About Wichita, KS

Wichita is like a modern take on an old Western, a cowboy city to the bone. Check out the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum, or the Old Cowtown Museum to get a feel for the city's history.

But Wichita also has a lot of modern, hip vibes as well. Just east of the downtown is the "Old Town" area. Once upon a time this area was a warehouse district, but has since been transformed into a cultural hub. There are many options, such as nightclubs, restaurants, theaters, museums, specialty shops, and the ever popular farmers market. There are also a variety of hotels. Either way, if you're looking for excitement, Old Town is a great place to be.

Wichita is also a Midwestern hub for art. On the last Friday of every month there is even a "Gallery Crawl." The Final Friday Gallery Crawl gives you the opportunity to check out a number of art galleries scattered about the city, all free of charge! Watch musical performances at the Century II Convention Hall. The Orpheum Theatre offers a more quaint experience.

Summers in Wichita can get quite warm and humid. The winters can be very dry and cold. Rainfall is relatively common. Often, the rain will show up all at once in a massive deluge, and the streets can even become flooded. There is a floodplain that splits the city into two parts and also helps alleviate the flooding. Tornadoes are also a worry, but only in select areas. Near Haysville in the southwest, tornadoes can hit hard. Up in the north central parts, however, they are much less common.

The Exploration Place Science and Discovery Center is a great place for kids and adults to have some fun. The "Alley Indoor Entertainment" center offers pretty much anything you could want - pool tables, bowling alleys, laser tag, and go karts are among the many options.

The Botanica Wichita gardens offer some great green spaces. These beautiful gardens feature 24 different themes, offering a wide variety of opportunities for those looking for a peaceful escape. During the holiday Illuminations event, roughly 10,000 people come to check out the tens of thousands of lights scattered about roughly 10 acres of botanical land. As a result, the botanical gardens become a real world wonderland.

Yet the most popular outdoor attraction is probably the Sedgwick County Zoo. It's conveniently built into various geographical areas. You can head to "Asia" on the Slawson Family Tiger Trek. Or check out "Alaska" to see some grizzly bears, or perhaps "Africa" to see some giraffes.

Wichita is quite affordable, but you might not enjoy much home value appreciation. The eastern and western half of the city are also quite different, so make sure you study them. Called the "Air Capital of the World", the local economy has traditionally relied on the aerospace industry.

Wichita rarely suffers from bad traffic. Sure, a few exits will clog up during rush hour, but you are rarely more than 25 minutes or so from anywhere. This is thanks to the effective interstate/belt route system. This means you can get to work, the hotel, home, or one of the many aforementioned sites above quite quickly! This also means that there are no excuses, you should check out all that Wichita has to offer!