Wichita Spring Break Activities on the Cheap

Spring break for Wichita Public Schools is March 19-23, 2018. Need ideas for where to go and things to do on the cheap for kids, teens, and college students? We’ve compiled this huge list of Wichita spring break activities, but if you see something we missed please leave a comment below.

Bookmark this page, because we’re going to keep adding to it. And do keep scrolling! There are a lot of spring break activities listed here.

 

Special Spring Break Programs in Wichita

The Great Plains Nature Center is a great bargain all year long with free exhibits and special activities. But during spring break, the Nature Center will have a full week of fun and FREE spring break activities.

Museum of World Treasures offers a “Week of Heroes” with family activities during spring break, including touch-a-truck in the plaza outside the museum.

The Wichita Art Museum will be open for spring break Artcation activities from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. Youngsters, high school, and college students (with student ID) pay a deeply discounted admission and enjoy artful activities!

Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum offers free activities and programs for kids  during spring break. The programs are free, but be sure to reserve your spot in advance because they’ll fill up fast!

The Wichita Public Library offers fun spring break activities for kids and teens at different branches. Examples in 2017 include performances, art projects, puppet show and story time events. Events are free, but some, including mystery box games require registration.

United Way’s Youth Days of Caring If you have a teen who is looking for something meaningful and productive to do during spring break, consider signing up for Youth Days of Caring. They have a number of volunteer positions open for everything from leading kids in art activities to caring for animals to painting and landscaping. Find out more here at the United Way website. (Sign up early so your teen can get her choice of job!) They will even help you track the volunteer hours for scholarship applications.

 

Events During Spring Break

Sedgwick County Extension is offering a Youth Lawn Mowing Clinic for those budding entrepreneurs who want to make a little pocket money this summer. The clinics for fifth- to ninth-graders are March 22. The fee for registration by March 10 is $10. After that, the fee is $15. Registration is accepted to March 20, or before that if all spaces are reserved.  Kids who participate even get free business cards to hand out!

Check out the Wichita Free or Cheap Events listing for more events during spring break.

 

Indoor Activities (in case of rain or cold weather during Spring Break)

First, check out Emily’s article that’s just packed with suggestions for Indoor Play Places and Kids Activities. You’ll have more options than you can fit into a spring break week!

Visit a Museum (or all the museums!) Pick up a Wichita Explore Card and get $2 off admission per person at 11 Wichita museums and attractions. You can pick up a card for FREE at the Visit Wichita office, or pay for admission at one of the participating attractions and ask for the Explore Card. You’ll be able to get the discount at any other participating attraction through the end of the year. If you pick it up in person at Visit Wichita, the discounts start right away. The office is at 515 S. Main St., Suite 115, 316-265-2800.

Take in a Movie You have lots of options for taking the kids to the movies “on the cheap” during spring break! Check out our full list of discount movies in Wichita.

Go to School The McCormick School Museum is open Sunday afternoons and Wednesday mornings and admission is by donation. (School is always more fun when you don’t have to go! 🙂 ) The 100 year old school houses the history of USD 259.

Karg Art Glass  It’s free to go in and watch the artists blow glass Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays between 8:30 a.m. and noon, and Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. You may want to call first to be sure artists are working. The gallery is at 111 N. Oliver,  Kechi 67067, and you can call to confirm their hours at 316-744-2442.

Go Retro with Games Wichita now has places where you can play pinball, hang out and play board games, or beat your old high score on Ms. PacMan (at The Arcade)!

Try Milkfloat If you’ve been too busy, now is the time to fix that. You’ll like it. If they have the Girl Scout Thin Mint Pie, which is a seasonal item, get that! 😀

Find more museums and attractions in Wichita.

 

Outdoor Activities for Spring Break

The Downtown Pop-up Park at 121 E. East Douglas Avenue is open Monday through Friday with Wichita food trucks parked there from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. I’m thinking spring break is the perfect time to enjoy lunch outside in downtown Wichita! Of course, you’ll want to bring money to cover lunch (and maybe a special treat for dessert), but there’s no fee to enjoy the park. Facebook for ICT Pop Up Urban Park.

Take a Hike during spring break! Explore miles of urban or natural trails in Wichita – whichever sounds like the most fun to you. Bring a camera along to document your discoveries along the way. I’ve gathered all of my family’s favorite places to walk – and a few walks we have yet to try – here: Where to Walk in Wichita

Ride a Bike Bike/Walk Wichita has a terrific page listing bike trails, bike paths, and maps of places you can ride your bike in Wichita. If you feel like you need to brush-up on your bike skills first, they have Bike 101 videos and even Bike Skills classes.

Take a Tour and Photo Walk of Wichita with two new apps that will help you see your city in a new way!

