Can’t Miss Activities in Topeka, Kansas
Topeka, Kansas may not boast of being the Number One tourist destination in the United States. That, however, does not mean that the capital city is bereft of things to do. Our family visited the city while spending holidays with family. And we found multiple things to do to occupy our time. With that in mind, we would love to share these can’t miss activities in Topeka, Kansas.
Review the Past at Brown V Board of Education
We are tremendous fans of the U.S. National Park Service. And Topeka is home to one site, the Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park.
The park site is located in the Monroe Elementary School building, a former segregated school. The former public school was a segregated black school. Segregated school were lawful in the United States after the 1896 Supreme Court decision Plessy v. Ferguson. That decision created the “Separate but equal” policy. Under this Supreme Court decision, governments and private business could have separate water fountains, bus seats, and public school for whites and blacks.
While things became separate, they certainly were not equal. Five public schools (including Monroe) sued school districts, and the suit made its way to the Supreme Court. in 1954, The U.S. Supreme Court reversed Plessy v. Ferguson unanimously vote to end public school segregation in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision.
Today, the Monroe school building is home to the Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park. At the location, you can see the kindergarten room adorned as it would have looked in the early 50s. You also can see the tumultuous road black Americans took to gain equal civil rights in the country.
The park is a sobering walk through history that make you reflect on how far (and how far we yet must go) to treat everyone with fairness and equality.
Visit the Kansas State Capitol
The Kansas State Capitol is a short one-mile from the Monroe school building.
The capitol building is one of the premier U.S. states capitals. The centerpiece is the 304 foot dome, making it the tallest capitol building in the U.S. It is 26 feet taller than the U.S. Capitol.
Monday through Saturday, visitors can see the building for free. You can take self guided tours of the bottom five floors of the statehouse. There also are guided tours that allow visitors access to a staircase to the top of the dome.
The building has a first floor museum where you can walk through and learn about the history of the Sunflower State. On the other floors, you can walk in to the State House and Senate chambers, visit the former State Supreme Court room, and view the state library.
Explore Military Aircraft at the Combat Air Museum
Our family loved visiting the Combat Air Museum. We got to explore two hangars filled with military aircraft, including planes from WWI.
We have visited a few air museums throughout the years. But, this one was special. There were a number of opportunities to get inside the cargo hold of a plane, or climb up a set of steps to gaze inside the cockpit of some aircraft. We have never been able to get so close up to the aircraft at other museums we visited.
Another special feature of this museum is a wall of paintings highlighting the Red Baron’s air raids. The German WWI pilot shot down 80 enemy aircraft during the Great War. And 80 paintings hang on the walls of the Combat Air Museum, depicting each of those strikes.
Bring Your Cowbells and Buckets to a Hockey Game
The capital city has a new minor league hockey team, the Topeka Scarecrows.
Our family often enjoys taking in a sports game while visiting a location. When we discovered the new hockey team in Topeka, we knew we needed to take in a game.
We were not disappointed, as we watched goal scoring, fantastic saves, and a couple of fights.
We also witnessed a rocking band of fans who cheered on their team with thunder sticks, cowbells, and a bucket brigade band.
Catch a Kansas Sunset
I have said for years that I think Kansas has the best sunsets. Every time I am in Kansas, I find the time to catch as many sunsets as I can.
It’s free. And it’s an experience I doubt you’ll ever regret.
Bonus: Drive one hour to Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve
It is a bit of a drive, but worth every mile to explore the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve.
Tallgrass Prairie is about an hour-long drive from Topeka. The preserve protects the tallgrass of the plains. As the U.S. expanded westward, the plains’ tallgrass was cut down in favor of creating homesteads and farms. At one point in time, the grasses covered 170 million acres of North America. Today, only about 4% remains, most of it found in the Flint Hills of Kansas.
At the preserve, you can hike trails through the tallgrasses (August and September are the best times to visit when the grasses are fully grown). You may also spot the herd of 100 bison roaming the site.
We also took a self guided tour of the Spring Hill Farm Ranch House, next to the Visitors Center.
Final Thoughts
When we decided to spend Christmas in Topeka, our kids groused that there would be nothing to do.
I accepted that as a challenge to prove that Topeka has plenty to see and do.
By the end of our visit, both kids admitted that there was a lot more interesting things to do in Topeka than they had imagined.
I would call that a success.
You Might Also Enjoy:
See what we found do do in another Plains State in our Guide to Western Nebraska.
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Tour Denver’s Four Mile Historic Park and see Denver’s oldest home.
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