Wamego: Oz History, Culture and Nature

When looking for a hotel in Wamego, you can start by deciding what you want to focus on during your trip: Oz history, theater and art, historic buildings, or outdoor activities. Each theme has a distinctly different character.

Oz History in Exhibits and a Walking Tour

The OZ Museum presents more than 100 years of Oz history. Its collection ranges from first editions of L. Frank Baum’s books to contemporary collectibles. This span takes you from early book editions to present-day objects related to Oz. Visitors especially interested in literary history and collectibles will find a different focus here than on a walk that features Oz motifs in the form of images and figures.

The Yellow Brick Road walking tour includes six hand-painted murals and two “Totos Around Town” statues. The “Totos Around Town” exhibit features creatively designed Toto statues painted by local artists. Here, you can explore the Oz theme through artistic motifs, while the museum presents its long history through books and collectibles. The difference lies less in the subject than in the form it takes.

Historic Buildings and Theater

Wamego’s historic buildings include the Dutch Mill, a stone windmill dating to around 1879, and Prairie Town Village, with its restored one-room schoolhouse. These showcase different types of buildings: a stone windmill and a school building with one classroom. The Columbian Theatre adds a clear historical context to this focus. Built in 1895, it was once a vaudeville venue.

The Columbian Theatre also hosts professional performances, from Broadway musicals to concerts. The theater brings together a former use and a present-day stage program. If you’re interested in theater, you can distinguish the building’s historic role from the performances currently on its schedule.

Changing Visual Art

The Swogger Art Gallery features a constantly changing selection of visual art exhibitions. This offers a different cultural focus from the history of theater: visual exhibits take center stage, while the Columbian Theatre hosts professional performances ranging from musicals to concerts. Wamego’s cultural offerings give you both stage and visual arts as distinct themes to consider when planning your trip.

Outdoor Activities

Oregon Trail Nature Park offers hiking trails, picnic tables, and a shelter. These amenities provide different ways to spend time in the park: trails for a walk and places suited for a break. A canoe trip on the Kansas River is another way to spend time outdoors, with a specified time frame.

The half-day canoe trip on the Kansas River is 8 miles long, takes 4–5 hours, and ends at the ramp in Wamego. Its length and duration give you a concrete guide when deciding how much time to set aside for the trip. It ends at the ramp in Wamego and is described as a half-day activity.

More Leisure Activities

The children’s train at Wamego City Park runs all summer and offers a ride around the park. Exact operating times may vary. Its seasonal operation is one factor to consider when planning your day, regardless of whether you’re also interested in Wamego’s historic or artistic attractions.

Lincoln Street Lanes has eight new lanes with state-of-the-art automatic scoring. This offering differs from the walking tours, exhibits, and historic buildings: the lanes and automatic scoring are the focus here. Together, these themes offer different points of interest to help you plan your trip to Wamego.

Discover more destinations: St. Marys

For the regional travel overview: Pottawatomie County.