Isabel KansasATTRACTIONS & THINGS TO DO
Listed below are the best attractions and things to do near Isabel, Kansas.
1. Medicine Lodge Stockade
HISTORICAL FRONTIER EXPERIENCE
Medicine Lodge Stockade offers visitors a glimpse into frontier life with its well-preserved historical structures. The stockade commemorates the 1867 Medicine Lodge Treaty signed between the U.S. government and Plains Indian tribes. Visitors can explore exhibits showcasing pioneer life, Native American history, and the significance of this important peace treaty location.
2. Gypsum Hills Scenic Byway
RED HILLS NATURAL BEAUTY
Gypsum Hills Scenic Byway provides a breathtaking drive through the stunning red hills landscape near Medicine Lodge. The 42-mile route showcases dramatic buttes, mesas, and rust-colored soil formations unlike anywhere else in Kansas. Travelers can enjoy multiple scenic overlooks offering spectacular photo opportunities, especially at sunrise and sunset when the red hills glow in natural light.
3. Pratt Fish Hatchery
AQUATIC CONSERVATION CENTER
Pratt Fish Hatchery raises millions of fish annually to stock Kansas waters for both conservation and recreational purposes. Visitors can tour the facility to observe various fish species in different stages of development in the numerous outdoor ponds and indoor tanks. The hatchery also includes educational displays about aquatic ecosystems and the importance of wildlife management in Kansas.
4. Garden of Eden
WHIMSICAL CONCRETE SCULPTURES
The Garden of Eden showcases the remarkable concrete sculptures created by S.P. Dinsmoor, featuring both religious and political imagery. This unique artistic creation has been preserved for nearly 100 years and offers visitors a self-guided tour to understand the background and significance of each sculpture. The property includes the distinctive concrete-clad house exterior and carefully designed landscape that complements the whimsical art installations.
5. Brandt's Meat Market
ARTISANAL LOCAL MEATS
Brandt's Meat Market offers visitors tasty house-made sausages and local meat products in the artistic town of Lucas. This traditional butcher shop provides authentic Kansas flavors and specialties that have made it a favorite stop for both locals and tourists. Visitors exploring Lucas often mention Brandt's as a must-visit culinary destination to complete their experience of this uniquely creative small town.
6. Lucas Public Restroom
WORLD'S MOST ARTISTIC TOILET
Lucas Public Restroom features giant toilet mosaics that have become an unexpected tourist attraction in this art-centric community. This functional public art installation demonstrates the town's commitment to creativity in even the most mundane spaces. Visitors from around the world make special stops to photograph and experience this uniquely decorated public facility that embodies Lucas's artistic spirit.
7. Keeper of the Plains
SACRED NATIVE AMERICAN MONUMENT
The Keeper of the Plains is an iconic 44-foot steel sculpture standing on land considered sacred by Native Americans since time immemorial. The landmark includes informational displays about the indigenous tribes of the region and features spectacular Rings of Fire that are lit at 15-minute intervals in the evenings. Visitors can also explore the adjacent Mid-America All-Indian Museum to learn more about Native American heritage and culture.
8. Exploration Place
INTERACTIVE SCIENCE DISCOVERY
Exploration Place offers hands-on science exhibits and interactive learning experiences for visitors of all ages in Wichita. The museum features changing exhibitions covering topics from dinosaurs to aviation, as well as permanent displays about Kansas ecosystems and technology. Families particularly appreciate the kid-friendly design that makes science education fun and engaging through play and exploration.
9. Fort Larned National Historic Site
PRESERVED FRONTIER MILITARY POST
Fort Larned National Historic Site preserves one of the best-maintained Indian Wars-era military posts in the United States. Originally constructed in 1860 to protect travelers and mail couriers along the Santa Fe Trail, the fort offers insights into the complex relationship between pioneers and Native Americans. Visitors can explore nine original stone buildings and learn about daily life at this frontier outpost that served until 1878.
10. Pawnee Rock State Historic Site
SANTA FE TRAIL LANDMARK
Pawnee Rock State Historic Site features a prominent sandstone formation that served as an important landmark for travelers on the Santa Fe Trail. Standing 60 feet above the surrounding prairie, the rock provided a vantage point for both Native Americans and settlers during the 19th century. Today, visitors can climb to an observation platform offering panoramic views of the surrounding landscape and read historical markers explaining the site's significance.
11. El Quartelejo Ruins
ANCIENT PUEBLO SETTLEMENT
El Quartelejo Ruins preserves the northernmost pueblo structure ever built in the United States, constructed by Pueblo Indians who fled Spanish rule in New Mexico during the 1600s. The archaeological site features the foundation outlines of the original seven-room dwelling made of stone and adobe. Visitors can learn about this unique cultural crossroads where Pueblo refugees interacted with Plains tribes before eventually returning to the Southwest.
12. Meade State Park
OUTDOOR RECREATION DESTINATION
Meade State Park offers visitors a variety of outdoor recreational activities centered around its 80-acre lake. The park provides facilities for camping, fishing, boating, and wildlife observation in a peaceful natural setting. Visitors appreciate the well-maintained campgrounds that make it an ideal base for exploring nearby historic sites and natural attractions in southwestern Kansas.
13. Greensburg Big Well Museum
WORLD'S LARGEST HAND-DUG WELL
The Greensburg Big Well Museum showcases the world's largest hand-dug well, measuring 109 feet deep and 32 feet in diameter. Completed in 1888 as a water source for steam locomotives, the impressive structure required workers to remove 296,000 cubic feet of earth by hand. The museum also tells the remarkable story of Greensburg's recovery and sustainable rebuilding after a devastating EF5 tornado destroyed most of the town in 2007.
14. Eisenhower Presidential Library & Museum
PRESIDENTIAL HISTORY CENTER
The Eisenhower Presidential Library & Museum complex preserves and shares the legacy of the 34th U.S. President and World War II Supreme Allied Commander. Visitors can tour Eisenhower's boyhood home, explore exhibits featuring thousands of artifacts from his military and political career, and research in the extensive presidential archives. The beautifully landscaped 22-acre campus also includes the final resting place of President Eisenhower and his wife Mamie in the serene Place of Meditation.
15. Amelia Earhart's Birthplace Museum
AVIATION PIONEER'S HOME
Amelia Earhart's Birthplace Museum occupies the Gothic Revival cottage where the famous aviator was born in 1897. The carefully restored home showcases period furnishings along with personal artifacts and memorabilia from Earhart's remarkable life and career. Visitors gain insights into the formative years and lasting legacy of this pioneering female pilot who challenged gender barriers before mysteriously disappearing during her 1937 attempt to circumnavigate the globe.