Big Well Museum — Attraction in Kiowa Rural Township

I visited the Big Well several times prior to the EF5 Tornado, both as a child and as an adult, and what I remember most was the alien feeling of walking down into the Ogallala Aquifer. Going from the scorching Western-Kansas summer heat, down into the naturally cool well, would have clued anyone into the benefits of Geothermal HVAC and/or the Buried House/"dugout".

The new museum is built atop the well, and at first appears to be lacking in providing this same effect; however, my mistake was taking the family directly down into the well first, rather than starting our trip at the very top.

I would highly recommend starting in the rotunda, which provides a 360 degree scenic overlook of the entire area. As you go up into the rotunda, you pass through the HVAC plenum encircling the stairs that creates a barrier between the lower museum gallery and the rather unconditioned ceiling of this "green" building. By the time you've finished traversing the entire dome, you're definitely ready to descend into the cool building, and on down into the even much cooler "Big Well".

There is so much packed into this one place that I'd recommend planning a picnic lunch in the adjoining park, or planning a return visit when you pass...

More than just a hole in the ground! This museum represents the successes and struggles of man through different generations, his ingenuity, perseverance, and rebirth..and how communities can accomplish amazing feats when they work together. One part ingenuity - you'll learn how this well was designed to draw in residents and sustain the growth of Greensburg, while providing them with fresh water in the late 1800s. One part tragedy - as you learn about the F5 tornado in 2007 that decimated the area, while experiencing its aftermath in a unique form that sparks emotion. One part natural history- as you learn about local meteors, the water table, structural engineering , tornadic activity and more. Big clean bathrooms, cute gift shop with locally made "Duck Salt" and epic views of what once was and now is... Not to mention going down in the well is really cool... and a great escape from the heat or a blustery day. A lovely way to spend an hour or two, reasonably priced, and very...

The Big Well Museum puts Greensburg, KS on the map. Not only does it feature the obvious, it also chronicles the town's near-obliteration by a tornado and remarkable recovery since (with massive federal help). I wish there were a way to find out how the eco-friendly rebuild is actually working out. Is the solar power reliable? Did the money spent on extra insulation eventually pay itself? There's no way to know; it's presented as a panacea.

If I could change just one thing about the exhibits, it would be to introduce a 3 letter word: "sic". "Sic" would would show that the exhibit's creators knew about and were accurately reproducing the errors in quoted newspaper articles. "The supply of water found to inexhaustible." [sic] "There are about 4,000 gallons of water to the inch in the well" [sic]. (The well's diameter of 32 feet gives 500 gallons per inch, not 4,000.) Without "sic", most of the errors just...