Phillips County offers a variety of ways to shape a stay: art collections, railroad memorabilia and historic sites sit alongside destinations for outdoor recreation. To decide what to focus on, it’s worth considering the differences: the Dane G. Hansen Museum alternates between a permanent collection and exhibitions, while the railroad museums and forts offer other perspectives.

Art and Railroad History

The Dane G. Hansen Museum has a permanent art collection and hosts changing exhibitions from the Smithsonian Institution. This brings together a permanent collection and rotating displays. Admission is free. If you want to make art a focus of your visit, this is a specific place to start; the Smithsonian Institution exhibitions add further themes to the permanent collection.

The collection at the C&R Railroad Museum centers on railroad memorabilia. The museum also displays 94 locomotives and a miniature railroad by Bill Clarke. Different forms of railroad history are therefore part of the same museum offering: memorabilia, locomotives and the miniature railroad. For visitors with a particular interest in railroads, this is a clearly defined theme alongside the art collection at the Dane G. Hansen Museum.

The Gallery in Phillipsburg displays collections by local artists. If you’d like to include this art-focused stop in your plans, check current events and opening hours before your visit. The Majestic Theatre has been owned by the community since 2000 and adds another theater-related venue to Phillipsburg’s cultural offerings.

Fort History in Phillipsburg

The buildings at the Fort Bissell Museum originally came from Phillips County. Almost all of the objects were donated or loaned by county residents. Both the buildings and the origins of much of the collection connect the museum to the region. The historical context of Fort Bissell is clear: settlers built it for protection against Indigenous groups, and it was not a federal military post.

Old Fort Bissell is located in Phillipsburg City Park and offers visitors a glimpse of a frontier settlement. This is a distinct way to explore the theme of history, separate from the collection at the Fort Bissell Museum. The museum has seasonal opening hours: from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend, Tuesday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. If you plan a visit, be sure to keep to these hours.

The Phillipsburg Community Building also offers a historical perspective. It is a Late Gothic Revival-style building with significance in the areas of architecture, social history, entertainment and recreation, and politics and government. This combination of themes makes it a different historical site from the forts: here, the focus is on architecture and public significance.

Water Recreation and Other Activities

Agra Lake lies among trees west of Agra and has a fishing pier. Primitive camping is permitted there. These features make the lake a different kind of destination from the museums and historic sites: the focus is on the lake, the pier and the opportunity for basic camping. If you include Agra Lake in your travel plans, distinguish these specific offerings from cultural visits.

The Phillipsburg Aquatic Center has a large outdoor pool and an indoor therapy and exercise pool. Both pools are accessible via zero-entry access, ramps or steps. The facilities can therefore be distinguished by pool type: a large outdoor pool on the one hand and an indoor pool for therapy and exercise on the other. The Phillipsburg Golf Club adds a 9-hole course to the recreational options.

The golf club also includes The Sand Trap, a casual tavern with bar games and live entertainment. These offerings may change, so check the latest information before visiting. When choosing activities, you can choose among art, railroad history, historic sites and recreational offerings without making every theme a focus of the same stay.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Glade, Wilson, Butler, Riley County, Seward County, Kiowa County, Lyon, Scott County.

For the overarching travel overview: Kansas.