Kansas Travel Itinerary #6

ITINERARY #6

From Oklahoma - One Day

Entering on U.S. 54 or 83



LIBERAL, population 20,956

A – 9 a.m. Mid-America Air Museum, 2000 W. 2nd, 620.6245263, cityofliberal.org/191/Mid-America-Air-Museum, $$, bathrooms.

  • Mid-America Air Museum: One of the premier aviation museums In the nation, Mid-America features detailed exhibits about the 1943-1945 Liberal Army Air Field . More than 100 aircraft are on display including military planes, helicopters, home-built planes, modern jets, and a starship.

D – 10:30 a.m.


BETWEEN LIBERAL AND KISMET on U.S. 54

A – 10:45 a.m. Mighty Samson of the Cimarron.  Rest area for photo opps, historic marker.

D – 11:15 a.m.

  • Mighty Samson of the Cimarron: From 1888 to 1939 the Rock Island railroad had nothing but trouble with the railroad bridge over the Cimarron River Valley. The final blow came in 1938 when the bridge gave way under and engine and 12 railroad cars. This bridge was then built and was considered an engineering marvel of its day. 1,269 feet long and 100 feet above the river bed, it has art deco pillars as well.     


MEADE, population 1,634

A – 11:45 a.m. Meade County Historical Museum, 200 E. Carthage, 620.873.2359, oldmeadecounty.com.

  • Meade County Museum: The six flags in front represent the six countries that once claimed this area. Inside, little vignettes interpret the history including the Jones and Plummer Trail, the 1930s Dust Bowl, and early agriculture.  Bringing a group?  Call ahead and ask museum staff about a catered lunch.

D – 1 p.m.


MULLINVILLE, population 251

A – 2 p.m. 1912 Fromme-Birney Round Barn (8 Wonders of Kansas Architecture). Request historian at 620.548.2266, fromme-birneyroundbarn.org.

  • Fromme-Birney Round barn: Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this 1912 barn stands on its original site. Imagine it filled with draft horses as you walk round and round looking at the stalls and tack. Climb the stairs to the loft to see the round ceiling.

D – 3:15 p.m. Drive by M.T. Liggett Sculptures just west of Mullinville on U.S. 400 for a ½ mile. kansassampler.org/8wondersofkansas-art/m-t-liggetts-metal-sculptures-mullinville

  • M.T.’s Sculptures: M.T. Liggett delivers extreme political statements on his whirligig sculptures and signs welded together from discarded machinery.



GREENBURG, population 785

A – 3:45 p.m. Big Well (8 Wonders of Kansas), 315 S. Sycamore, 620.723.4102, bigwell.org, $$$, bathrooms. Tour the well and see displays about tornado.

  • Big Well: Completed in 1888, this 109-foot-deep by 32-foot-wide water was excavated without machines. It’s recognized as the world’s largest hand-dug well. Visitors can take a spiral staircase down to the bottom of the well. Exhibits about the well and the 2007 tornado line the walls.

       5:45 p.m. Evening meal. Contact Big Well for suggestions.

D – 7:30 p.m. 


*All stops have been vetted by the Kansas Sampler Foundation. For more in-depth information about each stop, or stops in between, consult the Kansas Guidebook 2 for Explorers. Purchase the book at kansassampler.org.  The Kansas Sampler Foundation duo of Marci Penner and WenDee Rowe hit the road for parts of four years to look in every town, city, and in hundreds of other dots on the map and countryside to assemble this 480 page book that features all 105 counties, 515 cities, 4,500 attractions, 843 eateries and 1,600 color photos. Use the detailed directions, descriptions, and websites to help you choose and arrive at your destination!