If you are in the Coffeyville area stop by for a self walking tour visit. It gives you a great…read moreinsight to how Laura Ingalls Wilder lived. Very nice and helpful lady at the front desk!

Kansas 01-2024 Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House on the Prarie near Independence. I was so super…read moreexcited but Tony just didn't understand! He said it was a Girl Thing!! RIGHT LADIES??? I grew up reading her books over & over again & again! I hope I wasn't the only Ingalls Nerd !!! But, to me this was one of the highlights of my trip. It was closed for the season but just being there on the farm she grew up on, near the house PA Built, it was a little overwhelming but Tony didn't understand but it was just as amazing to me as the Grand Canyon. It was on my Bucket List and I'm so glad to have been able to walk on her farm and touch her doorknob. Weird to some? But, many will understand!!! #bucketlisttriplisatony2024

A fabulous museum about an early Western, Cowboy star. He was my late father's favorite star. If…read moremy dad was alive. He would not have left this museum. Hundreds of artifacts and personal memorabilia. Including the very suitcase that was the cause of his death in his Cord automobile. Definitely worth the time to see this place if you are in Dewey, Kansas.

We were early getting into Chanute today so I searched for something to see. Not much in this…read morelittle town but did see a Museum so I decided to take the boys here. They were a little apprehensive to go but said that was fine. Free parking when we arrived and I guess on Saturday it's free to enter. The lady at the desk took us in to watch a short video. Although I wasn't sure I wanted to watch it, it really is a must see. You understand so much as you walk through the museum with that short 10 min video. It's really a must see if you are not familiar with what the museum is all about. The best part of this was my boys really enjoyed it. From the interactive musical instruments you are allowed to play with and the gong which they hit multiple times, they really had a good time.

Small museum with an amazing story of love and adventure!…read moreMartin and Osa Johnson's story from the small towns of Chanute & Independence, Kansas to Hollywood and New York on the big screens is one truly amazing adventure. But their adventures in remote locations of the world is just as incredible. If you've ever seen a Tarzan movie then you've seen wild animal and tribe footage of Martin and Osa's work. They're story is given , along with wonderful artifacts and personal items. Take your time in here and be sure to watch the long version film they offer. ALSO, don't miss making a visit to their gravesite (just ask for directions from the folks at the museum). A hidden story in a small town well worth making a drive to.

This is a beautiful house. It has many of the original items in the house. It has been restored to…read morereplicate the way it was originally. You have to take the guided tour if you want to go inside, and no pictures are allowed on the inside. The tour takes about an hour. Unfortunately, our tour guide did not have a lot of information, and could not really answer questions. I do wish they gave you an information booklet to help guide you.

If you need to spend a very pleasant hour or so, this is your stop! The museum is detailed and…read moreexceptionally well done. But the house is the jewel! A lively, knowledge docent gave us an incredible tour. The house is immaculate and exactly as the Phillips family left it.

Sent people to visit 30 years after my stop. Still worth the time if six guns and home defense are…read morethings you enjoy.

This museum is tiny, but pretty neat in my opinion. Despite the very small size of the building…read morethere is a large range of items here, not just related to the Dalton Gang but to U.S. History in general. It is definitely worth a couple of bucks' admission to see these unique artifacts as history is preserved in Coffeyville. The neighborhood surrounding the museum is well worth a look also, don't come here without checking out the alleyway, bank, hardware store, etc...those areas are preserved to feel like a real piece of history and that part's actually free. You can see the outlines of where the bodies of the Dalton gang died and bullets ricocheted leaving nicks in the brick facades of buildings nearby. Another great bonus is to buy a combo ticket and also see the nearby Brown Mansion. They have a greatly reduced rate for students (when presenting student ID).

Absolutely no pets. Have two small yorkies and a stroller. Got there and was only car in lot but…read moretwo which i assume work there. Was shocked to see no pets sign. My dogs are better behaved than most kids or adults. Oh well, their loss. Btw, been to many of these local type museums and this is first time we were not welcome

What an great museum. It is so far above what I'd expect from this size of a town. The staff was…read moreextremely helpful. We were given a map; which was needed to make sure we saw everything. It covers the history of Baxter Springs from the mid-1800s (founding) up to the present. There are a wide range of exhibits and various rooms throughout with both a lot of memorabilia and artifacts, yet also signs explaining what things are. There are 2 full floors; and a few small things outside. We saw everything; it took 2.5 hours. Great tour through the last 160 years of middle America.

