The Sunflower Summer App provides various 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! YES, You can visit attractions around KANSAS for FREE!!!
The Sunflower Summer Program benefits Kansas families with school-aged children, encouraging them to explore and fall in love with Kansas. With the Sunflower Summer app on your phone, Kansas families get FREE admission to attractions across the state this summer.
ATTENTION: The Sunflower Summer app has been extened to go through August 8th, 2025!
What is Sunflower Summer?
Sunflower Summer is an initiative launched by the Tourism division of the Kansas Department of Commerce that gives Kansas students free admission tickets to more than 200 attractions around the state.
Its purpose is to encourage Kansas families to get out and experience something new and enjoy time together.
The program includes a wide variety of participating attractions across the state, including museums, zoos and nature centers, historic spots, amusement parks, water parks, sports venues, and more.
As it says on its website, “Sunflower Summer offers Kansas families a get out of the house free card you can carry in your pocket.”
The free admission is offered primarily by means of a free app you can download to your Apple or Android device. Residents who don’t have smartphones can still participate by receiving paper vouchers from staff at many attractions.
How Do I Get the Sunflower Summer App?
Anyone with a smartphone can get the app. The Sunflower Summer app is available for iPhone in the App Store and Android in Google Play. Check out this year’s information on the Sunflower Summer web page!
You’ll download the app and make an account, which requires your name, email address, and mobile number. You have to agree to the Terms and Conditions. The terms include information about who is behind the app, which I thought was helpful. (I always want to know these kinds of things.) You should read the rest of the terms also, since you are agreeing to them.
Once you have the app and as long as you’re eligible, you can claim your tickets to Kansas attractions.
If a family does not have access to a smartphone, they can receive a paper voucher from the staff or volunteers working at a participating attraction, then work with the staff member to fill out the voucher completely.
Changes to the 2025 Sunflower Summer Program
Thanks to funding approved by the Kansas Legislature, the Sunflower Summer app is back for 2025, but with some changes. The 2025 Sunflower Summer program will begin on July 12, 2025, rather than starting on Memorial Day, as it has in previous years.
When does the Sunflower Summer App Start? July 12, 2025
When does the Sunflower Summer App End? August 3, 2025 – But has now been extended to August 8th!!
This year, only one accompanying adult will get in free to Kansas attractions. In the past, the program has included two free adult admissions. But the kids enrolled in the Sunflower Summer program will still all get free admission.
Why is the Sunflower Summer season shorter this year?
Sunflower Summer 2025 was uncertain, but funding for the program was secured with the Kansas Legislature’s approval of next year’s $25 billion budget. The program received $3.5 million, allowing Kansas families with school-aged children to continue enjoying free admission to various attractions across the state.
This was enough to keep it going, but “only allows for a shortened timeline” according to the program’s home page.
If you would like to sign the petition to support keeping the Sunflower app going, you can do so below.
What is Included in the Kansas Sunflower Summer Program?
The Sunflower Summer Learning Program includes one free visit for Kansas pre-K to 12th grade students, along with up to two ONE accompanying adult, to many (many) popular attractions in Kansas.
Note the change: In 2025, only one accompanying adult admission is covered by the Sunflower Summer app. Additional adults will need to purchase their own tickets.
According to SunflowerSummer.org, each Kansas student (pre-K to 12th grade) and one adult can access a voucher to get in free to each of the participating Sunflower Summer attractions.
Which Kansas Attractions are FREE with the Sunflower Summer App?
The list is really long, so we’ve broken it up into categories below. At the very top of the categories is our short list of the free attractions that have been our FAVORITES.
Wichita Sunflower Summer App Participants 2025
- Sedgwick County Zoo
- Exploration Place
- Botanica, the Wichita Gardens
- The Kansas African American Museum (TKAAM)
- Kansas Aviation Museum
- Mid-America All Indian Center
- Museum of World Treasures
- Old Cowtown Museum
- Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum
- Great Plains Nature Center
- Kansas Wildlife Exhibit
- Mark Arts
- Ulrich Museum of Art at Wichita State University
- Wichita Art Museum
- City Arts
- Wichita Wind Surge (July 13 game only)
- Kansas Cosmosphere – Hutch
- Field Station: Dinosaurs – Derby
See below for the complete list of participating venues in 2025!
