Krause Travels

As Missourians who grew up in the west central part of the state, we have a native disdain for Kansas. Starting with the brutal border war in the run up to the Civil War, then visitors thinking our beloved Kansas City is only in Kansas, and now our current bi-state skirmish where they will almost certainly be stealing our Kansas City (Missouri!) Chiefs from us, our intense dislike is completely justified. And face it, it’s a fairly ugly driving path on the way to more picturesque states.

That always leads us to hurry through there, stopping only to spend one night, never two, through what we call that Godforsaken Place. However, a fortunate gift from some fellow cycling enthusiasts led us to reconsider our animosity.

Our generous animal-loving friends gave us tickets to Tanganyika Wildlife Park, a nonprofit zoo near Wichita, and once we realized it was only an hour from the Kansas Cosmosphere, we decided to make our first-ever weekend getaway to Kansas. If you’re looking for a quick trip that combines some cycling with two first-class destinations, this getaway is on our highly recommend list.

Tanganyika Wildlife Park started in 1985 as a breeding facility for a few rare and endangered species. If you’ve heard of it at all, it may be because of Mars, the adorable pygmy hippo born there in 2025. This cute little potato went viral on Instagram, greatly increasing visits and donations to the park, but Mars is only one of the features that make TWP unique and attractive for all ages. Your ticket price gives you up close and personal access to many of the animals, with knowledgeable zookeepers standing nearby to help and tell you fascinating facts about them. We petted and/or fed giraffes, kangaroos, tortoises, lemurs, rhinos, and, of course, Mars. Admission also includes all-day access to breakfast, lunch and drinks, with a couple of alcoholic ones thrown in for the 21 and over crowd. This feature alone made the day much more relaxing, having endured overpriced and underwhelming food and drinks many times in many parks.

Zoos are inherently oriented toward children, but TWP has some extra draws for kids. A playground and water park are located side by side, with a cafe and patio nearby so parents can eat lunch or have a drink while easily being able to keep track of their kids. The park is small, so it’s always just a short walk between animal enclosures, making the zoo even more family friendly.

TWP is in the very small town of Goddard, a 20-minute drive from Wichita where we stayed because of the greater number of hotels and restaurants. Here’s what we discovered about the town where we reluctantly decided to spend the night: it’s a pretty cool place. We always try to combine cycling with any road trip, so we packed our folding Brompton bikes and rode a 16-mile, mostly flat loop that took us from downtown Wichita to the edge of town, snaking along the Arkansas River where we saw the giant Keeper of the Plains sculpture looming over the Mid-America All-Indian Museum and nearby Exploration Place science museum, all of which looked like interesting places to visit. Part of the route was on city streets with bike lanes or through quiet neighborhoods, but the majority was on dedicated bike paths.

Downtown Wichita also surprised us. The stadium of the Wichita Wind Surge, Minnesota Twins’ Double-A minor league baseball team is there as well as several arts and live show venues and some decent eating spots. We celebrated a successful ride at Prost, an authentic German restaurant featuring German beer and scratch-made traditional dishes such as schnitzel and flammkuchen. The long-table seating, dark woodwork on the walls, and the aging black and white photos of obscure places only Germans would know make you feel like you’re in Munich. For food, service, and atmosphere, we definitely rate Prost five stars.

The second leg of our weekend trip was to Hutchinson, home to the Kansas Cosmosphere, a first-rate air and space museum that presents the history of space flight beginning in World War II through the space race and Cold War from both the American and Russian perspectives. Even the casual space fan can appreciate the museum’s well told stories and will marvel at how some of the most iconic artifacts of space exploration ended up in small-town Kansas. You can see the Apollo 13 command module (yes, the actual flown one) and Gemini X spacecraft and enjoy a theater, planetarium, and flight simulator. Add it to your don’t-miss list.

Attractions close to home can end up being some of the most surprising experiences. Tanganyika Wildlife Park and the Kansas Cosmosphere fit that description, and when you add in some good cycling and excellent food, it makes even Kansas look like a fun place to visit.