I would advise you to just see Cow Town in Wichita and save yourself a long drive. The buildings in Wichita are mostly authentic from the cattle drive days of the 1870's. Our local art museum also has a small display of western art by Charles Russell. It certainly is worth a visit and there is no admission charge on Saturdays. The Mid American All Indian Center and Wichita Botanica are all within a half mile of Cow Town and the art museum so you can see several attractions in a small area and in a relatively short period of time if you so choose.

With apologies to those that love it, I find Dodge City's Boot Hill to be a dated kids attraction.

As an alternative, I would suggest visiting Coffeyville where the Dalton Gang met their end. It has the Dalton Defenders' Museum, Elmwood Cemetery with the Dalton graves, the beautiful Perkins Building which housed one of the banks they robbed, and other buildings from the time.

My advice is to dodge 'Dodge City'. It really is a dive. If you want an authentic cowboy, Western experience save your hard-earned greenbacks and go to Fort Worth, Texas. We couldn't get a decent Margarita in Dodge City. The steaks at Montana Mike's were tough and dry - almost as dry as a Kansas cornfield after months of drought. It's dry, dusty and stinky (all those cows and their methane isn't a great odor). Boot Hill Cemetery is ok - but just ok - I wouldn't go out of my way to come here again - ever.

Most of the hotels are on the main road - so expect lots of night-time noise.

We stayed at the Comfort Inn - lousy! Try the Holiday Inn Express - they are always reliable. The Comfort Inn has no scrim curtains so you either have your curtains open or closed for light. If open then everyone can see in - if closed then you are in darkness so need lamps during the day. The sink has no plug and can't be shut off so the husband's shaving experience meant he just had to either keep turning the tap on and off or leave the water running (wasteful). Also a very dated hotel although the staff are very nice.

The only other tourist attraction was the tourist trolley - gives you a good sense of the history of the town but when one of the main stops along the route is the cattle feed yards and the abbatoir/processing factory one does have to wonder!

Dodge City does have Santa Fe Trail ruts, a tiny zoo, and and the Kansas Soldiers' Home at the former Fort Dodge. So there are somethings to do if passing through, but nothing to make a special trip to visit.