|
 |
 |
 |
 |
Hays KS Tourism and Sightseeing
|
|
Where is Hays Kansas?
|
|
|
Hays Kansas
|
|
|
|
Hays Kansas Tourism At a GlanceBest Time to Visit Hays Kansas
Sometimes it seems like there is a festival, parade, small town celebration or community event going on every weekend in Ellis County, which is the German Capital of Kansas. Starting in the month of February and continuing through November there is a German celebration nearly every month, with either a polkafest, Oktoberfest or church fundraiser with tasty German food and a polka mass. Although many of the German celebrations highlight the local Volga German food, polka music, beer and family gathering time, each event emphasizes their own traditions and unique activities. The best part about enjoying the German celebrations in Ellis County is – they are FREE! (except if you buy the food and beer of course)
For art lovers, the last weekend in April or August is a great time to visit with gallery walks, opening receptions for new art exhibits and live entertainment on the stage or on Main Street. Hays is the Art Mecca of Western Kansas and is home to a dozen art galleries and studios. January through May brings world class entertainment, live concerts, classical music, jazz bands and local performers to Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center, which is the crown jewel of the arts and entertainment scene in western Kansas.
Some weekends in Hays during the spring and fall are so busy with car shows, kids fairs, sporting events, parades, craft shows and festivals, it is tricky trying to decide what to attend. Some of the smaller venues get filled up to “standing room only” crowds, while at most events, you can park right up front, attend the event for free and you might even win a door prize or get some free giveaways as you stroll by the booths.
For those who prefer less crowds, a quiet and more calm relaxing experience, there are weekends and certain times of the year when there is not much going on, it is easier to get around and you can enjoy a quiet outing to a park, shopping at the mall or strolling on a hiking trail with out the hustle and bustle of lots crowds and noise. The first couple of weekends in June and April are ideal because the weather is mild and the community calendar is essentially empty. Many people enjoy weekdays during the spring and fall to enjoy a scenic drive in the country, do some casual shopping downtown or stroll along the hiking trail near Big Creek.
Click Here to find hotels in Hays. If you need additional visitor information for Hays, Click Here.
Average Hays Weather
Kansas residents who have lived here all their lives always talk about looking forward to the changing seasons. It might also be that because the time of the changing seasons in Kansas also coincides with some of the nicest weather. The change from summer to fall in western and central Kansas is a beautiful time of year with predictable sunny skies every day and average high temperatures in the mid 70’s. Right about the time of year when school starts back up in late August and Oktoberfest and German celebrations happen every weekend in Ellis County, the mornings are cool and crisp and the afternoons are perfect for outdoor events. The change from winter to spring is also an ideal time of year in central Kansas with temperatures ranging from the 60’s to 80’s and the welcome rains bringing color to the flowers, shrubs and pastures. Local residents who love to spend their weekends boating and fishing at nearby lakes look forward to the warmer summer months. A few hot and windy days help ripen the wheat for the farmers to harvest in June, but the moderate daytime temperatures in the 80’s and 90’s and cool summer evenings are great for all types of outdoor activities. December is also a great time of year to visit western and central Kansas because we are surrounded by the Christmas City of the High Plains, The Trail of Lights, Winter Wonderland and FrostFest. Transportation
Big city traffic congestion and crowded highways are two problems you won’t have to worry about in Hays. Hays is centrally located in the middle of the United States at the intersection of Interstate 70 and U.S. Hwy 183 (exit 159). Visitors to Hays have easy access to lodging, restaurants, shopping and convenience stores on Vine Street (Hwy 183). Transportation in and around Hays includes: airline, bus, train, charter services, taxi and limo services. In-Season Costs
In-season pricing for western Kansas is during the summer travel season starting in May and going through August. About the only price difference travelers will notice is the lodging properties adjust their room rates a little higher, but nice clean rooms at national chain properties will still average under $100. A hearty lunch special at our local restaurants is very inexpensive at $5.95 to $6.50 and entrées at most of the fine dining options are priced under $18. Museums and attractions do not change their seasonal admission fees, but they do have reduced hours in the winter months and it is recommended to call in advance. Kansas Tourism - Hays Attractions, Activities and Day Trips
Hays makes a great inexpensive family tourist destination and our slogan “Small Town Charm and Big Time Fun” means you’ll be able to enjoy lots of fun sites and very reasonably priced. There are 45 attractions, landmarks, museums, historic sites or interesting places to visit in Hays and of those 45 sights, 39 are free places to visit or tour. Within 20 miles outside of Hays there are an additional 15 places of interest including many historic German native stone churches and the boyhood home of Walter Chrysler, the founder of the Chrysler Motor Company. The main attractions around our area are in the categories of Frontier & Pioneer History, German Heritage, Arts, Natural History/Parks and Outdoor Recreation, Ag Tourism and Military History. Of course, shopping in our historic downtown Chestnut Street District attracts many out of town visitors and there are numerous dining and entertainment options to take in as well.
