Manhattan, Kansas at a Glance
Location: Northeast Kansas
Access: Manhattan Regional Airport; Interstate 70 to Kansas Highway 177
Major Meeting Spaces: Manhattan Conference Center, Hilton Garden Inn, Double Tree by Hilton, Holiday Inn Manhattan at the Campus, Bluemont Hotel
Hotel Rooms: 1,297
Off-Site Venues: Museum of Art + Light, Flint Hills Discovery Center, Sunset Zoo, Midwest Dream Car Collection, Kansas State Student Union
Contact Info:
Visit Manhattan, Kansas
785-776-8829
visitmanhattanks.org
As home to Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, mixes Aggieville’s vibrant campus charm with a bustling downtown that contains an eclectic mix of retail shops, dining and attractions. The combination ensures there’s always something fun to explore.
“Our downtown is very much alive and thriving,” said Marcia Rozell, director of Visit Manhattan, Kansas. “It’s the site of our main conference center, which expanded in 2020 and offers a great venue with a lot of walkability to area restaurants and attractions.”
Plus, as the gateway to Kansas’ Flint Hills Region — site of America’s largest intact tallgrass prairie — Manhattan provides a unique opportunity to explore the natural beauty of the Great Plains.
“This whole area of the Flint Hills is just so lush and gorgeous,” Rozell says. “If we’ve had a good rain season, some of the grasses on our rolling hills can grow to be eight feet tall.”
The city is easily accessible via flights to the Manhattan Regional Airport or by car or bus on Interstate 70 via Kansas Highway 177, and its just-right size (population roughly 53,000) positions it to deliver big-city amenities — including a zoo, specialty museums and rooftop dining — with a footprint that’s accessible and welcoming.
Major Meeting Spaces
Manhattan has 13 hotel properties, including four with full-service meeting support: the Manhattan Conference Center and its attached Hilton Garden Inn downtown, the Double Tree by Hilton, the Holiday Inn Manhattan at the Campus, and the Bluemont Hotel, all near Kansas State University’s campus.
As the city’s primary meeting venue, the Manhattan Conference Center features 41,000 square feet of space and can accommodate up to 2,341 attendees. Its rooms can be divided into 12 configurations, including smaller boardrooms and breakout rooms, and staff there offer assistance with all aspects of meeting planning, from on-site catering to professional audio-visual support. Conference guests staying at the adjacent Hilton Garden Inn can request airport shuttle service to and from the Manhattan Regional Airport, located just eight miles away.
Social Reception Venues
Manhattan’s new Museum of Art + Light, which opened in December 2024, is a first-of-its-kind contemporary art museum focused on showcasing immersive, digital art. In addition to being a must-see for any area visitor, the building’s fresh, dynamic spaces offer an ideal backdrop for receptions both large and small.
Nearby, the Flint Hills Discovery Center — itself a longstanding, popular visitor attraction — stands as another fun, out-of-the-box meeting venue for groups. The 35,000-square-foot downtown museum offers hands-on exhibits on the science and culture of the unique Flint Hills region. Groups can rent both indoor and outdoor space at the center, including a rooftop terrace and glass atrium.
“Both of those attractions are great in that they’re very close to the conference center and easily walkable for groups wanting to host an off-site evening social,” Rozell said.
Popular Attractions
Car buffs won’t want to miss the Midwest Dream Car Collection, home to a captivating array of vintage, luxury and muscle cars that, together, weave a portrait of more than 100 years of automobile history. For breathtaking views of the area’s natural beauty, a stop for a wine and food pairing at the Liquid Art Winery, Manhattan’s 10-acre estate vineyard, is hard to beat.
Families will love the Sunset Zoo’s exhibits of more than 250 animal varieties, including the recently added Expedition Asia space with tigers, lemurs and sloth bears. Of course, Kansas State’s campus and surrounding Aggieville district offer another sure hit, thanks to its eclectic mix of bars, restaurants and shops.
Team-Building Opportunities
Groups wanting bonding experiences won’t have to look far in Manhattan. Spots like Axe to Grind and Manhatchet, the city’s two ax-throwing ranges, specialize in group fun. For a heavier adrenaline boost, Wildwood Adventure Park offers seven outdoor zipline courses on its 80-acre park.
Colbert Hills Golf Course, ranked the No. 1 public course in Kansas, boasts its own variety of outdoor fun with 27 holes, a driving range and an on-site restaurant. Nearby Tuttle Creek State Park features yet more outdoor options, including 1,250 acres where groups can enjoy hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, fishing, water sports and disk golf.
Of course, every group dynamic is unique, so finding the right fit for both meeting venues and after-hours team building sometimes requires a bit of local help. That’s where Rozell’s office comes in.
“We want groups to use us as a connector to the community,” she said. “Whatever they need, we can easily make that happen in Manhattan. We try to specialize the experience for every group.”