Ellsworth is the northern gateway to the Prairie Trail Scenic Byway, a short 14.5 mile drive from Interstate 70. One of the most wicked cattle towns in Kansas during the late 1800's, Ellsworth celebrates its rich history with a number of museums and attractions, including the Hodgdoen House Museum Complex on old South Main Street. The spirit of Ellsworth’s Old West Days continue as visitors are invited to tour the Hodgden House, built in 1873 by Perry Hodgden, one of the Ellsworth’s first settlers; the Black Wolf school built in 1912, a stone livery built in 1887, two historic churches, a rare wooden Union Pacific Caboose, the Terra Cotta Union Pacific Depot built 1900, and the oldest building in Ellsworth, its 1873 Jail.
The National Drovers Hall of Fame Museum is in the old Signature Insurance Building, 115 N. Douglas Ave. There, visitors can learn about the Great American cattle drives from interactive displays in the museum.