Wichita is the largest city in Kansas and calls itself the Air Capital of the World, a nod to the aircraft makers that have built planes here for a century. It also has a riverfront lined with museums, a historic warehouse district full of restaurants, a Frank Lloyd Wright house and the original Pizza Hut.
This guide covers the best things to do in Wichita, from free landmarks to museums, family days out, sports and easy day trips. Most of the big sights cluster along the Arkansas River and in Old Town, so you can see a lot in a weekend.
Wichita Highlights At A Glance
Attraction
Best For
Where
Good To Know
Keeper of the Plains
Sunset and photos
River confluence, downtown
Ring of Fire lit most evenings
Old Cowtown Museum
History and families
Museums on the River
Living history village
Botanica Wichita
Gardens
Museums on the River
Winter Illuminations lights
Sedgwick County Zoo
Families
North of downtown
Plan a half day
Exploration Place
Kids and science
Riverfront
Hands-on exhibits
Allen House
Architecture
College Hill
Guided tours only
Old Town
Food and nightlife
Downtown
Saturday farmers market
Kansas Aviation Museum
Aviation fans
Former airport terminal
Air Capital history
Landmarks And The Riverfront
The Keeper Of The Plains
Wichita’s best known landmark is a 44-foot weathering steel sculpture by Kiowa-Comanche artist Blackbear Bosin, dedicated in 1974 for the U.S. Bicentennial. It stands on a rock promontory where the Arkansas and Little Arkansas rivers meet, reached by two pedestrian bridges.
Come in the evening for the Ring of Fire, when fire pots around the base burn for about 15 minutes, weather and river levels permitting. It is usually lit around 9 p.m. in daylight saving months and 7 p.m. in winter. The plaza has panels on Plains Indian history and is free to visit.
Mid-America All-Indian Museum
Right beside the Keeper, this museum holds a large collection of work by Blackbear Bosin and other Native American artists, along with exhibits on the tribes of the Plains. It pairs naturally with an evening visit to the sculpture.
Walk Or Bike The River Trails
Paved paths run along both banks of the Arkansas River through downtown and past the Museums on the River district. They are an easy way to link the Keeper, Exploration Place, the art museum and Botanica in one walk.
Museums Worth Your Time
Old Cowtown Museum
Old Cowtown is an open-air living history museum that recreates Wichita in its cattle town days, with period buildings, costumed interpreters, a working blacksmith and seasonal events. It sits in the Museums on the River district and is one of the city’s most popular family outings.
Wichita Art Museum
The Wichita Art Museum focuses on American art and has outdoor sculpture grounds that are free to walk. It is a short stroll from Botanica and Old Cowtown.
Kansas Aviation Museum
Housed in the former Wichita Municipal Airport terminal, this museum tells the story of how Wichita became the Air Capital, with aircraft, engines and exhibits on the companies that built planes here. Aviation is still the city’s biggest industry, so it is a useful primer for newcomers too.
Museum Of World Treasures
In Old Town, this eclectic museum covers everything from dinosaurs and Egyptian mummies to royal history and military artifacts. It is an easy rainy-day stop between meals.
Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum
The city’s history museum occupies a stone building that served as Wichita’s first city hall. Exhibits trace the town from trading post to aviation hub.
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Allen House
In the College Hill neighborhood, the Allen House is a restored Prairie-style home Wright designed for Henry J. Allen, a newspaper publisher who became governor of Kansas. It is open only by guided tour, generally Tuesday through Saturday, and closes in January for maintenance, so book ahead.
The Pizza Hut Museum
Brothers Dan and Frank Carney opened the first Pizza Hut in Wichita in 1958 while they were students at Wichita State. The original red brick building now sits on the WSU campus as a small museum. While you are there, the campus is dotted with outdoor sculpture.
Family Favorites
Sedgwick County Zoo
The zoo is one of the most visited attractions in Kansas and easily fills half a day, with elephants, big cats, a large aviary and a boat ride. Arrive early in summer, when afternoons get hot.
Exploration Place
This science center on the riverfront has hands-on exhibits, a dome theater and a large section built for young children. It is a reliable choice when the weather turns.
Botanica Wichita
Botanica is a sprawling botanical garden with themed gardens and a children’s garden. In late fall and winter it switches on Illuminations, a holiday light display that is one of the city’s busiest seasonal events.
Tanganyika Wildlife Park
A short drive west in Goddard, Tanganyika focuses on close encounters, letting visitors feed and interact with animals such as giraffes and lemurs. Plan for summer crowds and check which encounters are running.
Great Plains Nature Center
This free nature center in northeast Wichita has walking trails, ponds and exhibits on prairie wildlife, a quieter option for a morning outdoors.
Food, Drink And Nightlife
Old Town
Old Town is Wichita’s brick warehouse district, now full of restaurants, bars, breweries, a movie theater and loft apartments. The Old Town Farmers Market runs on Saturday mornings in season.
Delano
Across the river from downtown, Delano is a historic district with a growing collection of local restaurants, coffee shops and bars, and it sits next to the riverfront ballpark.
Douglas Avenue East
Heading east from downtown, Douglas Avenue links Old Town to the Douglas Design District and College Hill, with independent shops, cafes and restaurants along the way.
Sports And Events
Wichita Wind Surge Baseball
Minor league baseball returned to the riverfront when Riverfront Stadium opened in Delano. A summer evening game is one of the best-value nights out in town.
Riverfest
Wichita Riverfest is the city’s signature festival, held each spring along the river with concerts, food, a parade and fireworks. Check the dates early if you are planning a visit around it.
INTRUST Bank Arena
Downtown’s arena hosts touring concerts, family shows and sports events through the year.
Easy Day Trips
Hutchinson, about an hour northwest, has two standout attractions: the Cosmosphere, a space museum with flown spacecraft and artifacts from the U.S. and Soviet space programs, and Strataca, an underground salt mine museum where you descend into working mine tunnels. To the east, the Flint Hills offer some of the last tallgrass prairie in North America and scenic drives in every season.
Tips For Visiting Wichita
When Is The Best Time To Visit?
Spring and fall bring the most comfortable weather. Summers are hot and humid, and spring is also severe weather season, so keep an eye on forecasts. Winter is quieter and is the time to see Illuminations at Botanica.
Do You Need A Car?
Yes, for most trips. Downtown, Old Town and the riverfront are walkable, but the zoo, Tanganyika and the suburbs are spread out. Rideshare is widely available.
Where Should You Stay?
Old Town and downtown put you within walking distance of restaurants and the river. If you are moving here rather than visiting, see our guide to the best neighborhoods in Wichita.
Conclusion
Wichita rewards a weekend. Watch the Ring of Fire at the Keeper of the Plains, spend a morning at Old Cowtown or the zoo, tour the Allen House, and finish with dinner in Old Town or Delano. If a visit has you thinking about a move, our guides to the cost of living in Wichita and moving to Wichita cover what to expect.
