prairie museum of art & history

I enjoyed this museum very much. It has several different collections such as toys, dolls, furniture,stamps and coins, jewelry, glassware, buttons, etc. The staff encourages you to open the drawers and look at all the interesting collectables.They have a very large outdoor area with a 1930's era home, a schoolhouse, a church and a very large barn with various types of farm implements. They also have some sheep.The staff was very friendly and helpful and I enjoyed all the interesting items in the gift shop. I would definitely go back a again. There are so many interesting things to see.

If on your travels you are driving anywhere near Colby Kansas, make the effort, carve out just even two hours, though four might be better, and visit the Prairie Museum of Art & History. Walk into the old buildings, the sod house is stunning, but all the buildings transport you to another time. And the mixture of artifacts inside the museum are both beautiful, odd, and overwhelming. Plan to take dozens if not hundreds of photos. The dolls, the toys, the glass, all so interesting, and all right there in a place you'd never expect to find them. The small fee is worth it ten times over...

The surrounding community is so fortunate to have this outstanding collection of buildings and artifacts in this place. I saw pieces that the Smithsonian or Colonial Williamsburg would love to have.I grew up in a rural community in north central Kansas, and seeing some of the buildings was like a walk back through my childhood. The collections in the main museum building were nothing short of astounding, and the exhibits are well curated and organized. We spent several hours and could easily have spent more time, and still not see it all.I can't resist a good museum gift shop, either, and this did not disappoint. DH found a couple of books, and I found a Christmas ornament, a paperweight, and more. If you have any interest at all in the history of this area, this museum is worth both the time and money to visit.

This place is an absolute gem! First of all, the outside features are like show-and-tell from 100 years ago. You can smell the history - and you can touch it. I rang an old church bell, called up Sarah on an old crank phone, gave an old record player a spin, pumped an old sewing machine and pumped an old organ and made it play. There were also old pianos, old books that you could look at, an old wood stove that you could open and look into. It was really, really nice to be able to feel what it must have been like to live there. It smelled just like Grandma's house used to smell, and the whole place makes for a great history lesson for the younger crowd. Inside the museum - oh my gosh. It goes on and on, and even has oodles of drawers with even more treasures. Seriously, you could spend all day in there looking at the exotic glass and china, military exhibits, coin and button collections, dolls, toys, and various other types of collectibles. It was really fantastic. If you're just passing through, you may not have enough time, but if you're staying in the area it is WELL worth your time.

I was surprised at the amount of items they had at this museum and they said only about 15% was on display. A lot of it was items that I had grown up with. (I'm 71). We were only there for a couple of hours but, one could spend the whole day there.

We saw a sign for this museum on our way home from Colorado. We love museums so we stopped, and are so glad we did. There is so much history to see and read about. We stayed 2 hours, and I'm sure we could have stayed longer if we had time. It was only $6.00 each for us as seniors.

While the farm buildings and displays describing farm life are interesting, the true treasures are inside. The collection includes the life's work of one woman who donated everything to this museum. It includes: dolls, furniture, glass, ceramics, vintage fashion and uniforms, jewelry, and just about any other category of antique and collectable. The exhibition is very well organized, and fascinating to see.

What a surprise ... this museum is an unexpected jewel. Incredible collections of all varieties: military uniforms, world-wide crystal, glass, pottery, toys, dolls, farming implements, etc, etc. Worthy of the Smithsonian. Also on site: one-room schoolhouse, one-room sod house, historic church, huge restored barn. Great educational opportunities from pre-school to Senior citizens.

This museum complex is a great place to stop on your way through western Kansas. The barn is pretty impressive, and the other buildings really make you feel like you've stepped into a previous century. One building really feels like you've walked into someone's current living room -- it even smells like someone's grandmother might still live there. They went to great pains to detail the history of the area in binders near each exhibit, so you can decide to learn in as great a depth as you like about any of the objects you see.They also provide a number of activities for kids that are clearly labeled. There are lots of things to touch, in general.We only stayed for about an hour, but could have probably stayed longer. Might want to come when it's a bit warmer outside, since the several buildings are connected by outdoor paths.

Ok, Colby is a small town, in the middle of nowhere, in the western part of Kansas. This museum is something I would have expected to see in a major city. The outdoor buildings were interesting, a sod house, an old schoolhouse, a home, a church, the most amazing barn (that is a whole story in itself, the biggest barn in Kansas, and it is huge, so well kept, and the fact that is was moved here in one piece is just mind boggling!). You can go inside all of them, the best thing I thought was all the signs welcoming kids to touch things, to try on the pioneer clothes, to experience what living on the prairie was really like. So many museums are a "no touch" area for kids, this was cool, and I did not even have any kids with me!Inside the museum is a wonderful collection of amazing things, toys, dolls, marbles, wedding dresses, military uniforms, china, prairie living items, all displayed so well in similar groupings with wonderful lighting, and again, things to keep kids interested, coloring pages, information they were encouraged to take and read, etc. I only had about an hour to see this place before closing that day, I could have spent much longer. The admission price was very reasonable for all they had to see. Highly recommended if you are thru this area and have time to stop - pretty easy to find from I-70.

Very interesting museum. Lots of stuff to look at--dishes, toys, military uniforms, wedding dresses, furniture. etc. Reasonable price for entrance.

The Kuska Collection was impressive for someone in this area. Her Meissen China was definitely worthy of museum accolade! The outside buildings were fun and well maintained. The gift shop was plentiful and a nice selection of books. I realize you can't stop everywhere on the I70 but this is worth the leg stretch and education of High Plains life.

We have visited several times for traveling displays and think the museum is one of the best. The outside buildings on a good size acreage are very nicely kept. The inside collections are outstanding.

Very nice staff, knowledgeable, with terrific book collection. The doll collection was the best I have ever seen. They even had a collection of WPA dolls, which were completely new to me. The buildings outside were in fine shape. We particularly enjoyed the sod cottage and the 1910 house, that survived 30's Dust Bowl storms.

What a gem out in western Kansas just off I70.. Be sure to stop by---wonderful grounds to walk around and see all the elements of Kansas farm life in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The museum has some incredible displays that you don't want to miss. Working barn with sheep.We were really enthralled by our visit.