Lawrence, KS Tourist Attractions
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In 1854 anti-slavery campaigners founded this town 40 mi. west of Kansas City, only for it to be burned down by supporters of slavery, including Jesse James, in 1863. Lawrence was rebuilt and is now the seat of the University of Kansas. Its Nature Museum holds one of the few "white" survivors of the Battle of Little Bighorn, the horse "Comanche" that has been preserved.Lawrence (pop. 80,000) is the sixth largest city in Kansas.
Watkins Community Museum of History
The Watkins Community Museum of History is housed in a red brick building in Lawrence. The building was built in 1888 that served as the Land and Mortgage Company and later the Watkins National Bank. Exhibits include vehicles, the restored lobby fixtures of the original bank, an 1878 children's playhouse, clothing, quilts and other needlework.
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is located on Mount Oread with guided walking tours of the 1,000-acre wooded campus.
Spencer Museum of Art
The Helen Foresman Spencer Museum of Art at the University of Kansas houses an internationally-known collection, currently numbering nearly 36,000 artworks and artifacts in all media.The collection spans the history of European and American art from ancient to contemporary, and includes broad and significant holdings of East Asian art. After extensive renovations, the museum recently reopened its 20/21 Gallery, in which modern and contemporary objects are presented. Areas of special strength include medieval art; European and American paintings, sculpture and prints; photography; Japanese Edo-period painting and prints; 20th-century Chinese painting; and KU's ethnographic collection, which includes around 10,000 Native American, African, Latin American and Australian works.
Kenneth Spencer Research Library
The Kenneth Spencer Research Library at the University of Kansas features regional history, archive and rare books and manuscript collections. Highlights include European books printed from the 15th to 17th C as well as manuscripts from the 11th to 20th C.
Museum of Anthropology
The Museum of Anthropology at the University of Kansas in Lawrence features ethnographs from North and South America, Africa and the Pacific. Prehistoric archeological specimens, mainly from the western Plains are featured.
Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center
Housed in Dyche Hall, the Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center displays birds, fossils, and mounted animals. The main floor features a panorama of North American plants and animals in natural settings.
