Great attraction. First floor includes more traditional museum type exhibits and is geared to…read moreadults AND young people. There is a lot of history and information on the tall grass prairie. The 2nd floor includes a lot of interactive exhibits and displays and is geared primarily for kids. Not much for adults. The third level includes an outdoor terrace. The weather today was not conducive to enjoying the outdoor environment. Adults- allow 1-2 hours. Adults with kids - allow more.

There are so many educational displays in this discovery center. They really make it fun to learn…read moreabout tallgrass prairies. I thoroughly loved all of the displays, the view of Manhattan from the rooftop, and the educational and enjoyable immersive theater. Do not miss the 15 minute theater experience where they engage all of your senses to learn about the Flint Hills. It's worth visiting Manhattan just to explore this place.

So glad I stopped here and highly recommend taking the tour. Lots of fun memorabilia and even a…read moresmall theater playing the movie inside the tour.

Our family had an amazing time at the Oz Museum! From the yellow brick road to the interactive…read moreexhibits, every corner was full of magic and fun. The kids loved the characters and we all enjoyed learning about Oz history. Friendly staff, great photo ops, and a gift shop full of whimsical treasures made it a perfect family outing. Great for any Oz fan or just someone that likes to see cool things

My daughter is going to KSU next fall so we came up again to visit the school. This time, we ended…read moreup in Manhattan for a KSU Car Club meetup and actually met Doug the curator of this wonderful place as he was hanging out with everyone. We had planned on visiting again with the rest of the family and mentioned it to Doug. He happened to be there (MWDCC) this morning for a bit and showed us even more cool things we hadn't learned the first trip. There are some amazingly special cars here that absolutely everyone should see!! The updated Tucker section was just so cool. They also added a full BTTF DeLorean to the collection in addition to the original one they had! They even have a Lamborghini Countach like the ones every boy my age had posters of on their wall growing up. Too many more cars to mention.. The people that work and volunteer here are so friendly and so helpful that I honestly can't even begin to do them justice in this review. Doug, you made this trip something special for us on many levels!! Thank you!! I'm excited that my daughter has 'found her people' and she will probably end up volunteering here some too when she has time. Just go here already!! You won't be disappointed.

Wow! What an amazing collection. Several cars I've never seen before, mainly because they are one…read moreof a kind or exceedingly rare. A hidden gem, and a must stop in the Little Apple.

I have to start out by saying I don't like bugs or insects however this was a really cool place to…read morevisit. The staff was amazing, she walked us through a lot of stuff and kept it interesting. Worth the 3$

The best insect zoo we have ever been to, we loved learning about all the different bugs and had so…read moremuch fun doing it! My girls (ages 24 and 20) have always loved bugs (as have I), but this was our first time in an actual stand-alone insect zoo, and it was AWESOME!! Regular zoo insect houses are okay, but pale in comparison to the K-State insect zoo. We appreciate that the zoo was open over the Christmas holidays so that those of us who take post-Christmas trips (from Dallas) could visit. Bonus: we had the place to ourselves so we had good conversations with the staff entomologist, who explained how they care for and manage their insects. Cool behind the scenes info! Favorite exhibits in no particular order: Leaf-cutter Ants (just given fresh leaves) Tarantulas Scorpions Mantids Bees! Various exoskeletons Other spiders (black widow and wolf spider) Assassin Bugs Walking sticks - some species were 6 in. long!! The roaches in the kitchen exhibit is not for the faint of heart. Avoid the sink if you are squeamish. The albino roach on the counter exhibit was cool, though. Stop by and grab some insect snacks on the way out. Bugs are a great source of high-quality protein and ranching them is very climate friendly. 5 come get your bug fix stars!!

A historic house dating back to the pioneer era back when Kansas was a new state to the United…read moreStates. Although the museum portion was eye-pleasing and had artifacts relating to Kansas in the 19th century, the food was just alright and portions were small. The elk pot roast was underseasoned, but the rest of the meal was good. However, the person running the restaurant was knowledgeable about the history of Council Grove and the building itself which made up for less than ideal food.

