Family Fun Places & Activities 

Got Kids? Northwest Kansas is a great place to spend time with the family. Here’s a quick list of family friendly paces and activities, but don’t be shy. Stop and ask a local in the community about their favorite places and you’ll surely have a friend by the end of the conversation.

Where Kids Can Golf

• Precision Valley Golf and Bike Center in Hays has entertainment for all ages including mini golf, a driving range, and indoor golf simulators.
• Disc Golf in Northwest Kansas – Phillipsburg’s 18 hole disc golf is an adventure of woods, park and open field. More disc golf courses can be found at the park in Russell Springs, the Annie Oakley Park in Oakley, Villa High Park in Colby, and the Frontier Park in Hays.
• The Stockton City Park on the west side of town includes a complete nine-hole disc golf course that winds through the park. Begin near the kiosk at the park entrance.
  

Where Kids Can Fish

• Colby’s Villa High Park - Bring your fishing license and your poles, because the pond is now stocked with several varieties of fish.
• The Pa’s Pond is located next to the Cedar Bluff State Park Office in the Bluffton Area.  tocked pond was specially designed for youth and disabled fishermen. The limit is two per day.
  

Where ​to Picnic or Play in a Park

• Colby’s Villa High Park has walking trails, paved areas, and lighting that allows easy access to both picnic and fishing areas.
• In Rooks County, zipline in Palco City Park, waterslides in Plainville City Park and Stockton City Park, as well as great picnic areas – all for FREE!
• Take a hike around Keller Pond just outside St. Francis and stop to enjoy a family picnic.
• Prairie Dog campground has it all. A playground, horseshoe pits, sand volleyball court, basketball court, bicycle trails, and a nice family beach.
• Annie Oakley Park in Oakey - Pack a lunch, or barbeque on one of the grills, and enjoy your picnic under the shaded gazebo while the kids play on the playground.
• Enjoy fishing, walking the trails, spending time outdoors and frisbee golf at Soldiers Memorial Park in Goodland.
• Bickle-Sport Complex in Hays has multiple picnic areas, playgrounds and public restrooms.
• The City Park in Phillipsburg is great for family picnics, play, camping, and just relaxing. It is home to the “Just For Kids Playground”.
  

Where ​to Let the Dogs Play

• Colby Dog Park at the Oasis Travel Center
• Dog Park at the Sonic Drive-In, Oakley
  
• Oakley Dog Park at Annie Oakley Park
• Pioneer Dog Park beneath the Van Gogh, Goodland
• Hays Dog Park at the Bickle-Schmidt Sports Complex

Where ​to Discover

Museums in Northwest Kansas are very family friendly, and some are free of charge.

• Kids play area at the Fort Wallace Museum interprets camping along the Smoky Hill River.
  
• In Goodland, stop at the Hight Plains Museum and visit a replica of the first patented helicopter.  Kids can press the button to make the rotors turn.
  
• Interactive exhibits for all ages at the Sternberg Museum in Hays. Be sure to visit the display of LIVE rattlesnakes, ranging from the gigantic Eastern Diamondback to the extremely toxic Tiger Rattlesnake.
• Libraries - Stop into the Norton or Oakley library for story time. If you miss story time, you can listen to the Oakley stories on their Facebook page on your trip.  Next to the library is the Fick Fossil and History Museum where you will see fossils and a gallery of fossil art you will see nowhere else.
• The Tri-State Antique Engine and Threshers in Bird City have year-round museum attractions including car, toy, and hand tool museums and is home to the largest barbed wire collection in the country.
• The Motorcycle Museum in St. Francis has over 100 motorcycles on display!

Where ​to ​See Something Cool

• Meet the life-like security guard “Syl” at the Dane G. Hansen Museum in Logan
• Take you picture with “Fred”, the bison and "Buffalo Bill" at the Buffalo Bill Cultural Center in Oakley
• See the barbed wire buffalo outside the Fort Wallace Museum
• Check out the model train on display at the End of the Line Hobby Shop in Stockton
• See the Sod House and Country School House on the Thresher Grounds in Bird City
• Photo Op at The Big Easel in Goodland.  The Goodland easel is the third painting erected in the Van Gogh Project.  Goodland was chosen as a site due to its close connection to sunflower agriculture. 
• Crawl in the old firetruck on display at The Fick Fossil & History Museum
• See the bison at Bison Herd at Frontier Park in Hays
• Hold on to your hat when you visit the Tornado Sculpture in Codell. Remarkably, the town had a tornado three times in successive years-1916, 1917, and 1918 on the 20th day of May, making Ripley’s Believe It Or Not.
• The Bowl Plaza in Lucas is WAY fun for everyone. The public restroom is like none you have ever seen or will see. Kids will spend hours finding the treasures that cover the walls.
• Seek and find the outdoor murals throughout Russell and Lucas. They are sure to inspire the artist in the family.

Where ​​to Walk, Hike & Bike

• Switchgrass Mountain Bike trail - Wilson offers a novice level (EZ) 2-mi clockwise loop or 5-mi if you add the optional Bird Loop. EZ also starts and ends at the Switchgrass trailhead. It is non-technical with no climbs, no deep sand, and very few rocks. It is about a 20-40 minute ride suitable for beginners. But, EZ is a genuine mountain bike trail, so don’t expect a paved path!
• Prairie Dog State Park - Norton - 1.4-mile nature trail complete with interpretive signage AND a storybook trail.
• Smoky Valley Ranch Hiking Trails - Oakley - Hike, mountain bike, or horseback, the 1 mile or the 5 mile loop anytime during the year to enjoy the seasonal changes of the rugged prairie.
• Topside Trail - Goodland - Enjoy the scenery and the great outdoors along the Topside Trail on US Highway 24.
• Frontier Park Nature Trail - Hays – Big Creek Walking Trail takes visitors on a 1.7-mile hike along the banks of Big Creek. Be sure to take notice of the 14 points of interest along the way.
• Historic Downtown Walking Tour -  Hays – Self-guided tour relaying the stories of those who walked the streets of Hays in the 11860’s to the 1880’s, including; Wild Bill Hickok, Buffalo Bill Cody, and General Custer. Twenty five bronze plaques mark the sites of the first ships, saloons and shootouts.
• The Webster State Park - Stockton - Coyote Trail has two loops, one loop for the shorter hike, or use both loops for a longer hike (3 miles)

Where ​to ​Overnight at a State Park

Our state parks invite you and your family spend an afternoon or stay overnight and enjoy many family fun activities including, fishing, swimming, hiking and biking, playground equipment and sports areas, overnight options and amenities.

Camping:

• Cedar Bluff State Park  - Cedar Bluff / Locations / State Parks / KDWP - KDWP (ksoutdoors.com)
  
• Webster State Park - Webster / Locations / State Parks / KDWP - KDWP (ksoutdoors.com)
• Wilson State Park - Wilson / Locations / State Parks / KDWP - KDWP (ksoutdoors.com)
  

Cabins:

• Cedar Bluff State Park  - Cabins / Cedar Bluff / Locations / State Parks / KDWP - KDWP (ksoutdoors.com)
  
• Webster State Park - Cabins / Webster / Locations / State Parks / KDWP - KDWP (ksoutdoors.com)
• Wilson State Park - Cabins / Wilson / Locations / State Parks / KDWP - KDWP (ksoutdoors.com)