The Museum has been housed in Wichita’s original City Hall, a landmark building constructed in 1890 and is considered an exhibit in itself. A wide variety of the Museum’s exhibits showcase life in Wichita over the centuries, from the Wichita Indian tribe—whose name the town adopted— to the cowboys who drove their cattle here, to the dawn of aviation and the City’s role as the Air Capital of the World.
DiscoverCatch a glimpse of Wichita's early entrepreneurial spirit as it emerges from a prairie wilderness.
Our History comes alive!
VisitSee for yourself, the fascinating stories and colorful people that made Wichita come to life.
Visitor's Guide
SupportOur memberships provide wonderful benefits and supports for preserving and promoting our local history.
Ways to supportSpecial Exhibitions
Portraits From the Museum Collection
The urge to create or possess a visual representation of a specific person – a portrait - is present throughout history. Portraits are created for…
The Newest in the Thrift Finds Series
Since 1939, the Historical Museum has been actively collecting and preserving artifacts central to telling our local history’s stories. These artifacts are acquired in a…
Being Modern
This exhibition follows (and is directly patterned after) the Museum’s previous exhibit, Art Deco on the Plains. It takes the timeline forward to explore modern…
Why History Museums Collect Art
Art is not only for Art Museums. If a picture is worth a thousand words, it stands to reason that art can tell us a…
Upcoming Events
In the News
- Wichita museum hosting special Kansas program January 27, 2026
- A Wichita museum showcases antique Santa dolls for Christmas December 2, 2025
- Annual wreath festival set at Wichita museum November 11, 2025
- Visit Wichita talks Wild Lights and more upcoming events November 6, 2025
- Castles rising on the plains of Kansas? Check out these 11 beauties November 4, 2025
What our visitors saying about their experience
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ConnieHighly recommend! We were so surprised at how well presented the artifacts were and how many. Well worth the visit!
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JacquelineGreat museum to spend a couple of hours looking at fantastic and informative exhibits. A reasonable price with a good return for your investment.
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We got to visit for the first time today and loved it. So many fun things to look at and neat things to read. All our kids loved it too!
Cassie C.





