebrate the architectural, historical, and cultural value of post rock limestone.

Fort Scott

Whether you’re into shopping and dining, history, the arts, or the great outdoors, Fort Scott should be on your list of places to check out.

The Gordon Parks Museum tells the story of the renowned photographer, filmmaker, writer, poet, and composer, who became the first African-American photojournalist to work for LIFE magazine and the first African-American to direct a major Hollywood production. A self-guided tour will take you along The Learning Tree Film Scene and Sign, where The Learning Tree was filmed.

Fort Scott National Historic Site preserves the story of a U.S. Army frontier fort from the 1840s. The site includes 20 historic structures; some original buildings and some reconstructions built on their original foundations. They are furnished to reflect life during the fort’s early years. Through interpretive exhibits, period furnishings, living history programs, and artillery demonstrations, visitors experience the daily routines of soldiers stationed there.

Throughout Fort Scott are 52 homes that showcase the Victorian architecture. You can pick up a brochure from the Visitor Information Center and take a self-guided tour to see amazing structures that sprang up on the Kansas prairie between 1842 and 1919.

End a day of exploring the downtown, which features boutiques, antique stores, and plenty of places to choose for a bite to eat.

Hutchinson

With a waterpark, a zoo, museums, the Cosmosphere, and much more, you might need to take a few trips to Hutchinson before you cross it off your bucket list.

The Cosmosphere International Science Education Center and Space Museum tells the story of the U.S. and former Soviet space race through its collection of artifacts. The museum also houses spacecraft flown in all three early manned spaceflight programs, the Mercury Liberty Bell 7, the Gemini X, and the Apollo 13 Odyssey.

From outer space to deep underground, visit the Strataca, the Kansas Underground Salt Museum. Journey 650 feet into the depths of an active salt mine that has been operational since the 1920s. Tours provide a glimpse into the history and geology of salt mining.

Between outer space and the salt mines are many more sites to see and things to do. Head over to downtown, where you’ll find boutiques, shops, a riverwalk, a water spray park, and plenty of green spaces. The antique lover will be in paradise as they get lost in one of the state’s largest owner-operated antique districts.

Cross it off your bucket list

Some of these eight places might need a weekend stay or a few visits before you’ve explored them enough to cross them off your bucket list.

These Kansas towns showcase the surprising variety of experiences found across the state, blending frontier history, Civil War landmarks, quirky art, and unique attractions. From Abilene’s Eisenhower legacy and Dodge City’s Wild West roots to Lecompton’s role in the fight over slavery and Council Grove’s Santa Fe Trail heritage, each destination offers a strong sense of place. Visitors can also explore natural history in Hays, discover grassroots art in Lucas, step into frontier military life in Fort Scott, or experience both space exploration and underground salt mining in Hutchinson.

The latest

Kansas City Chiefs show interest in former Kansas Jayhawks quarterback: details | The Kansas City Star

With the draft two weeks away now, a source close to Daniels told The Star that the Kansas City Chiefs have recently shown interest.

Daniels went the Chiefs’ local pro day. After the workout, Daniels met with multiple members of the Chiefs’ coaching staff and front office for several hours.

The source told The Star that it was similar to a top-30 visit — NFL teams are allowed to host up to 30 visits, interviews and meetings with prospects before the draft. The source said Daniels also had a recent top-30 visit with the New England Patriots. NFL insider Ian Rapoport was first to report the news.

Daniels is projected as a latter-round selection in the April 23-25 draft. But there’s some sentiment that his draft stock has risen this spring, and that he could be picked earlier than expected.

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2026 NFL draft: Latest Kansas City Chiefs updates, intel, buzz | ESPN

Friday, April 10: One of the Chiefs’ most important pre-draft visits occurred Thursday. The team hosted Rueben Bain Jr., the talented Miami defensive end. Bain could be the best option available at No. 9 to fulfill one of their biggest roster needs.

Last season with Miami, Bain was a constant presence in rushing the opposing quarterback. He recorded 9.5 sacks, 15.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, an interception and a forced fumble. Entering the draft, the Chiefs don’t have a logical starter on the edge opposite of veteran defensive end George Karlaftis. If the Chiefs draft Bain, he could learn and play alongside star pass rusher Chris Jones.

“I love it; I think this would be a dream outcome for Kansas City, quite frankly,” ESPN analyst Mina Kimes said Thursday on “NFL Live.” She later added: “They really need pass rush. Last season, their highest-ranked edge rusher in pass rush win [rate] was George Karlaftis, who ranked 25th at the position. They need juice there — and juice is exactly what Rueben Bain brings to the table.

“His get-off is extremely explosive. He plays with violent hands, the way he converts speed to power is special. His motor also runs hot versus the run. And for Kansas City, he fits their timeline. This is a team that should be competitive every year, including next year, and he’s a pro-ready player.”