• Bike/Walk Wichita and the Wichita Public Library teamed up to put together the Wichita History Walk app. Walk through stories of Delano’s rowdy past, the enterprising history of Downtown, and the 1920s building boom on East Douglas. Learn more and get the app.
• The Douglas Design District has made it even more fun to find the murals that were painted during Avenue Art Days. The app gives you a map with all the locations, and when you click on an icon, info about that mural and the artist pops up. Download the app for  Android | Apple and share your photos on social media with the hashtag #AvenueArtDays.

This is one of the spring break activities I am looking forward to doing! I seriously hope we have good weather!

Ride the Trolley The Q-line Trolley in Downtown/Delano is completely free and runs at various times Monday through Saturday. Read more about how to ride Wichita’s Q-line trolley here. It will take you to some of the fun spots we mention below!

Paint and Hide Kindness Rocks This is the perfect spring break idea for kids, since it combines crafting, getting outside, and helping others. If you haven’t heard of this or you need to know how to get started, read Emily’s article, Spreading Kindness with Painted Rocks. The idea is to inspire, uplift, or encourage someone who happens upon your masterpiece – you just do it to make someone’s day!

Go on a Scavenger Hunt Have you ever seen a picture of something cool in Wichita and wondered where it was? Spring break is the perfect opportunity to find it! This is probably better with older kids, teens, and/or college students, but it’s REALLY fun! Take pics!!

The Wichita WATER Center is an interactive and FREE educational center that adjoins Hermann Hill Park. Visit the museum and aquariums and then take a hike on the nature trail that follows a man-made creek to the Arkansas River. (Trail guide pamphlets are located at the trail head.) The park also has a disc golf course.

Sedgwick County Zoo Get the most from your membership (or the cost of admission) by timing your visit to take in a Keeper Talk or animal feeding time. Check the Daily Schedule and Planning Your Visit pages to find out what’s happening when. And don’t forget to save $2 on zoo admission with the Wichita Explore Card! (If you visit frequently, see how a zoo membership can save you a ton of money.)

Tanganyika Wildlife Park reopens on Friday, March 16 and will be open daily during Spring Break from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. This is a terrific place to go if you can. From March 1-14, 2018, you can purchase a season pass for $19.99 (the price of only one visit). If you missed that deal, you can still save $2 per admission with the Wichita Explore Card. 316-794-8954

 

Spring Break Deals for Wichita

Wichita Ice Center has $5 ice skating during spring break week (includes admission and skate rental) from noon to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday. To double-check for any possible schedule changes, call 316-337-9199

Shocker Sports Grill & Lanes (in the Rhatigan Student Center at WSU) will be open during spring break, and with a bowling special: March 17-25, games of bowling are only $2 each per person. If you buy three games of bowling per person, you get shoe rental free! Shocker Grill & Lanes is open to the public – you don’t have to be a WSU student to go. Go here for hours and more info.

The Alley Indoor Entertainment offers various specials for spring break. For select times March 19-22,  $20 per person plus tax for unlimited bowling, go karts, and laser maze.  For select times March 16-25, $25 per person for  unlimited bowling, go karts, laser maze.. 316-618-1000

Starlite Drive In Wichita has first-run movies on Friday and Saturday nights. The popular outdoor theater opened on March 2 this year with special discounted spring pricing for the early season!

 

Wichita Spring Break Camps

Sedgwick County Zoo Wonders of Wildlife Spring Fling  is for youngsters in first to fifth grades. Includes indoor experiments and field lessons at the zoo.   316-660-9453

Kids Konnection camps, operated through the City of Wichita Department of Park & Recreation, are day-camps provided during in-service days. Available at Edgemoor, Linwood, and Orchard Recreation Centers. Check with them to see if  they still have openings available for Spring Break week.  316-688-9392 for Edgemoor, 316-337-9191 for Linwood and 316-337-9244 for Orchard

Kansas Humane Society Critter Camps are offered for ages 5 to 12.  Camps are $25 for each half-day session, $35 for each full-day session or $125  for a week of half-day sessions. Scholarships available. 316-220-8709

For more ideas, also see: Wichita Attractions on the Cheap, 25 Free Things to Do in Wichita Kansas, Movies on the Cheap in Wichita, and the Event Listing here at Wichita on the Cheap.

What are YOUR ideas for Spring Break on the Cheap? You can let me know in the comments section below or on Facebook or Twitter.

Note: I’ve provided links to the various websites or phone numbers so that you can double-check the times, dates, and prices. The information is accurate to the best of my knowledge, but if things change I don’t always hear about it. You can use this as a general guide, but it would be smart to check the links or call before you head out.

Special Spring Break Programs | Spring Break Events | Spring Break Camps | Outdoor Activities | Indoor Activities | Spring Break Deals