Sunflower Summer App 2025: History Museums and Historic Sites
- Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad – Abilene
- Allen County Historical Society – Iola
- Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum – Atchison
- Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum – Atchison
- Anderson County Historical Museum – Garnett
- Atchison County Historical Society Museum and Santa Fe Depot – Atchison
- Barton County Historical Society Museum & Village – Great Bend
- Big Brutus – West Mineral
- Big Well Museum – Greensburg
- Boot Hill Museum – Dodge City
- Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Park – Topeka
- Buffalo Bill Cultural Center – Oakley
- C. W. Parker Carousel Museum – Leavenworth
- Chase County Courthouse – Cottonwood Falls
- Chase County Historical Society & Museum – Cottonwood Falls
- Chisholm Trail Museum – Wellington
- Coffey County Historical Museum – Burlington
- Combat Air Museum – Topeka
- Constitution Hall State Historic Site – Lecompton
- Cosmosphere – Hutchinson
- Cottonwood Ranch State Historic Site – Studley
- Cowley County Historical Society Museum – Winfield
- Curious Minds Discovery Zone – Parsons
- Derby Historical Museum – Derby
- Dickinson County Heritage Center – Abilene
- Dietrich Cabin – Ottawa
- Dorothy’s House and The Land of Oz – Liberal
- Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum – Abilene
- El Quartelejo Museum & Jerry Thomas Collection – Scott City
- Ellinwood Underground City Tour – Ellinwood
- Ellis County Historical Society – Hays
- Ellis Railroad Museum & Doll Display – Ellis
- Evah C. Cray Historical Home Museum – Atchison
- Exploration Place – Wichita
- Fick Fossil and History Museum – Oakley
- Field Station Dinosaurs – Derby
- First City Museum – Leavenworth
- First Territorial Capitol State Historic Site – Fort Riley
- Flint Hills Discovery Center – Manhattan
- Fort Harker Guardhouse Museum Complex – Kanopolis
- Fort Hays State Historic Site – Hays
- Fort Scott National Historic Site – Fort Scott
- Fort Wallace Museum – Wallace
- Geneseo City Museum – Geneseo
- Goodnow House State Historic Site – Manhattan
- Gordon Parks Museum – Fort Scott
- Great Overland Station – Topeka
- Greenwood County Historical Society Museum – Eureka
- Grinnell -Angelus Area Heritage Center – Grinnell
- Grinter Place State Historical Site – Kansas City
- Harvey County Historical Museum and Archives – Newton
- Haskell Cultural Center and Museum – Lawrence
- Heart of America Science Resource Center – Haviland
- Herndon Community Museum – Herndon
- High Banks Hall of Fame and National Midget Auto Racing Museum – Belleville
- High Plains Museum – Goodland
- Historic Elgin Hotel Tours – Marion
- Historic Ritchie House – Topeka
- Historic Trolley Tour – Dodge City
- Hodgden House Museum Complex – Ellsworth
- Hollenberg Pony Express Station State Historic Site – Hanover
- Home on the Range Cabin – Athol
- Howard Benson Museum – Howard
- Independence Historical Museum & Art Center – Independence
- John Brown Museum State Historic Site – Osawatomie
- Johnson County Museum – Overland Park
- Joyful Noise Playhouse – Salina
- Kansas African American Museum – Wichita
- Kansas Aviation Museum – Wichita
- Kansas Barbed Wire Museum – La Crosse
- Kansas Children’s Discovery Center – Topeka
- Kansas City Automotive Museum – Olathe
- Kansas Learning Center for Health – Halstead
- Kansas Oil Museum – El Dorado
- Kansas State Capitol – Topeka
- Kansas Teachers’ Hall of Fame and Gunfighters’ Wax Museum – Dodge City
- Kauffman Museum – Newton
- Kaw Mission and Last Chance Store Museums on the Santa Fe Trail – Council Grove
- Kiowa Historical Museum – Kiowa
- Koester House Museum and Gardens – Marysville
- KU Natural History Museum – Lawrence
- Legler Barn Museum Complex – Lenexa
- Lincoln Historical Museum Complex – Lincoln
- Lindsborg Old Mill & Swedish Heritage Museum – Lindsborg
- Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop & Farm Historic Site – Olathe
- Marais des Cygnes Massacre State Historic Site – Pleasanton
