Frugal Families, Part II

Museums & Zoos

Mulvane is home to its own historical museum. Located in the former Santa Fe Depot downtown, this museum is full of rich Mulvane history. It is open Tuesday-Saturday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Looking for something a bit more infant and toddler friendly? Wichita has several attractions for families on a budget! Here are some highlights:

Great Plains Nature Center- located on E. 29th St. N, just west of Woodlawn, GPNC is one of Wichita's best family-friendly FREE attractions. Indoors, you will find the Koch Habitat Hall, a small interactive indoor museum. There is a 2,200 gallon fish tank to explore. Outside, you can explore the Chisholm Creek Park by way of 2 1/2 miles of paved trails. All trails are stroller and handicap accessible. There are covered picnic tables available for use, as well. This summer, the GPNC staff holds a preschool story time on Wednesdays at 11:00 am. This fall, the Little Nature Lovers interactive story times will begin again. GPNC is open Monday-Saturday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Closed holidays.

The Wichita Art Museum- located on West Museum Boulevard, The Wichita Art Museum offers FREE admission every Saturday. Along with free admission, the museum hosts a monthly family art class called Family Artventures. During this event, families may drop in any time between 11:00-3:00 to explore the monthly topic and create some art masterpieces! These are the upcoming installments of Family Artventures:
Saturday, August 22nd- Puzzling Maxfield Parrish
Saturday, September 26th- Abstract Sculpture
Saturday, October 24th- Spooky Edgar Allen Poe
The art museum also offers a program called Art Start. From their website:
Art Start is a preschool immersion program that encourages reading abilities, communication, motor skills and visual proficiency for children ages three through five. Classes take place at 10am and 1:30pm on Tuesdays for children with a parent or adult sponsor and on Thursday and Fridays for small preschool groups. Free for 3-5 year olds and their adult chaperones, children over 5 are $3/person. Children under 3 must be in a stroller or front pack.
Themes and projects change monthly, so children can participate each month for a new achievement. For more information, or to receive our schedule, call (316) 268-4921 or e-mail education@wichitaartmuseum.org.

The Wichita Water Center- The Wichita Water Center offers a FREE class for kids 0-4 called Fish Tales. The second Tuesday of every month at 10:00, kids in this age group are invited to join the Water Center staff for story time and a craft activity revolving around a conservation/nature-based theme that changes each month. This class is free, and no registration is required. Fall schedule- TBD.

The Sedgwick County Zoo- It won't be too much longer before it's time for Winter Wednesdays at the zoo! The SCZ offers $2 admission every Wednesday from November- February. While it might sound chilly, our beautiful Kansas weather cooperates more than you may think to make this a great discount to take advantage of!

If you are ever in the Kansas City area, here are two places you MUST consider visiting with the kiddos in tow- did I mention they are FREE?
Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead
Kaleidoscope

So, what about all of the other cool places in Wichita that are a bit too expensive for the family on a budget to swing?

Museum Day 2009, of course!

Sponsored by Smithsonian Magazine, Museum Day is an annual event in which you can print out a pass for each member of the family for FREE that will gain you admission to a variety of approved attractions. This year, Museum Day will be held September 26th. Visit the above link to register and print your passes!

Here is the list of participating Wichita museums:
Botanica
Exploration Place
Kansas Sports Hall of Fame
Lowell D. Holmes Museum of Anthropology
Mid-America All Indian Center
Old Cowtown Museum
Ulrich Museum of Art
Wichita Art Museum
Wichita Center for the Arts
Wichita-Sedgwick County historical Museum

Our family participated in Museum Day last year- the places we visited were crowded but manageable. It was a great opportunity to visit some of the places we hadn't been in a while and stay within our family budget!

Again, I'm sure there are a other family favorites that we have forgotten in this category. Feel free to share your favorites below!