One Of The 'Finest Space Museums In The World' Is An Otherworldly, Underrated Kansas Attraction
In the heart of the Heartland is The Cosmosphere, one of America's best science museums and the world's best space museums. Located in Hutchinson, Kansas, it's a little under a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Kansas City, formerly known as the Paris of the Plains. The Cosmosphere has more artifacts from U.S. space missions than anywhere but the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, and more from Soviet space missions than anywhere but Moscow. Along with its impressive historic exhibits on space exploration, it also has a planetarium, an IMAX dome theater, and interactive, live science shows.
Kansas is a rather unexpected place to have such an impressive, out-of-this-world museum. It all started back in the 1960s with Patty Carey, who was married to Emerson Carey, founder of the Carey Salt Company, and whose salt mine is now the site of Strataca, an underground, one-of-a-kind museum in Kansas. Patty had a love for science and space. Her dream started with a planetarium show, and over the years, it expanded into an internationally renowned museum where you can see some iconic space capsules including the Liberty Bell 7, which was recovered from the bottom of the ocean in 1999, where it sank in 1961 and nearly killing astronaut Gus Grissom. They also have the Apollo 13 Command Module Odyssey, which was used in the mission that gave us the famous line of, "Houston, we've had a problem."
The highlight of the Cosmosphere is its collection of space artifacts from around the world
There's no missing the Cosmosphere. Just outside is a 109-foot-tall Titan rocket, used in early crewed missions during NASA's Gemini program. Then, when you first walk into the Great Lobby, you'll see a SR-71 Blackbird overhead. This stealth jet is one of the world's fastest, and the museum's Grand Lobby expansion in the 1990s was built around the massive aircraft — where you can also find a full-size replica of the Space Shuttle Endeavour. Aside from the exhibits is a small cafe and a gift shop with all kinds of space-themed gifts for all ages.
This is all before you even get into the paid portions of the museum. Those include the Hall of Space Museum, with adult tickets costing $15.50 for adults, which was renovated in 2024 to include more interactive exhibits. The museum galleries here take visitors through the origins of the U.S. space program and the Space Race with the Soviet Union. They have a range of artifacts from lunar rovers to spacesuits to moon rocks on display. If you want some inside information on the exhibits, they have free expert-led tours every second Saturday.
The Cosmosphere has a range of activities, including summer camps for kids
With the Cosmosphere's "Our Universe" ticket (costing $17 for adults), you can learn about the heavens with a themed show at the Justice Planetarium as well as attend a live, interactive show in Dr. Goddard's Lab. It's fantastic for families and anyone who wants to see exciting science experiments with plenty of (controlled) explosions. Another fun, interactive area is CosmoKids, which is included with the Hall of Space Museum ticket. Launch model rockets, design a Mars habitat, and more.
The Carey Digital Dome Theater (at $10 for adults) shows a mix of documentaries and Hollywood releases in a two-story theater that allows for a particularly immersive experience. Tickets can be purchased a la carte, or you can get an All-Access Mission Pass, to keep you entertained for a full day.
For any kids who want the ultimate immersive experience, Cosmosphere Camps run each summer with both day and overnight camp options for ages from elementary through high school. It's the perfect activity for any young would-be astronauts in the family!