- Marshall County Museum & Research Library – Marysville
- Martin and Osa Johnson Safari Museum – Chanute
- McCune History Museum – McCune
- McPherson Museum & Arts Foundation – McPherson
- Medicine Lodge Stockade and Carry A. Nation Home Museums – Medicine Lodge
- Mennonite Heritage & Agricultural Museum – Goessel
- Mid -America All -Indian Museum – Wichita
- Midwest Dream Car Collection – Manhattan
- Mine Creek Civil War Battlefield State Historic Site – Pleasanton
- Miners Hall Museum – Franklin
- Morton County Historical Museum – Elkhart
- Museum at Prairiefire – Overland Park
- Museum of Deaf History, Arts and Culture – Olathe
- Museum of the Kansas National Guard – Topeka
- Museum of World Treasures – Wichita
- National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame – Bonner Springs
- NDGA National Glass Museum – Wellington
- Nemaha County Historical Museum – Seneca
- Ness County Bank Building – Ness City
- Old Abilene Town – Abilene
- Old Cowtown Museum – Wichita
- Old Depot Museum – Ottawa
- Oswego Historical Museum and Genealogical Society – Oswego
- Oz Museum – Wamego
- Parsons Historical Society & Museum Complex – Parsons
- Pawnee Indian Museum State Historic Site – Republic
- Pawnee Rock State Historic Site – Pawnee Rock
- Peabody Historical Society Complex – Peabody
- Plaza Cinema Movie and Memorabilia Museum – Ottawa
- Pony Express Home Station No 1, Barn & Museum – Marysville
- Pony Express Museum – Seneca
- Prairie Museum of Art & History – Colby
- Rawlins County Historical Museum & Church – Atwood
- Red Rocks State Historic Site – Emporia
- Reno County Museum – Hutchinson
- Riley County Historical Museum – Manhattan
- Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics – Lawrence
- Roniger Memorial Museum – Cottonwood Falls
- Rush County Historical Society – La Crosse
- Santa Fe Trail Center – Larned
- Seeley Mansion & Patent Medicine Museum – Abilene
- Shawnee Indian Mission State Historic Site – Fairway
- Shawnee Town 1929 – Shawnee
- Sheridan County Historical Society & Mickey’s Museum – Hoxie
- Smoky Hill Museum – Salina
- Stafford County Museum – Stafford
- Stauth Memorial Museum – Montezuma
- Sternberg Museum of Natural History – Hays
- STRATACA – Hutchinson
- Strawberry Hill Museum & Ethnic Cultural Center – Kansas City
- The Garage – Salina
- Threshers Museum – Bird City
- Trading Post Museum – Pleasanton
- Trail Days Historic Site – Council Grove
- Trego County Historical Society Museum – WaKeeney
- Wabaunsee County Historical Museum – Alma
- Walter P. Chrysler Boyhood Home & Museum – Ellis
- Warkentin House Museum – Newton
- Wichita -Sedgwick Co. Historical Museum – Wichita
- Wilson Heritage Museum – Wilson
- World’s Largest Ball of Twine – Cawker City
- Wyandotte County Historical Society & Museum – Bonner Springs
Sunflower Summer App 2025: Zoos, Animals, and Nature
- A & H Farm/Pumpkin Patch – Manhattan
- Botanica Wichita – Wichita
- Cedar Bluff State Park Reservoir and Wildlife Area – Ellis
- Cedar Cove Feline Sanctuary & Education Center – Louisburg
- Cheney State Park Reservoir and Wildlife Area – Cheney
- Clinton State Park Reservoir and Wildlife Area – Lawrence
- Crawford State Park, Lake and Farlington Fish Hatchery – Farlington
- Cross Timbers State Park, Toronto Lake – Toronto
- David Traylor Zoo of Emporia – Emporia
- Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead – Overland Park
- Eisenhower State Park, Melvern Reservoir and Wildlife Area – Osage City
- El Dorado Reservoir, State Park and Wildlife Area – El Dorado
- Elk City State Park – Reservoir and Wildlife Area – Independence
- Fall River State Park Lake and Wildlife Area – Fall River
- Flint Hills Trail State Park – Multiple Cities
- Glen Elder State Park Reservoir and Wildlife Area – Glen Elder
- Great Plains Nature Center – Wichita
- Hedrick Exotic Animal Farm and Bed & Breakfast Inn – Nickerson
- Hillsdale State Park Reservoir and Wildlife Area – Paola
- Historic Lake Scott State Park and Wildlife Area – Scott City (Monument Rocks is near here!)
