Lawrence is a free-spirited university city filled with quirky shops, trendy microbreweries and live music venues. Along with a flourishing arts scene and fascinating history, the city features nearby wetlands and a state park.

Things to do

The Spencer Museum of Art showcases works from iconic artists, including Frederic Remington, a 19th-century painter famous for his American Old West realism. It's housed on the Kansas University campus, where you'll also find the KU Natural History Museum filled with live insects, dinosaur fossils and a working honey bee colony.

South of the city, lush Baker Wetlands is home to hundreds of bird species, including kestrels and bald eagles. Shady picnic spots, shoreline trails and a freshwater lake make Clinton State Park a great place to spend sunny days.

Covering a 16-hectare footprint, Grinter Sunflower Farms offers you the chance to walk in fields of golden flowers. You're welcome to make a donation and take home your own bunch of sunflowers. A few hundred metres down the road, the Sunflower General Store sells cookies, seeds, preserves, beauty products and other sunflower-themed merchandise.

Wrap up a day of sightseeing with dinner and drinks at Free State Brewing. It's located on lively Massachusetts Street and has been pouring pints since 1989. Sample beers from its creative tap list featuring Guavatas, a sour beer brewed with fresh guava fruit.

Getting around

Downtown Lawrence is easy to get around on foot or with bicycles. Lawrence is a 30-minute drive east of Topeka and 45 minutes west of Kansas City. Amtrak trains call at Lawrence Station in the heart of the city.