My visit to south central Kansas had me slowly going the way of the buffalo ... in a good way. At Maxwell Wildlife Refuge, you can take an open-air trolley to the middle of a field and see buffalo up close. The buffalo are tame, and you can tell that they're used to humans being around. I kept eyeing them to make sure one of them wasn't going to change its mind and charge at us, but no. I was perfectly safe. You can see buffalos doing their thing: licking themselves, pooping, mounting each other, baby buffalo nursing, young buffalo playing tag. It's all very fascinating. There is a vehicle trail that will let you peruse the refuge whenever you want. But if you want a tour to see the buffalo, you need to make a reservation. Tours happen Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. The tour lasts about 45 minutes, and a good portion of that is you and other people on your tour parked in the field, observing. The tour guide talked nonstop, though, and she took questions and had lots of interesting facts to share, about the buffalo and their history in Kansas, as well as the wildlife refuge itself. The tour is definitely worth it if you're in this part of Kansas! It's kind of wild to think that this part of the United States had these wild beasts roaming the countryside by the hundreds of thousands. And now there are only thousands being protected on plots of land. read more

If you ever visit central Kansas this is a must stop for folks interested in the history and wildlife of the region. You need to call in advance to make sure you can get on a tour bus, which will take you, and about 20-ish other folks out onto their property to learn more about the natural flora and fauna, including their large herd of bison. Our tour took us straight through the herd which were very accustomed to seeing people and slowly meandered around us while we took photos and listened to our knowledgeable tour guide share with us a bit of history and information on the area. Coming off a trip to Yellowstone, I wasn't sure how this experience would hold up, given how cool it was to see bison in the wild about a month before, but honestly it was so cool in a different way as you were able to be a bit closer and sit and take it in for a bit longer than you do at Yellowstone when you need to keep moving. Of course, you are not allowed to, and should never approach the wildlife here, they don't let you out of the vehicle, and you are not allowed to reach out either for safety reasons, but it's a really unique experience to see these majestic creatures up close and personal, and not feel rushed to enjoy them in their natural habitat. My only critique is that I wish their visitor's center was a bit more modern, and had more to offer. It's not bad at all, and it just speaks to how much this place does need support and folks to visit so they have the funds to make some improvements. Overall if you're around don't skip this place - totally worth your time and money! read more

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