Absolutely loved my stop here. The history is incredible. I had the soup with native bread hit the…read morespot on that rainy day

This is a fantastic place to bring the whole family--fun for all ages! For just $9 per person (kids…read moreand adults), you get access to a huge indoor play space filled with themed areas like a veterinary clinic, grocery store, mechanic garage, painting station, dinosaur zone, and more. There are also sensory stations that encourage imagination and creative exploration. A brand-new indoor water area is set to open on June 10th, which will be an exciting addition. The outdoor space is just as impressive, featuring nature trails, a sandbox, water play area, treehouse, bikes, and more. We especially appreciated the separate toddler-only zones that keep the littlest ones safe while they play. With so much to do, we easily spent around 3 hours exploring. You're welcome to pack a lunch and enjoy it at one of the indoor picnic tables or outside in the peaceful pollinator garden. Highly recommend for a fun, interactive, and affordable family outing!

We had the greatest time here with our Grandson. He is 17 months old and played for 2 1/2 hours…read moreand could have played longer but we needed to go eat lunch. There are many activities that entertain kids and I would say up to ten maybe. Some of the areas included were painting, grocery store, a car repair shop, restaurant, water feature, air flow type activities, small area for toddlers, outdoor activities, blocks, plus many more things. I like that adults have to be with children in order to enter. We decided to go ahead and get a year long membership. With the membership I could put my grandchildren on it and they can even go with their parents if we are not with them at no charge. There are also workers spread throughout the area who are so very kind and do a great job at keeping the place picked up and organized.

One of my favorite things to do when traveling is to visit different museums but I am especially…read morefond of presidential libraries and museums. Since childhood I have been fascinated with the presidency. As of today, there are 13 presidential libraries in the country with number 14 slated to open very soon. It is a goal of mine to see all of them. What makes it even more fun is that they sell a passport in the giftshop which each library and museum will stamp on your visit. Once you get all the stamps, you will get a commemorative gift. The staff here was amazing. Everyone I encountered loved their job and was ready to give information about the grounds as well as about the president. On a recent trip to Kansas City, I decided to hit all the libraries and museums around the area. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum was my first stop and library number four for me. It is located in the small town of Abilene, Kansas which is President Eisenhower's hometown and his actual childhood home is on the property. The town itself gets alot of praise for being one of the best small towns to visit. The museum and library recently got awarded as the #1 presidential attraction. At first glance, one may think the visitor center is the museum. In reality, everything sits on 22 acres of beautifully landscaped land. There are multiple buildings to visit to get the full experience. The first building you walk in is the gift shop and also where you can purchase tickets in person. This is also where you watch an introductory film on President Eisenhower. I'd be lying if I said I remember what I learned growing up, so the film helped jog my memory and prepare for the museum. You can walk the grounds in any manner you find fit. I chose to start with the chapel. This is where President Eisenhower, their son Doud, and Mamie Eisenhower are buried. Next, I made my way to the library. Some libraries have many items from the president's time in office. This library was small, but had some pretty cool items. Next, I went to the museum. This gave a glimpse of his life from childhood, West Point, military service, presidency, and life after his presidency. This museum was actually more interactive than some of the more current presidential museums I have been too. They also have films throughout which also gives you a reprieve from walking. Currently, all the libraries are celebrating America's 250th birthday and each have special exhibits. This one had actual documents from the vaults of American history. Very cool. Before making my way to the gift shop to get my stamp and mandatory magnet souvenir, the last stop was President Eisenhower's actual childhood home on the property. They do tours, but it was closed on the day I went. It's a small, modest home built in 1898. That to me is amazing that they preserved this. I think my expectations were a little low coming in because it was a museum for an older president. I was wrong in assuming that because this was probably one of the better museums I have been to. I learned alot and spent way more time than I allotted myself because there was so much to see. I highly recommend coming here if you appreciate history like me.

