Topeka Tourist Attractions
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The capital, Topeka, has the State Capitol and the Kansas State Historical Socity and Kansas Museum of History, where the history of the state can be studied. The Combat Air Museum exhibits 75 military aircraft from 1917 to 1980; something less warlike would be a visit to the beautiful zoo with its reconstruction of a rainforest.The name Topeka (pop. 122,000) means "a good place to grow potatoes."
Kansas Museum of History
The spacious main gallery at the Kansas Museum of History features the story of Kansas and the West through attractive and innovative displays. Exhibits include a full-sized Cheyenne tipi, a fully stocked covered wagon, a 1950s diner, as well as two railway cars made for the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad in 1880.
Kansas State Capitol
The Kansas State Capitol in Topeka was built in the French Renaissance style. It contains murals by Kansas native John Steuart Curry. The Capitol grounds feature bronze statues of Abraham Lincoln and a Pioneer Mother and Child sculpted by Merrell Gage.
Gage Park
The 160-acre Gage Park is home to the Topeka Zoological Park, the Reinisch Rose Garden, a miniature train and 1908 carousel. Tennis, swimming, horse shoes, sand volleyball, and an indoor/outdoor theater are also available.
Reinisch Rose Garden
The Reinisch Rose Garden in Topeka is located in Gage Park. It features more than 6,500 plants and 400 varieties of roses. The flowers are in bloom from May to October each year. The Logan Test Garden, the reflecting pool and the Doran Rock Garden are also available to visitors.
Topeka Zoological Park
The Topeka Zoological Park features a Tropical Rain Forest habitat with animals, birds and plants.
Historic Ward-Meade Park
The Historic Ward-Meade Park is a six-acre complex that began as a family farm in 1854 and now includes a Victorian home, log cabin, turn-of-the-century town, as well as a 2-acre botanical garden.
Kansas Center for Historical Research
The Kansas Center for Historical Research in Topeka includes state archives, archaeology, a newspaper collection, manuscripts, state records, maps, photos, and genealogical materials.
Washburn University
Washburn University in Topeka began in 1865 and was named for Ichabod Washburn, who saved the school from bankruptcy in 1868 with a $25,000 donation. The university is noted for its law school.
Mulvane Art Museum
The Mulvane Art Museum in Topeka features permanent and rotating exhibits including the art of artists from Kansas and the Midwest. Two-thirds of the exhibits each year feature the work of regional artists.
Brown V Board of Education National Historic Site
Brown V Board of Education National Historic Site was designated a historic site to commemorate the end of segregation in the public schools.
Combat Air Museum
The Combat Air Museum in Topeka features a variety of military and aviation memorabilia from the 1900s to present.
