Sites of interest
Visitors are drawn to Manhattan by Kansas State University sporting events, performing arts, lecture series, and the annual Country Stampede Music Festival – the largest music festival in Kansas.
The Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art and the Kansas State University Gardens are located on the campus of Kansas State University. Next to campus is Aggieville, one of the oldest shopping and retail centers in the United States, with enough bars to satisfy the college crowd. Aggieville is also home to the longest continuously-operating Pizza Hut in the world.
Manhattan's Sunset Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Colbert Hills Golf Course, which is annually ranked by Golf Digest among the best in the state, is home to the Earl Woods National Youth Golf Academy and a host site for the First Tee program. Manhattan is also the birthplace of Damon Runyon, the "Inventor of Broadway," and his Manhattan house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Manhattan and "KS Hill" in October 2005
Manhattan and "KS Hill" in October 2005
The buildings which house The Flint Hills Job Corps Training Center west of town were once used as a nursing home and orphanage operated by the Fraternal Order of Odd Fellows.
The First Capital of the Kansas Territory is preserved nearby, on Fort Riley grounds.