Curious minds who love learning about wildlife will appreciate the abundance of indoor nature centers in Kansas. Each one is unique, yet all offer visitors an affordable (sometimes free!) way to explore topics about regional ecosystems and animals year-round.
For families, nature centers are the go-to destinations for bringing kids, as many attractions include tactile exhibits designed for youth. You can scroll to the bottom of this post to learn about Kansas museums featuring exhibits and dioramas about nature.
I’ve visited all of the mentioned nature centers and wholeheartedly recommend them.
Indoor Nature Centers to Explore Year-Round in Kansas
Milford Lake Nature Center – Junction City
Open seven days a week, Milford Nature Center is a draw for its living animals and hands-on interactive exhibits. The indoor center has a main room with educational stations, retail gift shops, and several live animals inside aquariums. During repeated visits, I’ve found myself watching the bunnies and the prairie dogs at play.
In addition, winding hallways with dioramas showcase 300 fish, amphibians, and insects from the state’s marshes, prairies, and woodlands.
PRO TIP: Pack hiking shoes. If weather permits, take a nature walk along the Tallgrass Trail, a scenic 1.5-mile loop with views of a pond and natural prairie. Walkers gain access to an open-air pathway leading to learning stations.
Ernie Miller Park & Nature Center – Olathe
Don’t miss an opportunity to explore Ernie Miller Park & Nature Center in the Northeast corner of the state. Available to visitors seven days a week, with trails open daily from dawn to dusk, the center is a premiere destination for nature lovers.
The center’s hallway includes two enclosed classrooms, one housing an owl and the other a hawk. At the end of the hallways, a 500-gallon aquarium is filled with native stream fish. Visitors of all ages will appreciate an exploratory room devoted to learning about animal lifecycles.
PRO TIP: Sit and relax in the bird-watching room, a space with children’s books worthy of an afternoon read.
Kansas Wetlands Education Center – Great Bend
Kansas Wetlands Education Center is worth the short drive outside Great Bend to the Cheyenne Bottoms. Bring the entire family to enjoy walk-through exhibits highlighting the state’s ecosystems, which illustrate how they’ve evolved from the days of its earliest inhabitants to today. Kids will love the illuminated floor display.
Classrooms located in the rear of the building include dozens of aquariums housing snakes, insects, and waterfowl taxidermy.
PRO TIP: Bring binoculars if you plan on driving designated roads to view waterfowl on a good weather day in the Cheyenne Bottoms.
Dillon Nature Center – Hutchinson
The Dillon Nature Center welcomes nature enthusiasts seeking an outdoor escape via its 100 acres of walking paths and its indoor nature center. Open for self-guided tours seven days a week, indoor exhibits features tactile learning stations designed to engage youth.
If you’re inspired to shop the gift store, you’ll discover educational toys and merchandise ideal for outdoor adventurers.
Great Plains Nature Center – Wichita
Known for hosting educational events, the Great Plains Nature Center is an ideal place to explore on your own or with others any day of the year. I particularly enjoy standing in quiet observation of rehabilitated caged birds located near the welcome desk.
Koch Exhibit Hall includes 3,500 square feet of walk-thru displays with hands-on visual and auditory stations. Birdwatchers will appreciate the Bob Gress Wildlife Observatory for spotting native songbirds, deer, or turkey.
Don’t miss a chance to visit the Owl’s Nest gift shop before departing for home.
PRO TIP: If it’s a nice weather day, walk Chisholm Creek Park’s trails. Look for the Tunnel of Trees.
Bonus Nature Centers Worth Checking Out
I’ve visited all of the above nature centers, but there are a couple more I need to explore including Pratt Education Center and Southeast Kansas Nature Center. Each one is supported by the Department of Wildlife & Parks.
Kansas Museums Featuring Nature Exhibits
Kauffman Museum – Newton
Kauffman Museum sits just off of Interstate 135 across from Bethel College’s campus. While much of the museum is devoted to teaching about the town’s history and the Kansas Mennonite experience, a section of the museum includes animal taxidermy collected by the museum’s namesake.
The collection includes birds, wild animals, and Kansas native species. His collection of owls is particularly amazing, especially when in contrasted with big cats in close proximity.
Museum hours and admission fees
Sternberg Museum of Natural History – Hays
I can vouch first-hand that Sternberg Museum of Natural History is no ordinary attraction. The collections are impressive in size and quality focusing on evolutionary science emphasizing the Great Plains.
Fossils, rocks, minerals, dinosaur bones, and aquariums with snacks, frogs, and bugs make touring the museum an immersive experience for all ages. A native Kansan, I loved the artifacts found in the Sunflower State, including massive geodes and crystals.