Click Here to find things to do in Hays. Click Here to view a list of attractions in Hays. Click Here to find restaurants in Hays. Click Here to find local events in Hays.
Things to do in Hays KS, Sightseeing and Hays KS Tourism
Hays KS Tourism - Planning a Hays KS Vacation
Below is a list of Hays KS tourist attractions, activities, events, hotels, restaurants and visitor information entries to help you plan a Hays KS Vacation! Find detailed information on the Hays KS tourism entries by clicking on their links. Narrow your search by selecting from a specific Hays KS travel category on the left hand menu.
Explore All Of Kansas's Regions
You can find Kansas tourist attractions and activities in all of Kansas's regions: Hays, Junction City, Kansas City, Lindsborg , Overland Park, Salina, Topeka, Wichita and Other.
Fun Things to do during your Hays KS Vacation - Top Hays KS Tourist Attractions and Activities
Some of the most popular Hays KS tourist attractions that list on our site include Fort Hays State Historic Site , Sternberg Museum of Natural History and Ellis County Historical Society Museum.
Fun activities in Hays KS include C.S. Post & Co. and Dickinson Mall Hays Theatre.
Create an online Hays KS vacation itinerary
You can use WeGoPlaces.com to plan your Hays KS vacation itinerary! To begin, select from our list of Hays KS tourist attractions, activities, accommodations, events, restaurants or Hays KS vacation & visitor information entries. Click the "Add" button to add individual entries to your online Hays KS vacation itinerary.
Featured Kansas Tourist Attractions and Activities
Please visit our Kansas featured listings - Darius Rucker at Stiefel Theatre for the Performing Arts and Bon Jovi at Intrust Bank Arena.
|
|
|
| Your request returned 22 results. |
|
|
|
|
 Enlarge
|
Ellis County Historical Society Museum
See the history of Ellis County
Category: Hays Museum in Kansas
Description of this Hays Attraction: 100 W. 7th
Hays, KS 67601
785-628-2624
Hours:
Summer hours – June-August
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Tuesday – Friday and
1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. Saturday
Winter hours – 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Tuesday – Friday
Admission: $4.00 Adults, $1.00 children (3 –12 years)
www.elliscountyhistoricalmuseum.org
Located at the corner of 7th and Main in downtown Hays, the Ellis County Historical Society Museum exists to preserve and relate the county's colorful history.
Beginning with its infamous Wild West days, the permanent exhibit gallery highlights not only the well-known characters who walked the streets, such as "Wild Bill" Hickok, "Buffalo Bill" Cody, and General George Armstrong Custer, but also lesser known but equally interesting scouts,and buffalo hunters. Learn about the clash of the railroad with the buffalo, and with the Native Americans who called this their hunting grounds.
Find out about our Boot Hill, its disreputable host of residents, and its distinction as the first Boot Hill west of the Missouri River. A visit to the museum's display on Boot Hill greatly adds to one's appreciation of the site itself, which is located at 18th & Fort.
Visitors round out their time spent in the Wild West with a trip to our saloon, where they may learn how to play the Old West's favorite card game, Faro.
Continuing on through time, the gallery leads visitors into our settlement era, when English and Scottish gentry hunted and played polo in an area they named for their queen, Victoria, and their leader, George Grant who brought the first black Aberdeen Angus cattle to America. Many are surprised to learn of a Socialist commune begun by a Danish expatriate who lasted until the food ran out. Better organized were the Bukovina Germans who settled in the Ellis area and the Volga Germans who settled in and around Hays.
