Arrive today in Wichita, KS, your first stop on the Gunsmoke Trail.  Relive the Wild West in Kansas’ colorful cow towns bustling with stagecoaches, shootouts, and ice-cold sarsaparilla.  Each town you visit on this trip was featured on the long running TV Series “Gunsmoke.”

Check into your Wichita, KS hotel for a two-night stay.  Dinner is on your own this evening.

Today, explore Wichita’s Wild West history starting with a visit to the Old Cowtown Museum.  This outdoor living history museum features more than 50 historic buildings from the late 1800s including a saloon, blacksmith shop, and sheriff’s office.  Be wowed when you step onto Cowtown’s dirt roads and realize you’ve entered a world off the Chisholm Trail that is frozen in a 1865-1880 loop.

Connect with history through artifacts in Cowtown’s 10,000-piece permanent collection – textiles, furnishings, furniture, tools, art. Cowtown’s unique programming tells the story of Wichita’s transformation from a frontier settlement to a cattle town to an agricultural and manufacturing area.

Next, visit the Mid-America All-Indian Museum, dedicated to Native American and Indigenous history and culture in North America.  Start with a catered lunch and a presentation at the museum.  Following the presentation, enjoy a guided tour of the museum.  The Mid-America All-Indian Museum is also just steps from the iconic Keeper of the Plains sculpture.

This afternoon, see the Charles M. Russell Gallery at the Wichita Art Museum.  Charles Marion Russell was one of the premier artists of the historic American West.  “Heritage of the West”, the collection is comprised of twenty-six original paintings, watercolors, drawings and bronzes by the frontier’s most famous artist. In an era before photography was common, this “old master of the old west” captured both the romance and the detail of his time.

Then enjoy some free time in the Historic Delano District.  Located along Douglas Avenue on the west bank of the Arkansas River at the end of the Chisholm Trail, Delano District was established during the days of the Chisholm Trail cattle drives as a place for the cowboys to blow off steam after months on the trail from Texas.  Today, it is a historic neighborhood with a variety of restaurants, shops, and entertainment venues.

Tonight, dinner is included at a local restaurant. (B,L,D)

Your next stop today on the Gunsmoke Trail is Hays, KS.  Take a step back in time at the Historic Fort Hays Site, the former home to the 7th U.S. Cavalry commanded by Lt. Colonel George A. Custer.  Established in 1867 to protect the construction workers who were building the Union Pacific Railroad.  The original blockhouse, guardhouse, and officers’ quarters remain along with exhibits interpreting pioneer and military history.  Through innovative exhibits discover stories of people like George Armstrong Custer and Buffalo soldiers, enlisted men, officers’ wives and laundresses.

Across the street from Fort Hays, is Frontier Park where you can see the gentle giants of the Plains!  The Hays bison herd began in 1952 with a bull named Wild Bill and a cow named Calamity Jane.  Now the herd includes two white bison!

Following a break for lunch on own, enjoy a guided Murals & Sculptures Tour.  Explore murals featuring historic Old West icons and elements of Hays’ history throughout the Bricks in Downtown Hays.  You will also see local artist, Pete Felten’s limestone sculptures that decorate the community.  Among these works, you will find the familiar faces of “Buffalo Bill” Cody (Hays Public Library) and “Wild Bill” Hickok (Downtown Pavilion).

Then visit Hays’ own Boot Hill Cemetery located in the heart of town.  The cemetery got its name because so many of those buried there “died with their boots on.”  It is marked with a limestone sculpture by local artist Pete Felten, and a bronze plaque listing the names of those laid to rest there.

Dinner is included this evening at Hickok’s Steakhouse.  If Wild Bill was still roaming the streets of Hays, he would surely be eating at Hickok’s Steakhouse.  Hickok’s serves up hand cut, Midwestern Angus beef.  Sit down for a hearty meal and enjoy the historic Hays décor. (B,D)

Today, visit your last Cowtown, Dodge City, KS, nicknamed “Queen of the Cowtowns.”  Dodge City’s wild-west history began as the trails ended.  Follow the path of the Santa Fe Trail and learn the colorful stories that early settlers of gamblers, gunslingers, and cattlemen brought to the end of the trail.

Start by hopping on the Dodge City Trolley for a trip back to the 1870s.  Visit the original locations of the Long Branch Saloon, Gospel Hill, the “deadline”, Front Street and so much more. Tour Fort Dodge, follow the path of the Santa Fe Trail and learn a few colorful stories along the way.  This is a great way to get your bearings with an overview of Dodge City.

Next, enjoy a driving tour of the city’s murals. Discover Dodge City’s vibrant culture and rich history through stunning murals. These beautiful murals preserve Dodge City’s cultural heritage and traditions. Experience the artistry of these murals and be transported to another time and place.

After a break for lunch, visit the Gunfighters Wax Museum and see the life-size wax figurines of famous western personalities like: Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Doc Holliday, Belle Starr, Davey Crockett, Buffalo Bill, Calamity Jane, Frank and Jesse James, Billy the Kid, Doc, Miss Kitty, Festus, and many, many more!

Then enjoy a tour and tasting at the Boot Hill Distillery.  Atop Boot Hill, where outlaws once found their final resting place, spirits flow again.  In the spring of 1872, George M. Hoover embarked on a spirited endeavor, loading his wagon with whiskey barrels.  Thus, Dodge City, Kansas, was born from a barrel.  Boot Hill Distillery now carries on this legendary legacy with an unwavering commitment to handcrafted spirits sourced, milled, distilled, and bottled locally from their farms.

Relive the Legend of Dodge City at the Boot Hill Museum, located on the original site of Boot Hill Cemetery and highlights the glory days as “Queen of the Cowtowns” with creative, lively, interactive displays and activities the entire family will enjoy.  The collection at Boot Hill Museum includes more than 60,000 objects, photographs, and documents.  Most of our collection is from Dodge City’s early days—the 1870s through the 1920s—and actually belonged to original residents of Dodge City.

Then sit down and have a Country Style Dinner and be entertained by Miss Kitty.  The Long Branch Variety Show is the longest-running seasonal theatrical show in the nation.  Miss Kitty and her piano player host musical, dramatic, and comedy routines in the most famous saloon on Front Street.  The one other constant remaining from the show’s original version is the Can-Can dancers who perform their signature piece as the show’s grand finale.  (B,D)

After breakfast, depart for home. (B)