Lawrence is a university town in eastern Kansas, home to the University of Kansas and one of the most charming small cities in the state. The National Trust for Historic Preservation once named it among America's "Dozen Most Distinctive Destinations," and the praise is deserved.
Massachusetts Street — "Mass Street" to locals — is the heart of it: a well-preserved downtown strip lined with antiques shops, independent bookstores, cafes, and live music venues. The Eldridge Hotel at its northern end has been rebuilt three times after being burned or attacked — a reminder that Lawrence was founded in 1854 as an abolitionist stronghold, and paid for it. The Granada Theater, a 1927 movie palace converted to a live music venue, anchors the city's cultural reputation.
The University of Kansas campus on Mount Oread is worth a visit for the two free museums alone: the Spencer Museum of Art has a strong Asian collection and good American painting, and the Natural History Museum holds the preserved body of Comanche, the horse who survived the Battle of Little Bighorn. The city's history of Civil War violence is covered at the Watkins Museum of History and commemorated at the Lawrence Massacre site.