I grew up coming here as a kid and thought it was so fun! Now that I'm an adult i underestimated…read morethe great amount of rich history this place provides. So much history and interesting information this place holds! This is Frank Phillips home who started up conoco Philips. Not only is his very charming log cabin open for viewing but you also have everything from an animal kid petting zoo to his airplanes and guns on display while giant bears etc are throughout the museum part as well. They put on a kids fest event every year in late June. They bring in vendors and put up inflatables , face painting, pony rides, foam parties , make your own necklaces etc. all of this is free and no extra fee just regular admission cost. Another thing they do is during the holidays they have a lights festival which appears to be just beautiful .

GO! take the drive, do the day trip, GO! Beware: the medium is deceiving, it's massive and you want…read moreto see it all so give yourself ample time. The history they have here, the animals, the whole thing is just so cool To see.

If you happen to be in the area, this is a great stop to see a pocket of the past…read more The museum is donation only, and their funding is based on the number of annual visitors - so stop in! There are a number of intriguing items, foremost is the two headed calf. There's also a room full of old cars, wagons, typewriters, and a jail cell from an old jail. They also have fashions and mailboxes from the past. It's a time capsule of sorts. The descriptions are thorough so if you're a history buff you could likely spend a couple hours wandering though the rooms. It also has a schoolhouse and old-time store outside, but those parts aren't air conditioned so they might not be as welcome of a respite in the Kansas summers. We had a couple of toddlers with us so the full museum was approximately 45 minutes. They enjoyed it, but were sad they couldn't climb in all the vehicles.

This museum is well worth a stop when you are in the Pittsburg, KS area. For those interested in…read moreAmerican and/or Kansas history, I think it would be a nice stop on a longer trip when visiting (relatively nearby) Fort Scott, too. The museum was closed for a couple of years but has reopened as of my 2017 writing. It seems clean and relatively up to date considering this period of closure. The volunteers were very nice and forthcoming with a lot of extra information, which we appreciated. The two outdoor buildings (schoolhouse and general store) were especially of interest, as were the vehicles and fire truck in the cavernous back room of the museum. There were a few surprising and/or especially interesting items here that I've not seen in other museums. While the labels are not particularly fancy, they convey pertinent info.

I arrived at the door of the museum at the time posted on the website, only to find a note on the…read moredoor saying that a reservation must be made two weeks prior to visiting.

This is a great free museum downtown. There are several free museums in Bartlesville Oklahoma. This…read moreone was very educational an told the story of the Phillips's family an Phillips 66 petroleum an how the oil was discovered.not far away is a preserved oil well. The first one built.

Wandering across western Kansas, I happened upon this incredible piece of machinery. Operated from…read more1963-1974, this is still the largest electric shovel in the world with a 90 cubic yard bucket. Pictures don't do the size of this any justice. They even let you climb inside, wander through, and sit in the operator's chair. There is a nice little museum with lots of great information. I had no idea there was (and still is) a very large coal field running under the middle of the country. A great piece of history, well preserved and worth a detour if you are in the area.

I knew this thing was going to be big but it wasn't until I spotted it soaring over the treeline…read morethat I understood. Oh, and it's a little below grade. Big brutus is a Bucyrus-Erie model 1850B electric shovel. Yes, electric. Massive powerlines would be fed into this monster so that it could clear "overburden" and make it possible for other, smaller devices to mine the coal. At 160 feet high and weighing 11 million pounds, the draw makes 15,000 horsepower and could lift 150 tons of coal. It is therefore the largest existing electric shovel on the planet. Open for climbing (the boom is since closed because of insurance limitations), you can go inside the operator's cabin, walk around the interior body and take selfies in the massive shovel or next to one of the huge crawler tracks. Look out over the lake in front of it - Big Brutus cleared all of that in its heyday before it finally shut down due to environmental concerns. The attached museum has other mementoes telling the story of local mining and there is a movie that shows the machine in action. [Review 19773 overall - 40 in Kansas - 745 of 2023.]