Richard Smalley is the tourism marketing manager of the Kansas Department of Commerce.

There’s more to see in Kansas than sunflowers and wheat.

“What we find is a lot of people aren’t aware of what’s in their own back yard oftentimes,” said Richard Smalley, marketing manager of the Kansas Department of Commerce’s Travel and Tourism division.

As high gasoline prices weigh into summer vacation plans, tourism officials remind Kansans that they don’t have to go far for fun and to save money.

According to an annual AAA rating that measures items such as the cost of lodging and food, Kansas is a good buy when it comes to places to visit.

“Every year, Kansas has come in as one of the best values when it comes to lowest-priced vacation destinations,” Smalley said.

And if you never thought of Kansas as a destination, a visit to the Department of Commerce’s Web site may convince you otherwise.

The Web site, www.travelks.com, has plenty of ideas, including ready-made adventures with themes such as family, sports, history, outdoors – or even “quirky.”

The family adventure includes stops at the Sunset Zoo in Manhattan, Rolling Hills Adventure in Salina and Kansas Cosmosphere in Hutchinson. The quirky adventure includes stops at the world’s largest ball of sisal twine in Cawker City, the 24-foot by 32-foot rendition of Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflower painting on an 8-story easel in Goodland, and the Garden of Eden in Lucas.

“There probably are a lot of places in Kansas that most people aren’t aware of or haven’t seen yet because they are fairly new,” Smalley said.

An example would be the Underground Salt Museum in Hutchinson, he said. The museum opened in May 2007 and its exhibits and attractions are constantly evolving. An exhibit of Hollywood costumes and props just added artifacts from “Men In Black II,” “Talladega Nights,” and “Ali.” The museum is opening an exhibit this month about researchers who may have found the world’s oldest living organisms. A new visitor’s center is expected to be complete in June and a grand opening ceremony is set for July 12.

“It’s a great experience,” Smalley said.

Festivals and fairs also can make for fun mini-vacations. Here are some of the bigger ones this summer: Smoky Hill River Festival, June 12-15, Salina; Country Stampede, June 26-29 Manhattan; Wild West Festival, July 3-5, Hays; Amelia Earhart Festival, July 18-19, Atchison and Dodge City Days, July 25-Aug. 3, Dodge City.

“There’s a lot of stuff going on,” Smalley said.

To help Kansas travelers, the Kansas Department of Transportation is offering a newly-enhanced 511 phone system. By calling 511, travelers can get the latest driving conditions, construction detours and weather information. Information also is available online at http://511.ksdot.org. Travelers also can use their hand-held mobile devices to access a text report for construction project information by visiting http://mm.ksdot.org.