
Highest-rated specialty museums in Kansas by visitors
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?

#30. Carroll Mansion
- Rating: 4.7/5 (36 reviews)
- City: Leavenworth
- Read more on Tripadvisor

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

#27. Great Plains Transportation Museum
- Rating: 4.8/5 (28 reviews)
- City: Wichita
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#26. Dalton Defenders and Coffeyville History Museum
- Rating: 4.5/5 (71 reviews)
- City: Coffeyville
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#25. Mid-America Air Museum
- Rating: 4.4/5 (88 reviews)
- City: Liberal
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#24. Wichita Toy Train Museum
- Rating: 4.8/5 (22 reviews)
- City: Wichita
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#23. Kansas City Automotive Museum
- Rating: 4.5/5 (46 reviews)
- City: Olathe
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#22. Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum
- Rating: 5.0/5 (25 reviews)
- City: Atchison
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#21. Dalton Gang Hideout
- Rating: 4.0/5 (66 reviews)
- City: Meade
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#20. Greyhound Hall of Fame
- Rating: 4.3/5 (101 reviews)
- City: Abilene
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#19. C.W. Parker Carousel Museum
- Rating: 4.5/5 (124 reviews)
- City: Leavenworth
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#18. National Orphan Train Complex
- Rating: 4.7/5 (99 reviews)
- City: Concordia
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#17. Wichita Sedgwick County Historical Museum
- Rating: 4.5/5 (69 reviews)
- City: Wichita
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#16. Mid-America All-Indian Center
- Rating: 4.1/5 (91 reviews)
- City: Wichita
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#15. The Great Overland Station
- Rating: 4.4/5 (51 reviews)
- City: Topeka
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#14. Smoky Hill Museum
- Rating: 4.4/5 (46 reviews)
- City: Salina
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#13. Booth Family Hall of Athletics
- Rating: 4.8/5 (109 reviews)
- City: Lawrence
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#12. Midwest Dream Car Collection
- Rating: 4.8/5 (26 reviews)
- City: Manhattan
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#11. Pizza Hut Museum
- Rating: 4.0/5 (72 reviews)
- City: Wichita
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#10. Big Brutus
- Rating: 4.5/5 (103 reviews)
- City: West Mineral
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#9. The Big Well
- Rating: 4.6/5 (114 reviews)
- City: Greensburg
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#8. Kansas Aviation Museum
- Rating: 4.0/5 (193 reviews)
- City: Wichita
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#7. Garden of Eden
- Rating: 4.4/5 (145 reviews)
- City: Lucas
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#6. Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad
- Rating: 4.5/5 (396 reviews)
- City: Abilene
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#5. Frank Lloyd Wright's Allen House
- Rating: 4.7/5 (119 reviews)
- City: Wichita
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#4. OZ Museum
- Rating: 4.4/5 (570 reviews)
- City: Wamego
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#3. Exploration Place
- Rating: 4.4/5 (416 reviews)
- City: Wichita
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#2. Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum
- Rating: 4.6/5 (967 reviews)
- City: Abilene
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#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.