Here are some intriguing scenarios the Chiefs could see in the NFL Draft | The Kansas City Star

Scenario: Caleb Downs is available

This is the most frequent of the player-might-be-available scenarios we’ll discuss. Caleb Downs, an Ohio State safety, is on the board with the Chiefs on the clock in nearly half of the drafts I simulated for the exercise.

He is a terrific talent who will be ready to start from his team’s first snap. He’s a two-time All-American who can move around the defensive backfield a bit, but no matter where he’s lined up, he plays as though he’s one step ahead of the offense. There are players with higher ceilings, but he might have the highest floor.

So why not jump at him?

Well, it’s the positional value.

This is the first time the Chiefs have picked in the top 10 since drafting Patrick Mahomes in 2017. These opportunities have been non-existent since that day, and the objective is to make them non-existence for another decade.

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The Chiefs need to take advantage of the rarity with a premium position, not draft a position they’ve seemed to replace with relative ease — and at a relatively cheap price, too.

The verdict: Pass

The NFL Player Each AFC Team Should Trade for During the 2026 Draft | FOX Sports

Acquire: TE Sam LaPorta from the Detroit Lions
Cost: Swap first-round picks (Lions move up to No. 9, Chiefs drop to No. 17), 2027 conditional fourth-round pick

Yes, the Chiefs just re-signed Travis Kelce, who is still an effective player and one of Patrick Mahomes’ favorite receivers. But Kelce is 36, not what he once was, and could be in the last season of his Hall of Fame career. LaPorta is coming off back surgery, heading into the last year of his contract and may get squeezed out in Detroit, where the Lions have a lot of young players to sign. It would probably cost the Chiefs a second-round pick. As an alternative, they could consider a package that involves swapping first-rounders instead.

Kenny Moore II landing spots include Cowboys, as Colts mutually agree to explore trade, per report | CBS Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs’ secondary looks pretty different these days. They traded star cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Rams, Jaylen Watson then followed him to Los Angeles, safety Bryan Cook signed with the Cincinnati Bengals and backup cornerback Joshua Williams joined the Tennessee Titans. Steve Spagnuolo would value a leader like Kenny Moore, who brings experience and versatility to the slot.

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Around the NFL

Eagles get WR Dontayvion Wicks from Packers, sources say | ESPN

The Philadelphia Eagles got some receiver help Friday when they acquired Dontayvion Wicks in a trade with the Green Bay Packers, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The Packers received a fifth-round pick in this year’s draft and a sixth-rounder next year, sources told Schefter.

At the same time, Wicks’ agent, David Mulugheta, told Schefter that the Eagles will sign Wicks to a one-year, $12.5 million extension.

Wicks was heading into the final year of his rookie contract this season but now is under contract through the 2027 season.

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Falcons exercise Bijan Robinson’s fifth-year option | Pro Football Talk

Per Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, Atlanta has exercised running back Bijan Robinson’s fifth-year option on Friday.

Robinson is projected to make $11.3 million in 2027 under the option.

This was an expected move, especially after Robinson led the league with 2,298 yards from scrimmage in 2025. He rushed for 1,478 yards with seven touchdowns and caught 79 passes for 820 yards with four TDs.

The No. 8 overall pick of the 2023 draft, Robinson has played every game for which he’s been eligible over the past three seasons. He’s registered 3,910 yards rushing with 25 touchdowns and caught 198 passes for 1,738 yards with nine touchdowns.

49ers add veteran CB Jack Jones, full-time starter the past two seasons | San Francisco Chronicle

The San Francisco 49ers agreed to terms with veteran cornerback Jack Jones on a one-year deal, agent Drew Rosenhaus confirmed to the Chronicle. Jones started 33 of a possible 34 games in his past two seasons.

Having started all 17 games for the Dolphins last season, the 2022 fourth-round draft pick made one interception, forced two fumbles and recorded six pass breakups. Jones started 16 of 17 games for the Raiders the season prior. At age 28, he has eight interceptions and 33 pass breakups in 59 games across four NFL seasons.

The 49ers return both of their starting cornerbacks from a season ago, Deommodore Lenoir and Renardo Green, whom Pro Football Focus ranked 65th and 92nd in overall defensive grade, respectively. Lenoir, who signed a five-year, $92 million contract extension in November 2024, became a full-time outside cornerback in 2025 upon the departure of Charvarius Ward via free agency. Green, a 2024 second-round draft pick, was a first-time starter in 2025 after making several spot starts as a rookie.

In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride

Chiefs host virtual meeting with Oregon WR Malik Benson. What to know

The Chiefs would certainly take more downfield plays, but the catches that made Benson exciting in college will be much harder to come by in the NFL. He looks the part of a “feast or famine” option in the passing game. Unless he has untapped potential on short and intermediate routes, Benson will only be an option on specific plays. His presence on the field might also tip off defenses to potential play designs.