- Hutchinson Zoo – Hutchinson
- Johnston Geology Museum – Emporia
- Kanopolis State Park and Smoky Hill Wildlife Area – Marquett
- Kansas Wetlands Education Center – Great Bend
- Kansas Wildlife Exhibit – Wichita
- Kaw River State Park – Topeka
- K-State Insect Zoo – Manhattan
- Lee Richardson Zoo & Safari Shoppe – Garden City
- Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park – Oakley
- Lovewell State Park Reservoir and Wildlife Area – Webber
- Maxwell Wildlife Refuge and Bison Tour – Canton
- Meade State Park, Lake, Wildlife Area and Fish Hatchery – Meade
- Milford Lake, State Park, & Wildlife Area – Milford
- Mushroom Rock State Park – Brookville
- Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens – Overland Park
- Perry State Park – Reservoir and Wildlife Area – Ozawkie
- Pomona State Park and Reservoir – Vassar
- Prairie Dog State Park – Reservoir and Wildlife Area – Norton
- Prairie Spirit Trail State Park – Multiple Cities
- Prophet Aquatic Research and Outreach Center – Emporia
- Ralph Mitchell Zoo – Independence
- Rock City Park – Minneapolis
- Rolling Hills Zoo – Salina
- Sand Hills State Park – Hutchinson
- Schmidt Museum of Natural History – Emporia
- Sedgwick County Zoo – Wichita
- Sunset Zoo – Manhattan
- Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve – Strong City
- Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center – Topeka
- Tuttle Creek State Park Reservoir and Wildlife Area – Manhattan
- Webster State Park Reservoir and Wildlife Area – Stockton
- Wilson State Park Reservoir and Wildlife Area – Wilson
Sunflower Summer App 2025: Arts & Culture
- 5.4.7 Arts Center – Greensburg
- Baker Arts Center – Liberal
- Birger Sandzén Memorial Art Gallery – Lindsborg
- Carriage Factory Art Gallery – Newton
- Circle of Art Atchison – Atchison
- CityArts – Wichita
- Coutts Museum of Art – El Dorado
- Eyegore’s Curiosities and Monster Museum – Cawker City
- Garden City Arts – Garden City
- Garden of Eden – Lucas
- Grassroots Art Center – Lucas
- Lawrence Arts Center – Lawrence
- M.T. Liggett Art Environment – Mullinville
- Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art – Manhattan
- Mark Arts – Wichita
- Museum of Art + Light – Manhattan
- Red Barn Studio Museum – Lindsborg
- Salina Art Center – Salina
- Shafer Art Gallery – Great Bend
- Small World Gallery – Lindsborg
- Spencer Museum of Art – Lawrence
- Switchgrass Art Co-op – Lucas
- Ulrich Museum of Art-Wichita State University – Wichita
- Vernon Filley Art Museum – Pratt
- Wichita Art Museum – Wichita
- World’s Largest Collection of the World’s Smallest Versions of the World’s Largest Things Roadside Attraction & Museum – Lucas
Limited Opportunities
See app for more details!
- Broadway RFD – Lindsborg
- Show: The Music Man!
- Dates: July 18th, 19th, 25th and 26th.
- Great Plains Theatre – Abilene
- Show: Tuck Everlasting
- Dates: Friday, July 18 – Sunday, July 27
- Theatre in the Park – Shawnee
- A Disney Double Feature: The Aristocrats Kids & My Son Pinocchio Jr
- Dates: July 25 – 27, 30 – 31; Aug 1 – 2
- Wichita Wind Surge – Wichita
- Game: Wichita Wind Surge vs. San Antonio Missions
- Date: Sunday, July 13th
Well, there you have it! The Sunflower Summer info in a nutshell. It truly is a great “Wichita on the Cheap” style program everyone can benefit from.
If you can tour the state and visit some of these places outside the Wichita area, I would do it. Kids remember these kinds of trips for the rest of their lives.
(The newest state park – Little Jerusalem – was also included. What a trip that would be!)
Related: Free and Cheap Things to Do with Kids this Summer in Wichita
Who is Paying for the Sunflower Summer Program?
The Kansas State Department of Education provides this program through a grant funded by Elementary and Secondary Education Emergency Relief (ESSER) from The American Rescue Plan Act. This is all information from the Sunflower Summer website, which you can see here.
Sunflower Summer is FREE to Kansas students and their families.
The website, sunflowersummer.org, has a list of Frequently Asked Questions and a video overview of the program. I highly recommend you check it out (and check back until you see a link to the app) for more information. This is all I know right now! But it looks like it will be a lot of fun for students!!
Sunflower Summer App Attractions you can Visit for FREE
6 Responses
When I check the app, it has not been updated for 11 months and does not include anything for 2025.
Not sure what I am missing…?
They have not released the 2025 participants and the program doesn’t start until July 12 this year. I have been in contact with the organizers and will update the article once the information is available.
Can grandparents bring Kansas students instead of parents to free activities.
Yes, it includes Grandparents. I hope they keep this program going for 2025.
The new program will start July 12!
Yes! Grandparents can bring the student.