Technology: Kansas Aviation Museum
Take a step and then picture Howard Hughes lounging nearby. Take another step and imagine Amelia Earhart gearing up for her next flight. Or conjure images of Fred Astaire, Charles Lindbergh and Bob Hope waiting to take off.
Groups inside the Kansas Aviation Museum can relive the 1935 building’s illustrious past as the last airport stop before crossing the Rocky Mountains. Because of Wichita’s key location as a refueling stop, the stars and pilots of the day all walked the former terminal’s terrazzo floors in what was known as the “Country Club without dues.”
“It is incredible to be in the building where you know the legends of aviation once walked these floors,” said Santo. “We are known as the Air Capital of the World.”
This designation came not just from the city’s time as a key terminal from 1935 to 1951 but also from the city’s later expansion as a hub of aviation manufacturing. Wichita has produced more aircraft than any other American city. During World War II, the city’s population boomed with military aircraft production workers. Wichita’s aircraft industry employment has remained high ever since.
Tours allow groups to see biplanes, sports planes, crop dusters and business jets up close, as well as learn about their production. The museum regularly opens larger airplanes for interior viewing so visitors can see their cockpits.
Hands-on opportunities also illustrate the aircrafts’ complexities with flight simulators and a mock control tower.
Culture: Wichita Art Museum
Visitors can walk over the twisted glass designed by Dale Chihuly on a clear glass bridge at the Wichita Art Museum. The museum features installations designed by American artists, part of the mission laid out when Louise Murdock created a trust for an art collection in honor of her husband, Roland, in 1915.
Today, the collection includes works by Mary Cassatt, Arthur G. Grove and Winslow Homer. The building, expanded in 2004, now comprises 115,000 square feet; exhibits mainly feature American painters, potters, sculptors and textile weavers. Exhibits on Kansas artists are also a focus of the museum.
“This is where you are going to see the local Kansas artists,” said Santo. “They also offer a group venue there where you can look at art while enjoying a reception.”
Groups can also dine in the Muse Cafe for lunch or shop in the Museum Store. Docent-led tours deliver interesting background information about how the heritage of the Great Plains ties in with the broader development of American art.
In 2015, the Art Garden opened to the public to revitalize the surrounding eight acres into an oasis of lush plantings and 13 outdoor sculptures.
