Topeka Museums

(Topeka, Kansas - KS, USA)

There really are a lot of very decent museums to be found within Topeka, covering subject matters from state, military and aircraft history, to the world of science, important locals and the Harley Davidson motorcycle.

Celebrating the state's rich heritage and achievements, the Kansas Museum of History is operated by the Kansas Historical Society and covers many different periods, starting from the prehistoric era. There are exhibitions relating to past Native American tribes, such as the Kansa, the Osage and the Wichita peoples, as well as information about both the Oregon-California Trail and the Santa Fe Trail.

Something for all of the family is the Topeka Children's Discovery Center on Southwest 10th Avenue, on the corner of Gage Park. This highly interactive museum opened in the summer of 2011 and quickly began to draw the crowds. Children will find themselves learning through play, with the Build Gallery offering endless construction opportunities, the Grain Gallery allowing visitors to weigh, shovel and move grain via conveyor belts, and the Art Gallery being the place to create your very own masterpiece.

Brown v. Board of Education Museum

Address: 1515 Southeast Monroe Street, Topeka, Kansas (KS), 66612, USA
Tel: +1 785 354 4273
Founded in 1992, this museum-type attraction came into being at the request of the United State Congress, who wished to remember the important landmark decision in 1954 to end any form of racial segregation in any public school. The Brown v. Board of Education Museum is housed within the former Monroe Elementary School - an impressive Renaissance-Revival-style building completed in the mid-1930s. This was once a segregated school built solely to educate African American children and today displays information about the Civil Rights Movement in the state capital of Kansas, spanning more than 100 years and beginning with the Civil War itself.
Open hours: daily - 09:00 to 17:00
Admission: free, donations accepted

Kansas Museum of History

Address: 6425 Southwest 6th Avenue, Topeka, Kansas (KS), 66615, USA
Tel: +1 785 272 8681
The state's forts, towns and transportation achievements are all remembered at the Kansas Museum of History, with the beautiful 1880 steam locomotive from the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway being a major highlight, together with the 1914 Longren's Biplane. You can also learn all about the birth of fast food, see the inside of a restored log house once standing next to the Saline River, and check out a traditional stagecoach from the latter part of the 19th century.
Open hours: Tuesday to Saturday - 09:00 to 17:00, Sunday - 13:00 to 17:00
Admission: charge, discounts available for students, seniors and children, children five years old and under are free

Combat Air Museum

Address: Hangars 602 and 604, J Street, Forbes Field, Topeka, Kansas (KS), 66619, USA
Tel: +1 785 862 3303
The Combat Air Museum resides within a hangar at the Forbes Field airport, in the outlying suburb of Williamsport Township, where it is dedicated to the world of aviation. This not-for-profit institution was established in the early part of the 1980s and showcases around 40 fully restored aircraft, which date from the Second World War onwards. Aircraft on display include a Douglas F-3D-2 Skyknight, a Douglas TA-4J Skyhawk, a Fairchild UC-61K Forwarder, a Grumman F11F-1 Tiger and a Ryan Firebee BQM-34. There are also a number of replicas of biplanes, such as the Curtis JN-4D Jenny, the Nieuport 27 and the Sopwith Scout.
Open hours: May to September, Monday to Saturday - 09:00 to 16:30, Sunday - 09:00 to 16:30; October to April, daily - 09:00 to 16:30
Admission: charge, discounts available for seniors and children, children four years old and under are free

Children's Discovery Center

Address: 4400 Southwest 10th Avenue, Topeka, Kansas (KS), 66604, USA
Tel: +1 785 783 8300
Toddlers spending time at the Children's Discovery Center will enjoy the soft-play equipment at the Little Sprouts area and the puzzle garden within the Grow section, while entrepreneurs can try their hand at budgeting within Moneyville. With a flying machine and air mazes, the Science Gallery is always especially popular and frequently features demonstrations. Of note, a series of quality attractions are just a short walk away, such as the Helen Hocker Theater, the Tropical Rainforest and the Blaisdell Family Aquatic Center.
Open hours: Tuesday to Saturday - 10:00 to 17:00, Sunday - 13:00 to 17:00
Admission: charge, discounts available for seniors, children under one year old are free

Charles Curtis House Museum

Address: 1101 Southwest Topeka Boulevard, Topeka, Kansas (KS), 66612, USA
Tel: +1 785 357 1371
Standing just across from the Fountain of Justice, the centrally located Charles Curtis House Museum now appears on the National and State Register of Historic Places. Charles Curtis (1860 to 1936) was a well-respected United States Representative and also a close relative of a Kanza Indian Chief. Following his mother's death when he was just three years old, his distant Native American family chose to raise him on the Kaw Indian Reservation. Many years later, Curtis began his illustrious career in politics and ended up being personally selected by President Herbert Hoover to be his Vice President. He immediately became the very first person of Native American origin to gain this title. The mansion itself dates from the late 1870s and is packed with elaborate features, such as stained-glass windows, ornate carved woodwork, decorative parquet flooring, magnificent chandeliers and an imposing staircase. Many elements remains from the period when the Curtis family called this magnificent mansion their home.
Open hours: by appointment
Admission: charge

Museum of the Kansas National Guard

Address: 6700 Southwest Topeka Boulevard, Topeka, Kansas (KS), 66619, USA
Tel: +1 785 862 1020
The Museum of the Kansas National Guard is to be found on the southerly outskirts of the city, being sited right next to the Forbes Field public-use airport. This facility is very much dedicated to honoring the Kansas National Guard whilst also remembering the importance of the state's airmen and soldiers. On display are numerous uniforms, weaponry, themed books and all manner of military artifacts, as well as some military vehicles and planes, such as an M113 armored personnel carrier, heavy duty trucks, an anti-aircraft tank, a UH1 Huey helicopter, a Bell AH-1 Cobra helicopter and an EB-57 Bomber.
Open hours: Tuesday to Saturday - 10:00 to 16:00, Sunday - by appointment
Admission: charge

Holley Museum Military History

Address: 420 Southeast 6th Avenue, Topeka, Kansas (KS), 66607, USA
Tel: +1 785 272 6204
Housed within the Ramada Inn Convention Center on Southeast 6th Avenue, the Holley Museum Military History comes with an extensive assortment of militaria, with its collection numbering more than 4,000 individual items. Many of the exhibits relate to the Second World War (1939 to 1945), while other great conflicts are also remembered, such as the American Civil War (1861 to 1865) and the Gulf War (1990 to 1991). Particular highlights include a detailed miniature diorama of the 1944 Battle of the Bulge, the Winston Churchill gallery and a scale model of the USS Abraham Lincoln. Allowing no more than an hour for a visit would be a sensible allocation of time.
Open hours: daily - 10:00 to 20:00
Admission: free

Yesterday's Museum at Topeka Harley Davidson

Address: 2047 Southwest Topeka Boulevard, Topeka, Kansas (KS), 66612, USA
Tel: +1 785 234 6174
Located on the southern side of the city center and belonging to the Topeka Harley Davidson attraction, Yesterday's Museum offers the chance to learn all about the history of this iconic American motorcycle manufacturer, which began its life in 1903. The displays include a collection of roughly 30 rare vintage Harleys and a wealth of related memorabilia, such as models, posters, photographs, awards, tools and all kinds of collectables.
Open hours: Tuesday to Friday - 10:00 to 18:00, Saturday - 09:00 to 17:00
Admission: free