A double-decker hoist sends visitors 650 feet below the surface to delve into salt-mining history at Strataca. On tram, train and self-guided tours, navigate the network of tunnels to see remnants of the 1950s mine, historical gallery displays and Hollywood props that are kept here for preservation.

I finally scratched another iconic Kansas attraction off my bucket list: Strataca. Despite growing up less than 50 miles from Hutchinson in the like-sized city of Salina, I only managed to check out the annual State Fair and the Cosmosphere Museum.

Boy, did we make the right call! Visiting in

For people not familiar with Kansas, the images that come to mind when you think of this Midwest state are usually flat prairie, tornadoes … and maybe even The Wizard of Oz. And while it’s true that Kansas is all of those things, it’s also SO much more!

If you’re looking for an out-of-the-box

Underground Attractions

STRATACA!

If Kansans seem like the salt of the earth, maybe it’s because their state sits atop 250 million-year-old deposits of sodium chloride. At Strataca in Hutchinson, put on a hard hat for the 650-foot descent into a museum carved out of an active salt mine. Expeditions

For the solo adventurer, there's lots to love about South Central Kansas. The vibrant region has big open skies, radiant wetlands exploding with wildlife, and prairies waiting for you to explore. It's a land of pure discovery for the seekers, making it one of the best solo travel destinations to

Kansas is a land of unprecedented beauty that has changed drastically throughout time. Its unique natural features have shaped the culture and history of the state. The story of Kansas’ natural history begins millions of years ago, when the land lay beneath a vast body of water.

The Permian Sea

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As the thermometer begins its brutal yearly nosedive, one thought starts to sound more and more appealing: Let’s all batten down the hatches and hibernate in our homes until spring comes to rescue us.

Anyone with kids under their roof knows this is wishful thinking. Even when winter gets too cold