A special exhibit on water in Ellis County gives one a better understanding of the difficulties of settling the area, and the resourcefulness of the people who prospered in the undertaking.
Other elements of the gallery include photographs and artifacts from the turn of the 20th century and beyond. Included is a glimpse of Walker Air Base, a bustling beehive of activity during World Ward II, housing 6,000 people and many B29 bombers at its pinnacle, but today a ghost town. The permanent exhibit gallery leads visitors to a better understanding of how Ellis County has grown and changed through the years.
Children of all ages enjoy the Learning Center, located in the balcony overlooking the permanent exhibit gallery. A one-room school exhibit sets the stage for learning about life before electricity and piped water. This popular area augments displays with hands-on items for all to try out or try on.
Incorporated within the museum itself is an 1879 native stone chapel, the oldest building originally erected as a church in Ellis County. It is thought to be the oldest existing church building in western Kansas and contains some of the original furnishings.
There are three sites on the grounds of the museum. The Harness Shop is an original structure
|
|
Add
Ellis County Historical Society Museum
to your free online travel itinerary
|
|
|
Enlarge
|
Fort Hays State Historic Site
Museum located on the grounds of Indian Wars fort.
Category: Hays Historic Site in Kansas
Description of this Hays Attraction: Fort Hays was first established in the fall of 1865 as Fort Fletcher and was to protect travelers and mail coaches along the Smoky Hill Trail. It was closed after only six months when the trail was no longer in use. In the fall of 1866 Fort Fletcher was reopened in order to help protect railroad workers building the Union Pacific Railway, Eastern Division, to Denver. Shortly after reopening it was renamed Fort Hays. In the spring of 1867 the fort was relocated 15 miles west to its present location on the south edge of present-day Hays, Kansas. It became a major supply depot for other forts as well as a base for troops. Famous units stationed at Fort Hays included the 9th and 10th Cavalry's (the famed "Buffalo Soldiers"), the 5th Infantry, and the 7th Cavalry. General Philip Sheridan, General Nelson Miles, Major Marcus Reno, and General George Armstrong Custer were some of the famous military figures associated with Fort Hays. It was closed in 1889 and in 1965 became a state historic property administered by the Kansas Historical Society.
The museum consists of two wood frame officers' homes, a stone guardhouse and a stone blockhouse.
One officers' home has recently been renovated interprets unique perspective on life at Fort Hays. One half of the building shows the early period in the late 1860s when life was fast-paced and troops frequently moved in and out of the fort. The other half shows the latter period when things were much slower. The 18th Infantry was stationed here the last 5 years the fort was in operation so officers had time to furnish and decorate their homes to personal taste. The other officers' home shows the difference in rank structure and how living quarters were assigned.
The guardhouse (military prison) has also undergone extensive conservation in the recent past. Exhibits are currently being designed and will be installed by December 2009.
The blockhouse was originally built as a barrack building although its major use was as the post headquarters building. Exhibits tell its interesting story.
A modern visitor's center is also on site. A variety of exhibits and displays interpret the life of Fort Hays and its occupants.
Special events are held periodically. A free Independence Day picnic (hot dogs, chips, & iced tea) and band concert is held on the museum grounds in conjunction with the city's fireworks display that takes place across the highway from the museum. The Saturday before Halloween, "Graveside Conversations" offers a tour of the Fort Hays cemetery. In early December is "Christmas Past," an open house with buildings and grounds decorated in the Victorian style. Contact the museum for specific dates and admission fees each year.
|
|
Add
Fort Hays State Historic Site
to your free online travel itinerary
|
|
|
Enlarge
|
Hays Public Library
Located in Historic Downtown Hays, Kansas
Category: Hays Culture in Kansas
Description of this Hays Attraction: The Hays Public Library, consistently ranked among America's top libraries by the HAPLR, is located in the beautiful and historic Chestnut Street District of Downtown Hays. We offer free internet access stations and Wi-Fi, periodical & book reading areas, and an art gallery. In addition to its many resources, the Library hosts many activities for youth and adults alike, including live music, special presentations by authors, games and crafts for youth, lectures and discussions, and more.
