12 Underrated Places In Kansas To Take An Out-Of-Towner

One of the last things your non-Kansan friends would expect to see in the "flat" Sunflower State are these magnificent chalk formations that are rich in both fossils and in history. (Impress your friends by telling them that these marvels are estimated to have been formed 80 million years ago.)

See: Monument Rocks.

Not a soccer fan? Don't worry; you will be after watching the mighty Sporting KC play at this beautiful, state-of-the-art stadium.

Here is something that your visitors won't soon forget: getting goosebumps from singing "Home on the Range" with a full-scale orchestra. (Please note: the Symphony is an annual event that will take place on June 11, 2016.)

Get the heck outta Dodge! (...but only after you ride the historic trolley, tour the Boot Hill Museum, and try your luck at the Boot Hill Casino & Resort.)

For an out-of-this-world experience, there is no place quite like the Cosmosphere, which features more than 13,000 artifacts, a planetarium and an internationally acclaimed educational program.

Want to make your life easy? Spend the weekend in Abilene, where your guests can tour one (or all) of the seven museums, ride the excursion train through the Smoky Hill River Valley, and dine on some of the best fried chicken in the entire state.

Do you know someone who really "digs" paleontology? They will love the large and interactive Sternberg, which houses both life-size dinosaur replicas and an impressive collection of prehistoric fossils.

Shop for a variety of boutique and antique items, dine on world-famous cuisine, and hike to the stunning Chase Lake Falls in this charming Flint Hills community.

There is no better way to end a Kansas day than by listening to the calm waters of the Big and Little Arkansas Rivers while taking in the glorious Keeper.