Wichita Tourist Attractions

As an industrial zone, Wichita, Kansas, also focuses on the regional center of culture, media, and trade.

The city hosts several large museums, theaters, parks, universities, and entertainment venues.

There are several tourist attractions in the metro that visitors will surely enjoy.

Here are some recommended attraction sites in Wichita.

Sedgwick County Zoo

Address: 650 N. Seneca, Wichita, Kansas, USA

The Sedgwick County Zoo is an Association of Zoos and Aquariums accredited (AZA) wildlife park. It is one of the major attractions in Wichita, Kansas, United States. That was founded in 1971 with the help of the Sedgwick County Zoological Society.

The zoo became famous nationally and internationally for its support of conservation programs and for successfully breeding rare and endangered species.

The facility has over 3,000 animals of nearly 400 various species. This Wichita zoo has slowly increased the numbers of its visitors and now ranks as the number one outdoor tourist attraction in the state.

Sedgwick County Zoo exhibits include the Downing Gorilla Forest, Pride of the Plains, Penguin Cove, African Veldt, and the Tiger Trek.

Exploration Place

Address: 300 N McLean Blvd, Wichita, Kansas, USA

The Exploration Place is a non-profit institution and a science museum located on the west side of the Arkansas River.

In the 1980s, the city of Wichita planned to build a city-owned Omnisphere and Science Museum.

In 1992, a campaign fund was launched. Funds from the city, Sedgwick County, and some other donations paved the way for the museum to open in the spring of 2000.

The Exploration Place houses the Digital Dome Theater and Planetarium, known to be the largest in Kansas, having a 60-foot high, 360-degree screen showing digital films.

The Kemper Creative Learning Studio is also located inside Exploration Place. It is a theater with a 169-seat capacity equipped with an audio-visual sound system, podium, and stage lighting where live science shows occur.

The exhibits inside the facility include Big Mouth, Bridging Art and Science, Design/Build/Fly, Explore Kansas, Kansas in Miniature, KEVA: Build Your Mind, Nano, Kansas Kids Connect, Travelling Exhibits, and Where Kids Rule.

Wichita Art Museum

Address: 1400 Museum Blvd, Wichita, Kansas, USA

The Wichita Art Museum was established in 1915 and was opened in 1935, featuring Louise Caldwell Murdock’s creations and art borrowed from other museums.

In 1939, the first work in the Murdock Collection was purchased.

In 1963, the building was enlarged with a new lobby and two new wings.

In 1964, a foundation was established to raise funds for new acquisitions.

In the 1970s, the city built a new and larger climate-controlled facility.

In 2003, the museum completed another expansion project giving the building a total of 115,000 square feet.

Edward Larrabee Barnes designed the current building.

Botanica, The Wichita Gardens

Address: 701 Amidon St, Wichita, Kansas, USA

The Botanica, Wichita Gardens was opened in 1987with the joint efforts of the Wichita Area Garden Council and the City of Wichita.

The garden initially had four lawns and now covers about 18 acres or 7 hectares of botanical gardens located at 701 North Amidon, Wichita, Kansas.

This Botanical garden is city-owned as part of the Wichita Park System and is operated by Botanica, Incorporated, a non-profit institution.

The Wichita Gardens feature an aquatic collection, a butterfly garden with a 2,880 square foot butterfly house, and a greenhouse for tropical plants.

A collection of juniper, peony, pinetum, and roses are also found inside the gardens.

The botanical exhibit includes a sensory garden, a Shakespearean garden, and Woodlands with azaleas, dogwoods, and many flowering plants.

In July 2011, Botanica opened the Downing Children's Garden, which features several themed areas, including the monster woods, salamander stream, granddaddy's musical maze, a rainbow and sunflower fountain, and a plaza.

In 2014, a new events center was opened and can hold 299 people at capacity. In May of the same year, the 1949 Allan Herschell Company carousel from the Joyland Amusement Park was donated to the Botanica and placed in the Downing Children's Garden.

Old Cowtown Museum

Address: 1865 Museum Blvd, Wichita, Kansas 67203, USA

The Old Cowtown Museum is an accredited history museum located next to the Arkansas River in central Wichita.

The Museum was established in 1952 and is one of the oldest outdoor history museums in the central United States.

It has 54 historic and recreated buildings, including a farm and out-buildings, situated on 23 acres of land in the original Chisholm Trail.

The museum combines attraction, a museum, a living history site, and a historic preservation project. Cowtown is a not-for-profit institution.

Museum of World Treasures

Address: 835 E 1st St N, Wichita, Kansas 67202, USA

The Museum of World Treasures is a world history museum that displays fossils of various dinosaur species like Tyrannosaurus, Daspletosaurus, and Tylosaurus specimens.

The museum also exhibits Egyptian mummies, signatures of all the American presidents, a Berlin wall section, and a genuine shrunken head.

The Museum of World Treasures is not just limited to a specific era of history but has opted to display a diverse collection representing various fields of interest and a wide range of subjects.

The Museum of World Treasures is a member of the American Alliance of Museums but is not yet accredited by the organization.

Kansas Aviation Museum

Address: 3350 George Washington Blvd, Wichita, Kansas 67210, USA

The Kansas Aviation Museum was the former Wichita Municipal Airport terminal from 1935 to 1954.

The Museum features many aircraft displays, including the WB-47E Stratojet, B-52D Stratofortress, KC-135 Stratotanker, Boeing 727, Boeing 737-2H4, Republic F-84F Thunderstreak, and many more.

The building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places as the Administration Building in 1990.

The Ulrich Museum of Art

Address: Wichita State University, 1845 Fairmount St, Wichita, Kansas 67260, USA

The Ulrich Museum of Art was named after Edwin A. Ulrich. It is a museum located on the campus of Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas.

On December 7, 1974, the museum opened its doors to the public. It is best known for its sizable Venetian glass, and marble mosaic by Joan Miró found on the facade of the building entitled Personnages Oiseaux. It is a 28-by-52-foot mural on 80 panels.

The museum was also well known for its large Martin H. Bus, an outdoor sculpture Collection of 80 works across 330 acres, which was named Top Ten among campus sculptures in 2006 by Public Art Review.

The Outdoor Sculpture Collection is part of the museum's permanent collection containing approximately 6,500 objects.

The museum's permanent collection includes sculptures and artworks by renowned local and national artists like Benny Andrews, Diane Arbus, Barkley Hendricks, Nan Goldin, Zhang Huan, Sol LeWitt, Joan Mitchell, Gordon Parks, Kara Walker, and Andy Warhol, among many others.

The Keeper of the Plains

Address: 339 Veterans Pkwy, Wichita, Kansas 67203, USA

The Keeper of the Plains is a 44-foot sculpture made of corten steel by Blackbear Bosin, a Kiowa-Comanche artist.

It stands tall connecting junctions of the Arkansas and Little Arkansas rivers in Wichita, adjacent to the Mid-America All-Indian Center.

At the foot of the statue are surrounding displays describing the local Kiowa-Comanche tribes that used to be inhabitants of the area, as well as several fire pits, also known as Rings of Fire, which are sometimes lit to illuminate the statue at night.

Fire Pits are lit once a night around 7:00 in the evening, particularly during the winter and at sunset during the summer.