Let me start by saying I am bummed I cannot give this spot more stars like 10! This place is a…read morenational treasure and I did;t even get the full effect, i.e. shows etc. as I showed up unannounced on a road trip west. But isn't that how the cowboys did it back in the day? The best part is when I arrived at 10 a.m., I literally had the whole museum grounds of this wild west town to myself. What a steal for 10 bucks and for such a worthy cause. Driving west on I-70 you'll come across this gem immediately west of the KS/CO border. yep, it's a legit border town and you can feel the old west on its streets before you even get to the museum. Drive around Burlington and get a bite to eat there if you can. I ate breakfast back in Colby KS and it was decent, standard truck stop town food, but I'll bet my one-eyed, three-legged doggy Lucky the grub is better around Burlington. Well, if I had a dog thats' what he would look like and what his name would be. Anyway ... The folks here are awesome and take time to break it down for you. They are super inviting and run the place like a charm. From what was told every building on the property that makes up the old west town came from Burlington and was either there or moved there from within town by the city and the group who put this museum on back in 1986 I believe it started. The city was looking for an attraction and they found a real one. Every one of these buildings is authentic and filled with real-deal artifacts and momentous from the days of ole. It gives you a real-life idea of what life was like back then and how people lived and what was important to them for pleasure, leisure, and necessary plain old survival. This is a real treat for traveling with kids and adults alike the kind of education that can't be learned simply by reading books, here you get to be standing there and visualizing and touching and feeling the old west in their hands. Walk the town and feel it. Their fairly new Native American exhibit is pretty dam cool too. They show how life could really be for Native Americans and their authentic Tee-Pee and has a recorded message and tour in each building at every exhibit as you walk through. The great thing is you can take all the time you want. Sit in town on a bench on the cobblestone street and take it all in as they play western tunes. Fortunately, the old jail is right across street from the saloon which would have worked out very well for a scoundrel dirty desert dog of my ilk. I could have just turned myself in every night like Otis from Mayberry. It's just simply fascinating. It makes you grateful for all you do have and see how hard life was back then and how difficult it can often be in these small towns throughout America. I'm spoiled in the city for sure. All I kin say guys and gals is, git along lil doggy git along. But get over here if you're driving west on I-70 Burlington, CO way.

We drove by this outdoor museum many times and finally stopped on our way home from the mountains…read more We were so glad we did! There is so much to see and we enjoyed all of it. We were there 2 hours, but you could spend the whole day. Highly recommend spending some time here.

This is a vibrant, strongly visual museum experience! Fascinating exhibits, great for kids,…read moreincludes a 40-foot long plesiosaur fossil and a climb-aboard stagecoach. Children's play area, outdoor exhibits. Admission is by donation, suggested $10 for adults.

Stop, historic info from late 1850's. Small locally focus museum for the smokey hill river region…read more Help your kids understang conditions and efforts for our movement West by our forfathers. Great rest area and pinic grounds. FREE. Get off I 70 and take a SENIC route to Sharon Springs to Oakley on HWY 40.