Originally founded as the Wichita Art Association in 1920, Mark Arts is the area’s oldest and most comprehensive visual arts organization. For more than 100 years, Mark Arts has made art and arts education available to the citizens of Wichita and the surrounding communities.
The School of Creativity provides a 9,500-square-foot continuing education facility dedicated to art instruction for adults, teens and children.
- Painting & Drawing
- Culinary Arts
- Printmaking
- Pottery
- Sculpture
- Enameling
- Jewelry Making & Metalsmithing
- and More
Mark Arts offers a 14,000-square-foot gallery with annual exhibitions showcasing regional and national artists. Exhibitions include:
- John Newsom’s Universal Frontier
- Gaze featuring Women Artists
- School of Creativity Student and Faculty Exhibitions
- Brenda Lichman and Tim Stone
- National Watercolor Exhibition
- Abstract National Exhibition
- Eastern Kansas Scholastic Art Awards Exhibition
- Congressional Art Awards
The Gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
ADMISSION IS FREE.
Our Mission: Inspiring a deeper interest in science through creative and fun experiences for all ages. Exploration Place has hands-on exhibits, birthday party packages, classes for all ages, and much more.
Botanica was opened to the public in May 1987 to generate enthusiasm for horticulture and enlighten people through educational, artistic, and cultural experiences. With this mission, Botanica’s gardens and programs expand public awareness of horticulture, educate Kansans about how nature can improve their daily lives, and assist in the promotion of community development.
Come face to face with the wildest animals from around the world! See eye to eye with endangered chimpanzees and orangutans. Get to know the gorillas of The Downing Gorilla Forest. Spend the day with colorful birds, playful penguins, poison dart frogs and more than 3,000 other individual animals of all sizes, shapes and colors. Discover why Sedgwick County Zoo is the No. 1 outdoor family tourist attraction in Kansas. Come out and play!
Nestled in the heart of the Museums on the River district just five minutes from downtown in the Riverside neighborhood, the Wichita Art Museum is home to a nationally renowned collection of American art.
As the largest art museum in the state of Kansas, WAM houses one of the country’s premier collections with 7,000 works in our permanent collection, including masterpieces by Mary Cassatt and Edward Hopper.
The Museum features two dramatic and large-scale works by Seattle glass artist Dale Chihuly. Inspired by the intricate patterns of traditional Persian glass, the Persian Seaform Installation provides a stunning first impression at the Museum’s entrance and hanging in the S. Jim and Darla Farha Great Hall is the Confetti Chandelier.
As you tour Tanganyika our guides will give you many opportunities not only learn about the animals, but in many cases interact directly with them. This hands-on approach gives you a rare chance to connect with some of natures most unique and often endangered species.
Because Tanganyika is dedicated to education and animal preservation, your visit not only supports your experience at the park, but the very survival of many of the rare animals that call Tanganyika home.
Tanganyika’s breeding programs play an important role in preserving genetic diversity among captive populations, and Tanganyika participates in several international projects to preserve wild population in their natural habitats.
We hope your experience at the Park will provide a sense of peace, exhilaration, respect and resolve to help ensure survival of these wonderful birds and animals around the world.
For more than 40 years, the Wichita Children’s Theatre & Dance Center has been a staple of the Wichita Arts Community. A non-profit theatre and dance school, its mission is to provide arts opportunities to young people of all ages and backgrounds in Wichita and the surrounding area. Now with satellite schools at Marks Arts in east Wichita and in downtown El Dorado, the Wichita Children’s Theatre & Dance Center is proud to enhance the cultural life of south-central Kansas by providing the highest quality performing arts education to its youth.
Music Theatre Wichita creates a joyful summer of Broadway-scale productions and unparalleled educational opportunities for aspiring artists and technicians.
Field Station: Dinosaurs is a world-class family attraction that combines cutting-edge science with the creative minds of great artists and teachers to create a one-of-a-kind experience that’s thrilling, educational and fun.
Set against the natural backdrop of rolling Kansas grasslands, the Field Station is just minutes outside Wichita, Kansas. Over 40 life-sized, realistic dinosaurs (including the 90-foot long Alamosaurus, among the largest animatronic dinosaurs ever made) come to life thanks to the brilliant engineering of the world’s leading roboticists and the imagination of our artists. The park also includes Kansas Climb – a geodesic dome ropes course and Jurassic Golf, creating memorable and challenging activities for every member of the family.
