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Highest-rated specialty museums in Kansas by visitors

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Radu Bercan // Shutterstock
Radu Bercan // Shutterstock
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In 1683, Elias Ashmole, an Oxford graduate and true polymath, founded the Ashmolean, the modern world's first public museum. Stocked with his private collection of artifacts, curios, and special scientific equipment, the goal of the museum was to create a center for practical research and the advancement of knowledge. This, Ashmole felt, was a goal "very necessary to humaine life, health [and] the conveniences thereof."

According to figures from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, there are more than 35,000 museums in the United States today. Their collections encompass everything from modern art, like at the MoMA in New York City, to mustard, like at the National Mustard Museum in Middleton, Wisconsin, and everything in between.

Museums are anchors of our communities. The American Alliance of Museums reports that museums support more than 725,000 jobs and contribute upwards of $50 billion to the U.S. economy each year. Three-quarters of Americans agree that museums are an important part of our civil society and have an important role in promoting knowledge and civic engagement.

Beyond their educational and economic significance, museums are just plain fun. Whether you have a developed interest in natural history or just want to learn a little bit more about funerary history (the National Museum of Funeral History in Houston), there's sure to be a museum that strikes your interest. There's simply nothing else quite like spending an afternoon learning about famous figures, arts and crafts, military history, or what else you fancy.

Here, Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated specialty museums in Kansas on Tripadvisor as of Aug. 13, 2025. Keep reading to see what unique museums are in your home state. Then, make sure to plan a visit. With many museums facing funding cuts due to the current administration's efforts to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services, who's to say how much longer these treasure troves will be available to us?

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#29. Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics

Tripadvisor

2 / 30

#29. Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics

- Rating: 4.6/5 (64 reviews)
- City: Lawrence
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#28. Strawberry Hill Museum & Cultural Center

Tripadvisor

3 / 30

#28. Strawberry Hill Museum & Cultural Center

- Rating: 4.7/5 (33 reviews)
- City: not available
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#27. Great Plains Transportation Museum

Tripadvisor

4 / 30

#27. Great Plains Transportation Museum

- Rating: 4.8/5 (28 reviews)
- City: Wichita
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#22. Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum

Tripadvisor

9 / 30

#22. Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum

- Rating: 5.0/5 (25 reviews)
- City: Atchison
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#19. C.W. Parker Carousel Museum

Tripadvisor

12 / 30

#19. C.W. Parker Carousel Museum

- Rating: 4.5/5 (124 reviews)
- City: Leavenworth
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#18. National Orphan Train Complex

Tripadvisor

13 / 30

#18. National Orphan Train Complex

- Rating: 4.7/5 (99 reviews)
- City: Concordia
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#17. Wichita Sedgwick County Historical Museum

Tripadvisor

14 / 30

#17. Wichita Sedgwick County Historical Museum

- Rating: 4.5/5 (69 reviews)
- City: Wichita
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#13. Booth Family Hall of Athletics

Tripadvisor

18 / 30

#13. Booth Family Hall of Athletics

- Rating: 4.8/5 (109 reviews)
- City: Lawrence
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#12. Midwest Dream Car Collection

Tripadvisor

19 / 30

#12. Midwest Dream Car Collection

- Rating: 4.8/5 (26 reviews)
- City: Manhattan
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#5. Frank Lloyd Wright's Allen House

Tripadvisor

26 / 30

#5. Frank Lloyd Wright's Allen House

- Rating: 4.7/5 (119 reviews)
- City: Wichita
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#2. Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum

Tripadvisor

29 / 30

#2. Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum

- Rating: 4.6/5 (967 reviews)
- City: Abilene
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#1. Strataca

Tripadvisor

30 / 30

#1. Strataca

- Rating: 4.7/5 (925 reviews)
- City: Hutchinson
- Read more on Tripadvisor

This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Madison Troyer, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 51 states.

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