The Hays Public Library features Children's and Young Adult Departments which sport large collections of books, graphic novels, music CDs, and games, and include separate computer labs for their respective youths. The Dorothy D. Richards Kansas Room is a specialized resource for Kansas History and Genealogical research. The library is also home to the Friends of the Library used book store.
Hays' history claims such colorful figures as George Amstrong Custer, "Buffalo Bill" Cody, and "Wild Bill" Hickock; the surrounding downtown area features a historic "walking tour" exploring Hays' Wild West days. The Library is also in easy walking distance of several restaurants and shoppes, art galleries, and the Ellis County Historical Society, and is only a few blocks from Fort Hays State University.
From I-70, take exit 159 and drive south 2 miles on Vine Street (US-183), then turn west (right) at 13th and proceed to Main Street (less than one mile). Street parking is available throughout downtown Hays; a parking lot is located off of 12th Street on the southwest side of the building.
Winter Hours:
9am to 9pm Monday through Thursday
9am to 6pm Friday
9am to 5pm Saturday
1pm to 5pm Sunday
Summer Hours (between Memorial Day and Labor Day):
9am to 7pm Monday through Thursday
9am to 6pm Friday
9am to 5pm Saturday
(Closed on Sunday)
|
|
Add
Hays Public Library
to your free online travel itinerary
|
|
|
|
|
Enlarge
|
Hays Convention & Visitors Bureau
Visitor informaton and tourism office for Hays, Kansas
Category: Hays Chamber of Commerce in Kansas
User Rating: 
Description of this Hays Visitor Information entry: Welcome to Hays the German Capital of Kansas. Founded in 1867. Population – 20,300
We invite you to experience the many opportunities that our charming community has to offer. You’ll enjoy our small town friendliness whether you come to Hays for a family vacation, business trip, sporting event, shopping or just passing through. We are proud of our colorful history as a wild frontier town and we encourage you to explore our city so you can find out for yourself “Where history walked the streets”. Many of the interesting and historic places to visit are free or charge only a small admission fee. Be sure to visit our unique museums and tourist attractions to learn about our military past and Volga German heritage. Discover the scenic beauty and natural history of western Kansas with an outing to Frontier Park, the Hays F.E.E.T trails and the Sternberg Museum of Natural History. The past comes alive everyday in Hays! Hays City was founded in August of 1867 as the Union Pacific Railway Eastern Division worked its way west. The town was named after Fort Hays, the army’s military post, which was located south of Big Creek. The United States Army established Fort Hays (founded in 1865 as Fort Fletcher, renamed Fort Hays in 1866) to provide protection for settlers and railroad workers from Indian resistance. Fort Hays was named in honor of General Alexander Hays, who was a Union general, and had been killed during the Civil War in1864 at the Battle of the Wilderness. Because many of the first citizens of the rapidly growing town were railroad workers, desperados and other notorious characters, the early days of Hays City were wild and dangerous. The soldiers from nearby Fort Hays also created a rowdy atmosphere when they came to town because many of the first businesses in Hays City were saloons, brothels, gambling houses, dance halls or other liquor establishments. Skirmishes with some of the local “rough” citizens and the soldiers only added to the reputation as a lawless and tough “end of the tracks” town.
During several months of 1869 William Butler Hickok served as the acting sheriff after several incidents prompted the citizens to form a vigilante committee. “Wild Bill” Hickok, as he became known, apparently was not elected, but served at the will of the vigilante committee. The vigilante period from July of 1868 to December of 1869 was marked by 15 homicides. The lawlessness, bloodshed and feuds that occurred during the time when General George A. Custer and his wife were encamped near Fort Hays prompted Elizabeth Custer to comment, “ There was enough desperate history in that little town in one summer to make a whole library of dime novels”. Between August of 1867 and 1873 there were over 30 murders in and around Hays City. The reputation as one of the most violent towns on the Kansas frontier quickly spread.
Many of the buildings from Hays City’s wild past are gone, but today visitors can step back in time and relive the history of downtown Hays through a self guided walking tour. Twenty-five bronze plaques mark the route of where the famous and other notorious characters lived and walked the streets of old Hays City.
www.discoverhays.com
|
|
Add
Hays Convention & Visitors Bureau
to your free online travel itinerary
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