The story of the dinosaurs is vividly presented on 14 acres of tall grasses, shady trees, winding trails and an outdoor amphitheatre. Scientists from the Bighorn Basin Paleontological Institute have worked to ensure that the exhibition encompasses the latest theories and discoveries in the fields of paleontology, geology and environmental studies. Workshops, games and activities connect the story of the dinosaurs to our world today, giving new relevance to their lives and power to the tale of their extinction.
Since its humble beginnings in 1962, visitors from across the globe have come to Hutchinson to discover the inspiration that can only be found at the Cosmosphere.
Whether you are six or sixty, the Cosmosphere has a camp for you. Discover the solar system; learn about flight; train like an astronaut; or examine space travel. Cosmosphere campers spread their wings, expand their minds, and have fun they won’t find anywhere else on Earth. Do it all this summer at the Cosmosphere! Discover more at cosmo.org/camps.
Working against a ticking clock, your team must find and solve clues, riddles, and puzzles to earn your freedom from this seemingly ordinary room. Using just your brainpower and objects in the room, you have one hour in which to make your escape.
Bring your friends, family, and coworkers for an hour of fun, excitement, creativity, and teamwork!
All Star Sports in West Wichita is your place for family fun! We feature go karts, mini golf, laser tag, climbing wall, driving range and an arcade! Seasonally we also have bumper boats and batting cages. Voted best birthday parties in Wichita and Wichita Eagle Readers Choice Award for Best Family Attraction for the past 7 years. Come visit us for fun with your family and friends.
- Preserve the birth and living heritage of Kansas aviation.
- Educate the world on the past, present and future of flight.
- Promote the Spirit of Flight in the Air Capital of the World.
To meet this mission, we strive to offer new programs to our members and the Wichita community, endeavoring to meet the needs of our broad constituent base. We welcome your suggestions for new events and projects.
Experience treasures from around the world and through the ages at one of Wichita’s top-rated attractions. Find your inner explorer—there’s something for all to learn from the past.
Old Cowtown Museum’s collections reflect aspects of life on the frontier in the late 1860s and 1870s. They include historic structures and their period furnishings, clothing and domestic textiles, tools and machinery, farming equipment and rolling stock. An archival collection of photographs, letters, and documents also provide primary source material for historical research. A separate study collection and reproductions are used by costumed history interpreters to bring this historical period to life.
There are 54 historic and recreated buildings at Cowtown located along the banks of the Arkansas River that are open to visitors all year long. Twenty-seven of the buildings are original and have been relocated to the grounds from Wichita and other sites in Kansas. Relocation of these structures protected them from demolition and preserved them for the future.
“The Wichita Toy Train Club” (WTTC) is an organization of collectors and operators for both classic tinplate and current hi-rail trains. Club members are generally oriented toward “O-gauge” (Lionel, MTH, Atlas, Williams, Weaver, Marx) and “S-gauge” (American Flyer). Some members are also interested in the larger “G” and smaller “HO” and “N” gauges, with some extensive layouts house at our museum. Come visit us, and we can put you in touch with many other model toy organizations.
The Great Plains Nature Center is a great place for your child to have a birthday party!
All parties include 2 hours access to the classroom and will have a nature education theme. The activity will vary based on the season, weather and children. Our naturalist will create the best experience possible, based on these factors.
Availability of our classroom can be limited. Reservations MUST be made at least 7 days in advance. Bookings are only available on Saturday & Sunday afternoons.
Rock River Rapids is a full service Aquatic Park with Concessions, Lockers (provide your own lock), a Bathhouse and Gift Counter. There are numerous areas at the park liberally equipped with lounge chairs for relaxing. The Park is staffed with Supervisors and a security officer to ensure you have a comfortable and safe stay at the Park.
The Loony Bin Comedy Club has regular shows most Wednesdays and every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Visit loonybincomedy.com for full schedule.
Multi-course dinners showcasing local ingredients. $58 per person with optional wine pairing for $15. Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening from April 5th through December 23rd, 2018. Also Wednesdays in June and July. Reservations required.
BRAMBLE CAFE
2018 Dates: May 12th to July 28th.
Reservations are required for You-Pick. If your chosen date is full, please join the waiting list.