Here’s a list of free things to do with kids in Wichita this summer! Somewhere between the camps, family vacations, and stops at the closest ice cream shop, you’re going to need a few budget-friendly boredom busters.
Free Things To Do With Kids in Wichita This Summer
1. Free Admission on Sundays at Old Cowtown Museum – Step back in time and enjoy a wagon ride or try a sarsparilla at Old Cowtown Museum, admission is FREE on Sundays from April – October.
2. Attend Metropolitan Ballet’s FREE performances of The Wizard of Oz – The performances will take place outdoor at parks. Running tim eis approximately 45 minutes.
MAIN STREET PARK
400 E Main, Mulvane, KS
CLAIR DONNELLY AMPHITHEATER
311 Academy Ave, Maize, KS
GARVIN PARK
1700 N Garvin Park, Augusta, KS
RIGGS PARK
706 Sarah Lane, Haysville, KS
THE BANDSHELL at FORREST PARK
900 N Taylor St, El Dorado, KS
COLLEGE HILL PARK (Basketball Court)
304 Circle Drive, Wichita, KS
3. FREE movies in the park! 2024 details TBD.
5. Track down the Little Free Library nearest you! Donate the books your kids have outgrown and pick out some new ones to fill your shelves! There are Little Free Libraries all around Wichita – check out our map here.
6. Don’t miss the Red, White & BOOM! Fireworks Display on July 4th!
Gates open at 6pm for holiday-goers to enjoy the concessions in the stadium, entertainment provided by the Wind Surge and great seats in the stadium to watch the fireworks show!
A variety of food trucks will be onsite at the Hyatt Lawn for spectators to enjoy. Don’t forget to bring a blanket or lawn chairs to sit on while you wait for the show to start. Watching the festive fireworks from the lawn is a tradition you don’t want to miss!
7. Take A Ride on the Q-Line – These buses (the trolleys have retired) are FREE and run loops through downtown Wichita, the Douglas Design District, and College Hill!
8. Shakespeare in the Park, anyone? The Wichita Shakespeare Company will present The Taming of the Shrew in various parks around Wichita May 24-June 9. Admission is free; bring your lawn chairs or picnic blankets! Parks to be announced soon.
9 .Visit the Riverside Park, Zoo & Splash Park – Tour the outdoor wildlife exhibit, go wild on the playground, and cool off in the interactive water water fountains! Make a day of it, and bring a picnic lunch.
10. Use our map and go on a Wichita Mural Scavenger Hunt! This is one of our favorite free things to do with kids in Wichita! Use the Q-Line or walk and take some ICT kid pics in front of our city’s favorite murals!
11. Great Plains Nature Center – Go on a nature hike and visit Koch Habitat Hall. The 
Agents of Discovery app sponsored by Wildife and Parks, is a national app that guides you through a park, become an agent, solve a mission, and get a prize! Agents of Discovery is an augmented reality mobile game to play and discover the world around you. You are a secret agent with an animal guide to help you solve challenges in a mission. As you explore Great Plains Nature Center, you’ll discover the hidden challenges based on your location. Discover Kansas nature in a new way!
When you arrive at the nature center, look for the Agents of Discovery sign by the GPNC parking lot to get started. Download the Agents of Discovery mobile app in Apple or Play Stores before arriving.
12. Take the Wildlifer Challenge
Can YOU complete the WildLifer Challenge?Completion of this challenge makes your kid a bona fide wild child and may even earn them some prizes! This event is brought to you by Kansas Wildscape to encourage young outdoor enthusiasts to have some fun under the Kansas sun!
More about the Wildlifer Challenge: https://kansaswildlifer.com/Challenges
13. Visit one of Wichita’s 20 free splash parks & water playgrounds – Check out our Splash Park & Fountain Round-Up to find the water playgrounds closest to you – or mix it up and try one in another town!
14. Mark your calendar for Free Fishing Weekend – Grab your rod & reel the first weekend in June and head out for Free Fishing Weekend in Kansas!
15. Free Family ArtVenture Events at Wichita Art Museum!
WAM is always FREE Tuesday-Sunday!
Explore, look, and take part in art together with a FREE Family ArtVenture, featuring special gallery activities and hands-on artmaking projects that bring WAM’s art exhibitions to life. No reservations are required, and you may drop in anytime on select Saturdays between 11 am and 3 pm. Stay for an hour, or stay for the afternoon. Activities take place throughout the museum.
16. Go find Wichita’s waterfalls! – Load up the fam and go hunting for our local waterfalls while you hike through Kansas nature! Hint: they’re easiest to find after a good rain!
17. Sign Up Now for Kids Bowl Free – Register your kids for 2 free games of bowling every day! Participating local bowling alleys include Seneca Bowl in Wichita, Derby Bowl in Derby, and The Alley Hutchinson in Hutch.
18. Wichita Public Library Storytimes – Participate in WPL’s summer reading program, attend a storytime, puppet show, craft time or party! Classes and book clubs are also available for adults. Click here for their full calendar of events.
19. Keeper of the Plains/Troll/Lighting of Ring of Fire – Visit Wichita’s most well-known landmark, the Keeper of the Plains and stay for the lighting of the Ring of Fire at 9pm! Brave souls can search for the Wichita Troll while you’re there.
20. Pack a picnic lunch and head out for a park hop! These are our team’s favorite parks in and around ICT. Bored of Wichita parks? Bet you haven’t visited all 6 of these out-of-town parks that are totally worth the drive!
21. Get lost in nature…in the city! Wichita has 12 Wild Habitat Areas with fun paths to enjoy on a sunny day.
22. Download the Sunflower Summer app and enjoy FREE admission to over 200 family-friendly attractions around the state!
Sunflower Summer provides a wide variety of ways for families to get out, explore something new, and enjoy time together. Kansas families can visit museums, zoos, historic landmarks and more for free!
More Things To Do In & Around Wichita This Summer
