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murals and more. And these are just a few. Wichita has more 
than 30 unique museums, so look over the lists to see what 
grabs you. 

You’ll find oodles of shopping at Bradley Fair (outdoor/

chic/upscale) or one of several malls, but most fun are 
the locally owned shops in the districts, like the fiercely 
independent Watermark Books in College Hill or Hatman 
Jack’s for the perfectly fitted hat of your dreams. I knew I’d 
found my husband’s next birthday present the moment I 
walked in the door. Hats can be sooo sexy!

FAMILY ESCAPE

For the best in family fun, you will need to use your 

car, so choose any hotel with kid-friendly amenities in any 
section of the city. High on the kid-list: Exploration Place, 
an interactive, experiential “museum” that makes science 
and problem-solving fun; Old Cowtown Museum, for 
“living history” and total immersion, with wagon rides, 
gunfights, cowboys, blacksmiths and a cold sarsaparilla; 
Sedgwick County Zoo; Tanganyika Wildlife Park (open 
March-November) where you can walk with kangaroos 
and feed lorikeets; Kansas Aviation Museum; the Museum 
of World Treasures, with everything from T-Rex exhibits 
to mummies and the “stuff” of battlefields and ancient 
civilizations; the Kansas African American Museum; and 
the Mid-America All-Indian Center. For letting off steam in 
the summertime, the Rock River Rapids water park fits the 
bill, or take in a Wichita Wingnuts baseball game (family 
packages May-August). 

FESTIVAL FUN

Riverfest, the Black Arts Festival, the Asian Festival, 

Cinco de Mayo, Wagonmasters Chili Cookoff (when 
thousands throng the downtown!), the Tallgrass Film 
Festival (which has been gathering buzz with each year) or 
a Final Friday—there are many events worth the trip. Visit 
the city’s official event page at www.gowichita.com to begin 
your scheduling.

TRAVEL WITH TICKET

The Wichita Symphony (wichitasymphony.org) has 

a program that ranges from classical to pops, with “blue 
jeans” and free community concerts. The Wichita Grand 
Opera (wichitagrandopera.org) features classic and current 
productions, while Music Theatre Wichita (mtwichita.
org) is all about Broadway. Crown Uptown Dinner Theatre 
(crownuptown.com) has first-class productions in a 
renovated facility. Intrust Bank Arena features national 
headliners like Taylor Swift (Intrustbankarena.com). 
For laughs, the Loony Bin offers up national and local 
comedians, with nightly food and drink specials.

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