Hays

Hays is a town of 21,000 people (2021) in the Western region of Kansas. The largest city in northwestern Kansas, and the economic and cultural center of the region. It is also a college town, home to Fort Hays State University.

Get in

By plane

• 1 Hays Regional Airport (HYS  ^IATA). Has nonstop service from Denver and Great Bend. (updated May 2019)

See

• 1 Sternberg Museum of Natural History, 3000 Sternberg Dr, ☏ +1 785-628-4286. Tu-Sa 9AM-7PM, Su 1-5PM, closed Mondays. Contains exhibits on dinosaurs, Cretaceous sea creatures, fossils, and fossil preparation. Admission: $9 for adults, $8 for seniors, $6 for children 4-12, free for children age 3 and younger.  
• Buffalo Herd, W. Hwy 183 Alternate, ☏ +1 785-628-7375. The city parks department keeps a small buffalo herd across from the historic Fort Hays. Admission is free to the public, but the animals can be aggressive if provoked, so be careful. 
• 2 Fort Hays State Historic Site, 1472 U.S. 183 Alternate (4 miles south of Hays I-70 exit 157 on Highway 183 Alternate), ☏ +1 785 625-6812, kshs.forthays@ks.gov. W-Sa 9AM-5PM. (updated Feb 2019)
• 3 Ellis County Historical Society. (updated Oct 2020)

Do

• Wild West Festival. To celebrate Independence Day and to mark its early history as an Old West frontier town, the city hosts the annual Wild West Festival during the first week of July. The festival includes country and rock music concerts, a carnival, a parade, a fishing tournament, baseball games, and a fireworks display. For a full schedule, visit the website. 
• 1 Lewis Field Stadium. (updated Oct 2020)
• 2 Hays Aquatic Park, ☏ +1-785-623-2653. Features water slides, diving boards, and a lazy river. $4 for single day, $35 for season pass. (updated Oct 2020)
• 3 Hays Arts Center, ☏ +1 785-625-7522. M-F 10AM-4PM, Sa 10AM-1PM. (updated Oct 2020)
• Hays is a regional center of German American culture due to the number of German immigrants who settled the area in the 1870s and 1880s. As of 2010, 56.5% of the city population claimed German ancestry. The city hosts several events throughout the year that celebrate this heritage including two Oktoberfests. The Midwest Deutsche Oktoberfest takes place the third week of September. Fort Hays State University and the Volga German Society hold an Oktoberfest celebration on the first or second Friday in October. In addition, Polka Fest occurs in March, and the Ellis County Historical Museum hosts German Heritage Day' in April.
• On the first weekend in December, the Kansas Historical Society holds Christmas Past at Historic Fort Hays, showcasing history programs and tours of the fort with it decorated for Christmas as it was in the late 1800s.

Buy

• 1 Big Creek Crossing. Shopping mall. (updated Oct 2020)

Eat

• 1 Lomatos Pizza, 130 W 9th St, ☏ +1 785-623-2888. 11AM-10PM. (updated Oct 2020)
• 2 Augustine’s Bakery, 1305 Main St, ☏ +1 785-621-2253. Tu-F 7AM- 3PM, Sa 7AM-noon. (updated Jan 2022)

Drink

• 1 Defiance Brewing Company. Has a taproom. (updated Oct 2020)
• 2 Gella's Diner + LB Brewing Co. Microbrewery. (updated Oct 2020)

Sleep

• Best Western Vagabond Motel, 2524 Vine St, ☏ +1 785-625-2511, fax: +1 785-625-8879. 
• 1 Hays Fairfield Inn, 377 Mopar Dr, ☏ +1 785-625-3344, fax: +1 785-625-3322. 
• 2 Holiday Inn, 3603 Vine St, ☏ +1 785-625-7371. 
• Motel 6, 3404 Vine St, ☏ +1 785-625-4282, fax: +1 785 625-3430. 
• 3 Comfort Inn, 2810 Vine St, ☏ +1 785-628-8008, toll-free: +1-800-4-CHOICE (246423). 
• Tea Rose Inn Bed and Breakfast, 117 West 13th St, toll-free: +1-888-623-1125. Restored 1909 home with breakfast served daily. Rates $69-120 per night. 

Connect

• 1 Hays Public Library. (updated Oct 2020)
• 2 Hays Post Office. (updated Oct 2020)

Go next

Routes through Hays

Denver ← WaKeeney ←	W  E	→ Salina → Topeka
Holdrege ← Stockton ←	N  S	→ Greensburg → Clinton