Travel Ideas for Lawrence, Kansas

Athletic Events

The University of Kansas is well-known for its men's basketball program, which has been among the nation's most successful programs in NCAA Tournament history. Tour the team's home venue, Allen Fieldhouse, or if you're in Lawrence during basketball season --- from November through early March --- go to the Jayhawks' website at kuathletics.com to check the schedule and see if you can catch a game. You also can tour the university's home football venue, Memorial Stadium. On some Saturdays in the fall, you can purchase tickets to Jayhawks football games.

Lawrence offers a handful of outdoor recreational activities, with campgrounds and RV parks, hiking trails and bike paths. The Kansas River runs through town, offering opportunities for fishing and whitewater rafting. The Clinton Wildlife Area includes more than 9,000 acres of land designated for wildlife and managed by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. The wildlife area includes hunting land, hiking trails, equestrian trails for horseback riding and fishing opportunities on Clinton Reservoir.

The Lawrence Outdoor Aquatic Center was renovated in 1995 to include two water slides, a children's swimming area, a diving well, fountains and a 50-meter lap pool. The aquatic center's operation schedule depends on the weather but typically extends from late spring through the summer, into September. The Lawrence Parks and Recreation Indoor Aquatic Center is open year-round. It features a 10-lane lap pool, a diving well, a children's play area and a water slide. The indoor center's competition pool remains 82 degrees all year round, and the family pool is set at 87 degrees.

The University of Kansas is home to the KU Natural History Museum and the Spencer Museum of Art, both of which are open to the public and showcase a variety of rotating exhibits. Admission is free to both museums, but the Natural History Museum has a recommended contribution scale of $5 per adult and $3 per child, as of 2010. The four-story Natural History Museum features fossils, interactive exhibits and events that have included science workshops and presentations by university professors. The Spencer Museum of Art offers four to six collections at a time, with a wide range of rotating exhibits and ongoing art history and art appreciation programs and workshops.