Fort Hays State Historic Site — Attraction in Kansas

This is a great place to see how the old forts were laid out during the westward expansion. They have been able to preserve two of the officers' homes and the enlisted men's barracks. The foundations are shown for the commanding officer's home that was sadly sold and moved away. Even the officer's outhouse is there!

The museum part of the visitor center is well done, and the short movies are well done. They have dealt with culturally sensitive topics, too.

I highly recommend seeing this site if you are traveling through or if you live there. Great...

More than a few historical figures and moments paint the forts legacy. It surprises many about how small and utterly open to the surrounding areas in all directions. IF you have the time though,. I would suggest taking a half day and visiting as many of the historical plaques throughout downtown Hays and a few not more than a few minutes drive. When pieced together, one can get a more complete and mind-blowing understanding of the importance and some will explain much more about why Fort Hays was and...

It was interesting. We always enjoy history, but sadly it's always a similar story about how the government and the military came and violently destroyed the lives of the people who were already here, wiped out the buffalo, etc. My favorite part is always looking closely at the Native American arts - the beautiful beadwork, leatherwork, and quillwork. There's not a lot of that here, and some of it is reproduction, for the purpose of example. The site is well kept and...