Explore Hesston through a range of interests: landscaped grounds, college culture and local history. The Dyck Arboretum of the Plains offers a self-guided tour, while theater and music provide additional cultural experiences. The Hesston Tornado Collection focuses on a specific event in south-central Kansas.
Gardens and a self-guided tour
The Dyck Arboretum of the Plains encompasses an original 13-acre site with established gardens. It features native and adaptable trees, shrubs, wildflowers and grasses, as well as a pond. Educational, meeting and event spaces complement the gardens. A self-guided tour with informational signs explains the gardens’ biological and horticultural features. This lets you explore the landscaped grounds while learning about plants and horticulture. If you are particularly interested in native plants and adapted garden design, the arboretum offers a clear focus alongside the town’s cultural offerings.
Theater and music at the college
Hesston College Theatre produces four performances each academic year. Another format is the “Pen to Paper to Performance” festival, also called P3: it brings local playwrights, student performers and audiences together through live theater and takes place every two years. These two offerings have different schedules. If you plan to travel to Hesston for a particular performance, check the date for your preferred time frame.
The Bel Canto Singers provide music: the ensemble performs sacred and secular music at campus events and in the community. Theater and music are both part of the cultural offerings, while P3 adds a distinct festival format featuring local playwrights and student performers.
A specific link to regional history
The Hesston Tornado Collection at the Hesston Public Library documents the tornadoes that devastated Hesston and surrounding communities in south-central Kansas on March 13, 1990. Its geographic scope therefore extends beyond Hesston and explicitly includes surrounding communities. For travelers interested in local and regional history, the focus here is a specific event with a clearly stated date—a different experience from theater, music or garden design.
Lunch and a group activity
The Grill at Hesston Golf Course offers a lunch menu and serves golfers and non-golfers alike. The offering is therefore not limited to people who play golf. For a different kind of leisure activity, the Hesston Aquatic Center offers reservations for pool parties. If you are planning a pool party, you can take this reservation option into account when planning your stay.
Regional orientation
Hesston is 30 miles north of Wichita and directly off Interstate I-135. These details help place the town in the region. When deciding whether to stay in Hesston, you can also consider whether you are most interested in the arboretum, a cultural offering or the historical focus of the Tornado Collection. If your trip is tied to a specific performance, it is worth including the date in your plans.
Discover more destinations: Newton
Return to the main travel overview: Harvey County.
