7 Most Underrated Towns In Kansas
Most travelers know Kansas only from the Wizard of Oz, and Wamego happens to be the town that leans hardest into that. Its Oz Museum holds over 25,000 Wizard of Oz items across multiple galleries. The other six towns in this list make their own cases. Lindsborg was founded by Swedish immigrants in the 1860s and still leans into Swedish heritage. Dodge City has Boot Hill, a costumed downtown, and ten days of Dodge City Days every summer. Abilene was Eisenhower's hometown and the original endpoint of the Chisholm Trail. These are seven of the most underrated towns in Kansas.
Fort Scott
The seat of Bourbon County, Fort Scott packs about 7,500 residents into a downtown of brick storefronts, Victorian-era homes, and old hotels. Fort Scott was founded in the 1850s along the Marmaton River. A walk through downtown turns up antique shops, original storefronts, and buildings that haven't needed replacing in over a century. The Fort Scott National Historic Site preserves the restored and reconstructed barracks, officers' quarters, and parade ground from the original 1840s frontier post.
Outdoors, the 155-acre Gunn Park covers golf, fishing, boating, biking, and a string of jogging trails along the river. It is the kind of place locals end up when they need an afternoon to disappear.
Lindsborg
Lindsborg was founded by Swedish immigrants in the 1860s and the town has held on to that heritage since. About 4,000 residents live here today, with painted storefronts, Wild Dala wooden horse sculptures along the streets, and Scandinavian-style homes throughout the town. The Swedish Pavilion from the 1904 World's Fair was relocated here and still stands at the center of town.
The Old Mill Museum runs exhibitions on the town's art, history, and food traditions, with rotating shows year-round. Local restaurants pull from the same Scandinavian playbook, with Swedish meatballs, lefse, and pickled herring on most menus.
Atchison
The seat of Atchison County, the town of Atchison was founded in the 1850s and has just under 11,000 residents today. It sits on the western bank of the Missouri River right at the Kansas-Missouri line. Atchison is best known as the birthplace of aviator Amelia Earhart, and her birthplace home along the river dates to 1861 and runs as a museum. Victorian architecture lines the downtown, easy enough to take in on foot or via the local trolley tour.
The Missouri River trail system covers most of the riverfront and connects the historic district to a stretch of quieter paths upstream. Boutique shops and locally owned restaurants fill out most of the storefronts.
Ottawa
Ottawa sits on the Marais des Cygnes River and serves as the seat of Franklin County. Founded in 1865 with a population around 12,600, the town also hosts Ottawa University (also founded in 1865). The Old Depot Museum tracks the growth of the town and the broader Kansas territory before its 1861 admission to the Union.
The historic downtown still holds its 19th-century buildings, including the Plaza 1907 movie theater (built that year and operating since). Add in locally owned restaurants and small storefronts and Ottawa makes a solid weekend stop.
Dodge City
Dodge City is one of the most recognized names from the American Wild West, and the town still trades on that history. Founded in 1872 with a population just under 28,000 today, Dodge City was the cattle-drive endpoint where cowboys, gamblers, and outlaws drifted through. The town keeps that history visible across heritage buildings, museums, and the original Boot Hill site.
The Boot Hill Museum, a trolley tour of the historic district, and a saloon staffed in period costume cover the basic loop. The Boot Hill Cemetery sits on the same property. In summer, Dodge City Days takes over for ten days with rodeo, parade, music, barbecue, and car shows.
Abilene
The hometown of former President and Allied Supreme Commander Dwight Eisenhower, Abilene is a town of just over 6,000 people. Founded in the 1850s and the seat of Dickinson County, Abilene served as the original endpoint of the Chisholm Trail cattle drive route. The Old Town District holds the town's remaining 19th-century saloons and storefronts.
The Seelye Mansion (1905) shows off the lavish turn-of-the-century life of a small-town pharmaceutical magnate, while the Abilene and Smoky Valley Railroad runs vintage excursion trains. The Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum, and Boyhood Home occupies a campus on the south side of town and covers the 34th president's life from his Abilene childhood through his postwar political career.
Wamego
Wamego sits along the Kansas River with about 5,000 residents and a downtown that feels lifted out of the late 1800s. Founded in the 1860s, the town keeps several historic landmarks in active use, including the Columbian Theatre (1895), the stone Dutch Mill built in 1879, and Wamego City Park.
The Oz Museum is the headline draw, with over 25,000 items related to the Wizard of Oz films and books on display across multiple galleries. The collection covers the original 1900 Frank Baum novels, the 1939 MGM film, and decades of merchandise. Local restaurants and small shops fill out the rest of the downtown.
Kansas covers more ground than its reputation suggests. The seven towns above each carry their own thread of the state's history, from the Old West cattle drives that ended at Abilene to the Swedish settlers who built Lindsborg in the 1860s. None of them are on most travelers' radar, which is part of what makes them worth the drive.