PRO TIP: Animatronic dinosaurs and life-size taxidermy may frighten the museum’s youngest visitors, so prepare your self-guided tour accordingly.
Museum hours and admission fees
KU Natural History Museum – Lawrence
Situated on the University of Kansas campus, I’ve visited the KU Natural History Museum multiple times to view an array of exhibits focuses on planet, specifically the Great Plains. One of my favorite exhibits is the Bee Tree display behind glass and the reptiles section of the museum.
Ignite your curiosity on a self-guided tour of mammal skulls and taxidermy ranging from Arctic animals and the Rocky Mountains to the rain forest and the Kansas prairie.
Museum hours and admission fees
PRO TIP: Parking is available in a nearby public garage. It is a short walk to the museum.
Open year-round, Kansas nature centers offer visitors an opportunity to learn about native plants and animal species.
Is there a Kansas nature center that I left off this list that you’d recommend? Please leave your suggestion in the comments to add to my travel bucket list.
I loved the concept of adding my selection of condiments from the Keep It Saucey station, adding pico de gallo and hot sauce to my heaping mound of nachos.
Whether you’re visiting Casa Mariachi for a lunch or dinner date or watching soccer while devouring a scrumptious meal, the festive vibe and menu selections deliver a party vibe
Scott, a Kansas native, has completed several murals in the state and his work is commissioned nationwide. Visitors to Hutchinson are bound to stumble upon his large-scale paintings. His contemporary style often includes animals, people, references to the prairie, and history.
Scott’s “Bison Trail” mural (411 S. Main) was completely painted by hand. I appreciated the small brushstrokes that gave the animal’s coat texture. The bison’s piercing blue eye looks down at you from above as if to say, “This is my home where I roam.” The Latin “Ad Astra Per Aspera” translates to “to the stars through difficulties” and adorns the work.
Mural seekers will discover a piece painted with a sun, moon, and stars on the side of 
As you drive down Main Street into the center of town, you will notice numerous murals, including “Community Mural” painted by Shaelee Mendenhall (29 S. Main). The artist added brightly colored landmarks to create a sense of hometown pride. She is the same artist who combined forces with Kylee Baldetti to paint the “Spread the Love” mural series featuring heart-shaped murals in Hutchinson.
Keeping your eyes peeled is key when looking for murals. The Chester I. Lewis Plaza (15 East 1st Ave.) is home to three murals. The first panel (left) is by Brendan Martinez, the middle panel is by Josh Tripoli and Rebekah Lewis, and the last panel (right) is by Jocelyn Woodson. I recommend parking on the street and walking up for a photograph of the murals. What thoughts come to mind when you view them?
The three-fold mural pictured below was finished in 2008 and serves as an anchor piece for the 
A mural by the local non-profit 
Jose Ray painted this whimsical wonder on the side of a building at Avenue A Park in 2013. I love the way her eyes are looking up at the top window. Ray’s works typically include fantastical scenes painted using bright colors. When not painting murals, Ray works as a DJ spinning tunes.
“Farmer Time” (111 W. 2nd Ave.) by Brady Scott beautifies the side of Sandhills Brewing Company. It makes a good-looking backdrop for brewery fans who want to take a photo to document their visit.
“Ad Astra” (Avenue A and Main) painted by David Loewenstein in 2012 shows a night sky full of stars. But if you look closely, the constellations resemble symbols of the Sunflower State. Which ones do you recognize?
A ferris wheel, which I think references the Kansas State Fair, is part of “Ad Astra 2” near the constellations painting. Just below it figures enjoying Hutchinson attractions like the 
The “Rainbow Lion” (2 N. Main) leaves a big impression on downtown passersby. Painted by Jerimiah Tolbert, the colorful cat was commissioned by Bob and Ann Bush in 2018. It’s a stretched canvas print, but it looks like a mural from afar. The artist sells mini prints, coffee mugs, and cards featuring the lion 
I’ve often taken photos of this pheasant in flight mural while visiting downtown Hutchinson. Brady Scott adorned the backside of Sandhills Brewing Company (111 W. 2nd Avenue) with the bird scene. Although referred to as the “Farmers Market Mural,” it suits the building well since the brewery’s interior is decorated with illustrations of feathered friends.
A hub of all things creative in town, the 
Hutchinson, Kansas, is a vibrant community with murals to match. A short drive from Wichita, I encourage you to visit the town and slowly drive up and down its downtown while looking at street art.
This mural round-up only scratches the surface of Hutchinson’s street art collection. To view more of them and locate their whereabouts, visit this 
