Wichita, a city with approximately 600,000 people in its metropolitan area, is located in south central Kansas at the confluence of two rivers; the Little Arkansas and the Big Arkansas (pronounced “R-Kansas” by Kansans). 
Wichita is noted for its large aircraft manufacturing industry. Boeing, Raytheon (formerly Beech Aircraft), Cessna and Bombardier Learjet are all located in Wichita and employ over 25,000 people. McConnell Air Force Base, which is home for refueling tankers, is also located here.
The old downtown warehouse district has been renovated and redeveloped into the “Old Town Marketplace” shopping and entertainment area. Here you will find many unique restaurants, antique and gift shops, hotels which used to be warehouses, and live theater performances.
In the “Old Cowtown Museum”, open during the summer months, you can experience the Old West in a 17 acre living history museum close to downtown. You can walk the wooden boardwalks of a recreated 1870s cattle town and visit a working farm.
Exploration Place, located near downtown on the banks of the river, is a place for young and old to explore, using hands-on exhibits, everything from flight and design to nature and human life. Located in Exploration Place are two theaters: The CyberDome Theater, with its 60’ domed screen shows computer generated films – most concerning space. In the SIM (Science in Motion) Theater you can climb aboard a beautiful, custom-built carousel or, for a more daring ride, try the two-person GyroXtreme. Here also are various traveling exhibits, changing about every 2 months. Check the website to see what to expect.
Wichita has a beautiful Botanical Garden and is home to the Sedgwick County Zoo where you can view many animals from different regions of the world. There is a jungle, a rainforest, and a children’s farm as well as African, Australian, American and Asian animal exhibits.
We have three art museums, an aviation museum, a railroad museum, a county historical museum and an African American history museum. We are also home to the Mid-America All-Indian Center and museum, built at the confluence of the rivers. Outside this museum stands the magnificent bronze-colored sculpture of the “Keeper of the Plains” designed and built by a well known local Indian artist, Black Bear Bosin. We have a large convention and exhibition center where the Wichita Symphony and Music Theatre perform. Wichita State University, Friends University, Newman University, and the Wichita campus of the Kansas University School of Medicine are all located here.
Images, thanks to member, Zane Day
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