If you are looking for a day-long adventure in the middle of nowhere in Kansas, this is your place!…read more There's plenty of free parking by the visitor center. Start in the visitor center / gift shop to buy tickets. Highly recommend the combo ticket (house tour & library) to save some money. The staff was super helpful in orienting us and making recommendations for how to spend the day. Try to arrive at 15 or 45 minutes after the hour because that's when the 24 minute video begins playing in the visitor center. The video was mostly just hype for Eisenhower and not super educational, but it's a good way to start the experience. The grounds includes the boyhood home, library, museum, place of meditation, and visitor center with gift shop. It's so convenient to have all of this history in one place! Make sure to take a picture with the Eisenhower statue in the middle of the lawn! When you buy your tickets, you are assigned a tour time. I recommend getting there earlier in the day because the tour times will fill up. The boyhood home is very small. You can only enter a few of the rooms, but you can look into all the rooms on the first floor. You cannot go upstairs. So the tour only takes about 20 mins, depending on questions. The tour guide told some good stories about Eisenhower's parents. Eisenhower, his wife Mamie, and one of their sons are buried in the place of meditation. There is only one small exhibit upstairs in the library. Currently it's about women voting for Ike. Don't budget much time for the library because it's quick to breeze through. The museum on the other hand is extensive, so budget several hours! There's a lot to look at and read. You can come and go if you need to take a break for a home tour or lunch. They currently also have a special exhibit on the Cold War. You could spend a whole day in there! There are picnic tables for resting and eating throughout the day. The gift shop has lots of gift options for browsing. Overall, this is a great historical place to spend the day! You will leave exhausted and full of information. Highly recommend checking out the World's Largest Belt Buckle on your way out of town!

What a great little car museum! We spent about two hours seeing the "Oddities" exhibition…read moreyesterday and had a blast. Lots of interesting cars--the Batmobile, a Wankel motorcycle, a DeLorean, bunches of custom hot rods, etc. You don't need to be a car enthusiast to enjoy this museum. They introduce a new exhibit every quarter, so there's always something fresh to see.

In town for my nephew's graduation for KWU and he informed us about this new muscle car garage…read moremussuem.. The staff was friendly and accommodating. They have a bar station where you can pour yourself a nice cold beer or wine to take with you as you tour the museum. Perfect pairing. The muscle cars, hot rods and custom cars were in immaculate condition. I appreciated the display signs in front of each car that gives a one paragraph history. The perfect summary size in my opinion. There's plenty of interactive displays throughout this museum. Touch Screen quizzes complete with visuals. Simulators: A welding, car painting and race car simulator were fun to check out. They had a Boy Scout PInewood Derby track that brought me back to my Junior High School days. There's tons of toy play stations throughout the museum that keeps the kids busy while the parents are exploring. I saw a coloring station, lego station and toy race tracks and garage complete with cars to play with. There was a mini-theater that had an informative muscle car movie playing and a library/reading area to relax and check out some car books. There was so much to see and do throughout this muscle car museum. It's absolutely social media friendly as well as educational. This is a definite must visit if you have the time while in Salina. Buckle Up!

Talk about a step back when life moved a little slower. They used to have a operating saw mill and…read moretractor pull, but those days are long gone unfortunately. Won't be long and all that knowledge will be gone as well. You walk your own pace. The school house was nice to walk in.

If you are looking for a well curated museum, with limited items well described... you may not…read moreenjoy this. BUT, if you are looking to see tons and tons of old stuff, from ag equipment to tools to household goods to telephone equipment to.. well, almost anything....DO NOT MISS THIS PLACE! Free admission, but we left a larger donation than they would probably have charged, because we VERY MUCH enjoyed our visit. Right of Rt 70, don't miss it.

Beautiful house and grounds! I wish we'd had time to tour the inside!! The docent came out of the…read moremain office and shared much information about house and grounds history. She was very kind and knowledgeable!!

Constructed in 1905, the Seelye Mansion is a historic piece of Kansas that has some fascinating…read morehistory.. 11,000 Square feet of a century+ of history. The one fact that blew me away was that Thomas Edison himself designed the electrical and lighting plans for the mansion. We saw an Iron that screws into a light socket in order to heat it up. Fascinating. The original furniture was in immaculate condition and you could feel the history. Furniture and decor purchased from the 1905 World Fair in Chicago was intriguing to me. I couldn't imagine moving all that 100+ years ago. The Box Bowling alley in the basement was my favorite. It was in great condition and you get to roll a couple of balls down the lane. Fantastic. The guide was phenomenal and really knew his stuff on the history of the Seelye family. The facts kept you engaged and I really got a feel of how this mansion was way ahead of it's time in the early 1900s. This is a must visit if in the Abilene area. Safe Travels!