Where, you ask, can you plunge 650 feet below the surface and then visit outer space? Answer: in Hutchinson, Kansas. And, it's probably the only place you can visit such extremes within driving distance from the Kansas City area.
Hutchinson is situated approximately 60 miles southeast of Salina and about 55 miles northwest of Wichita. Driving time from KC is between 3.5 and 4 hours. It's a great place for a weekend getaway that will make your family feel as if they have journeyed way beyond the Kansas border.
Itinerary
We chose to do our road trip on a cold winter weekend when we needed a change of scenery and pace, but you could as easily choose a really hot stretch of Kansas weather. We got up early on Saturday morning and drove to Hutchinson, arriving just in time for a 10:00 tour at the Kansas Underground Salt Museum. Our next stop was the Grand Prairie Hotel, about five minutes away, where we changed into swim gear and hit the hotel's water park. There, we wiled away the afternoon and shook off our road-weariness and probably a little road salt. We had a nice dinner and retired to our hotel room, where the kids had their own Disney-themed bedroom, furnished with two sets of bunk beds. The next day we visited the Kansas Cosmosphere and were completely "WOWED" by what we saw there - so much so that we spent three hours with our 8 and 11-year-old children!
Kansas Underground Salt Museum
Both of the museums we visited are well-worth the drive to Hutch, but the Salt Museum is a truly unique experience. It's a pure gem! As the enthusiastic, knowledgeable staff tell you, it's "a unique museum in the western hemisphere," having been a continuously-operated mine since 1923.
Like many museums, your visit kicks off with an introductory video, but I don't know of anywhere else that you are issued a hard hat and a rescue breather before you begin your tour! Wearing the gear was not only fun, but added a sense of adventure.
Once you've got all of your gear on properly, you are escorted into a hoist. This is basically a freight-size elevator that takes you 650 feet underground in total blackout conditions. The elevator is the exact same size and material of those used by the miners, who are still extracting road salt elsewhere in the mine. The ride is smooth, but dark and opens out into the mine shaft where a tram awaits to escort you through the mine.
The mine is very cool - literally. It's always a perfect 68-70degrees with 50% relative humidity, an ideal environment for a museum. Your guided tour takes you throughout the mine, where you learn about how the miners blast out the working space, move air, and transport the salt above ground for processing and distribution. The striated walls stir up images of cave paintings and unknown mysteries. At one stop, visitors get out and "mine" a pile of salt for take-home souvenirs. We brought home a paper-weight size piece of salt, while the kids filled-up bags with smaller pieces. The tram leaves visitors off at a museum area where mining equipment is displayed alongside short videos explaining the mining process. However, another display area that has little to do with mining is worth mentioning. The constant temperature and humidity levels in the mine attracted an off-shoot attraction: The Underground Vault Storage Company (UVS). UVS stores movie costumes and ephemera in the mine along with medical records, X-rays and historic documents. We viewed several costumes from the Superman and Batman movies, classic cartoon animation cells and a Civil War-era newspaper announcing President Lincoln's assassination.
Kansas Cosmosphere & Space Center
As mentioned above, we went straight to the hotel/water park for an afternoon of swimming and tube rides. The physical break was just what everyone needed before embarking on the Cosmosphere. You could visit both museums in one day, but I would strongly recommend a break in between.
The Cosmosphere, a Smithsonian-Affiliated museum, is well-worth a visit and warrants a repeat visit! The "internationally acclaimed Hall of Space Museum" presents the "definitive story of the Space Race," through "human stories of space exploration with the artifacts that led Man to the Moon and beyond." Having spent three hours there, we can truly say: they deliver!
Although the self-guided Hall of Space tours are lengthy and quite text heavy, there are plenty of ways to break-up your visit: a hands-on simulation area (including a g-force simulator, which was under repair during our visit), an IMAX theatre with several offerings (we viewed National Geographic's Sea Monsters) and a well-stocked cafeteria with "space food."
The number of awe-inspiring artifacts you will see is too many to list here, but a few highlights include: World War II-era German V1 and V2 rockets that "laid the groundwork" for space travel, Russia's Sputniks I and II from the Cold War, flown Gemini spacecraft and a Russian Vostok. Live footage of President John F. Kennedy's Berlin Wall speech is displayed alongside pieces of the Wall. Another spectacular exhibit features the Liberty Bell 7 (the Mercury capsule that sank over the ocean in 1961). From the Apollo era you will see: Apollo 13 command module, Apollo space suits and lunar module, and one of two Apollo White Rooms (where astronauts are prepped before boarding the spacecraft). Video footage and launch day chatter interspersed throughout these areas bring to life these momentous accomplishments. For parents who grew up during the space race, seeing these items brings back many memories, but our children who have always known that man can fly to the moon and visit the galaxies, really enjoyed discovering the secrets of space travel, particularly the food and bathroom systems, naturally.
Our three-hour visit flew by and we wanted to see more, but the road home beckoned. Our weary legs welcomed a lengthy drive home, full of tales of favorite moments during our road trip to Hutchinson, Kansas. No doubt, we will repeat this trip without protest.
Sidebar
The Kansas Underground Salt Museum
3504 E. Avenue G (G and Airport Rd)
866.755.3450 or 620.662.1425
UndergroundMuseum.org
Hours: Reservations suggested
Tuesday - Saturday: 9-6:00
Sunday: 1-6:00
Admission: Ages 4-12: $8.50. Ages 13+: $13.50
Kansas Cosmosphere & Space Center
1100 N. Plum Street
620.662.2305; 800.397.0330
Cosmo.org
Hours: Monday - Thursday: 9-5:00
Friday & Saturday: 9-8:00
Sunday: 12-5:00
Admission:
All-day Mission Pass: Good for One Day-All Day.
Adult: $15; Children (3-12), Senior: $13
Includes: One IMAX film, one Planetarium Show, Dr. Goddard's Lab and Hall of Space Museum
Additional shows: $3
Single Venue Only:
Adult: $8.50; Children and Seniors: $8
THE HOTEL & WATER PARK:
Grand Prairie Hotel & Convention Center
1400 N. Lorraine St.
GrandPrairieHotel.com
620.669.9311; 800.362.5018
More MoKan Day Trips & Vacations!
- Missouri
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- 2- 3 Hours South: Carthage: Classic Rt. 66 Road Trip
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- 4-5 Hours South: Branson: Vacation Capital of the Midwest
- 4-5 Hours East: St. Louis: Gateway to the West Kansas
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- 30-45 Min. South: Louisburg: Apples, Autumn, and Astronomy
- 30-45 Min. West: Lawrence: Eclectic College Town & Family Fun
- 45-60 Min. Northwest: Atchison: History & Mystery
- 60-90 Min. West: Topeka: More than a Capital City
- 60-90 Min. South: Fort Scott: National Historic Site