Boot Hill Museum recreates life in Old West

    Boot Hill Museum is located at Front Street and Fifth Avenue, facing Wyatt Earp Boulevard. It is an accredited Western history museum located on the original site of Boot Hill Cemetery in downtown Dodge City.
    Life in the 19th century is interpreted through audio-visual programs, exhibits, a reconstruction of Dodge City in 1876 and Old West restorations. Daily summer entertainment includes living history displays, stagecoach rides through downtown Dodge City, gunfight re-enactments, and the Long Branch Saloon Variety Show. 
    Boot Hill is free to Ford County residents with current proof of a Ford County address. Come into the gift shop in the Great Western Hotel and sign up for a Pioneer Card that will get you in free to the museum year-round. A fee is charged for the country-style dinner and variety show. 
    Beatty & Kelley's restaurant, located on Boot Hill's boardwalk, is also a great place for a quick lunch, open from Memorial Day to Labor Day. They also serve ice cream and refreshments during the day. The country-style dinner is served at 6 p.m., and reservations are preferred.
    Boot Hill has added new items in its gift shop, located in the Great Western Hotel. If you haven't been in for a while, you really should check it out. It's a great place for unique gifts and decor items for yourself.
    The museum is open daily year-round, but it is closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Memorial Day to Labor Day hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; off-season hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
    Boot Hill also maintains the Santa Fe Trail Ruts site, located nine miles west of Dodge City on Highway 50. Tracks of the original wagon trail used by pioneers from 1821 to 1872 are easily accessible for viewing. Just watch for the “Historic Marker” signs. This site contains the largest continuous stretch of clearly defined tracks along the Santa Fe Trail.

    EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the first in a series of articles about area attractions. The articles were written by the Dodge City Convention and Visitors Bureau as part of National Tourism Week, May 10-18. For more information, visit the CVB at Fourth Avenue and Spruce Street or call (620) 225-8186.