Under head coach Andy Reid, Kansas City has valued the versatility to line up wide or in the slot and seamlessly change formation. Benson is probably not that player.

On the other hand, the Chiefs currently have five selections on Day 3 of the draft. One of the most instant-boost moves the front office can make late in the draft is to upgrade the return game. After a lackluster showing on punt returns in 2025, the Chiefs could use Benson’s juice on special teams.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – Kansas City has eliminated the blanket minimum parking requirements for new buildings across a large portion of the city, but that does not mean new development will suddenly go up without any parking at all.

The Kansas City Council voted 11-2 on Wednesday to amend the city’s development code, removing the automatic requirement that new buildings provide a set number of parking spaces based on size and use. The change applies to all properties within what the ordinance calls the “Urban Core,” a zone far larger than just downtown.

Before the vote, if someone wanted to build something new in the Urban Core, expand an existing building, or change how a property was being used, the city automatically required a minimum number of parking spaces depending on the size and type of the project. That blanket rule is now gone for all three scenarios.

The change of use piece may matter most to small business owners. Under the old rules, something as common as a vacant storefront converting to a restaurant could trigger a parking requirement that was difficult to meet on a dense urban block, potentially killing the project before it started.

The Urban Core boundary runs from the Missouri River to the north, 85th Street to the south, State Line Road to the west, and the Blue River to the east, taking in Midtown, Westport, Hyde Park, the Crossroads, 18th and Vine, the Troost corridor, and large parts of South Kansas City. It is a much larger area than just downtown.

The city’s planning department found that Kansas City has an oversupply of parking, meaning large amounts of paved surface sit underused. The old code applied the same parking requirements to dense urban neighborhoods and rural outskirts alike, a one-size-fits-all approach that often made development in the Urban Core difficult. The ordinance’s stated goal is to promote “public transportation, biking, walking, and rideshare” and to support more walkable development.

A no vote with nuance

Council Member Crispin Rea was one of just two members to vote against the ordinance. He was not against the idea, but wanted to start smaller, with a pilot program in a handful of neighborhoods, before applying the change across the entire Urban Core.

“The reason I prefer that approach is because you have an opportunity to show folks how it can work, if it can work, and work out some of the challenges along the way,” Rea said.

He also offered reassurance to anyone worried the change means no parking will be built at all.

“It doesn’t mean that developers, projects and businesses suddenly don’t have to provide parking,” he said. “It’s more on a case-by-case basis. It still has to go through the city approval process, which includes public engagement. And oftentimes, what happens with these projects is the lenders and the investors in these projects require a certain amount of parking.”

“So what this does is instead of making the requirement the city’s requirement, it’s going to be more market-driven, but with all the community engagement that we ordinarily do,” Rea added.

The Midtown Neighborhood Alliance submitted multiple letters opposing the ordinance during the months-long review process. The Hyde Park Neighborhood Association submitted both support and opposition testimony at different points.

A Midtown restaurant owner who lived the old rules

Laura Norris, owner of Ragazza, an Italian restaurant at 43rd and Main Streets in Midtown, knows the old rules firsthand. She struggled to comply with parking requirements at her first location near Westport. At her current location in a historic building, she had exactly enough spaces with none to spare.

“I’m a proponent of historic preservation and reusing historic properties, which often don’t have the type of parking that is required to get your building permit,” Norris said. “So I’m excited that people can go into historic areas and not have that requirement, because it’s kind of an incubator for small businesses.”

Norris has a large tongue-in-cheek sign at her restaurant that reads: “PLEASE DON’T ASK ABOUT THE PARKING #STREETCAR2025.”

Lack of parking was a common complaint. It still is, but she said that is changing.

“I probably need to update that sign because it’s not as big of a complaint as it was,” she said.

Kansas City isn’t alone in making this change

Across the state line, Kansas City, Kansas took a similar step in July 2025, though the two cities approached it differently.

The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas placed a three-year moratorium on parking minimums east of Interstate 635, covering roughly half of that city. KCK’s reform was narrower: it applied only to commercial construction, business uses and mixed-use buildings of up to six units. Larger residential developments were not included, and the moratorium expires July 17, 2028, or when a new zoning code is adopted.

KCMO’s change is a permanent amendment to the city’s development code and applies broadly across all use types within the Urban Core.

The Institute for Justice, a national nonprofit that worked with KCK officials on their reform, said at the time: “Parking minimums cost small businesses significant amounts of money, prevent them from using their land in the way they see fit, and deprive cities of connectivity.”

The KCMO ordinance requires the city manager to report back to the city council within one year on how the change is working and to make recommendations on parking enforcement.