2024 Big Kansas Road Trip Leads to North-Central Kansas

The sixth annual Big Kansas Road Trip (BKRT) takes place May 2-5 in Ellsworth and Lincoln counties plus the community of Lucas in Russell County.

The goal of the Kansas Sampler Foundation annual event is to provide first-hand experiences in rural communities for the general public, according to Marci Penner, co-director of the foundation.

Dozens of attractions and merchants open their doors and plan activities during the four-day event. Visitors choose their own pace and which of the a la carte options to include.

Itineraries can be planned by visiting bigkansasroadtrip.com or perusing the BKRT color print guide. Options include grassroots art, military history, missile silos, geologic gems, petroglyphs, lakes, post rock structures, hiking trails, museums, a microbrewery, made-from-scratch restaurants, unique shopping, and even a drive-in movie theater.

For more information go to bigkansasroadtrip.com or call 620-960-0552.

Aviation exhibit receives top-flight award

Aviation exhibit receives top-flight award

Wichita’s Exploration Place won a top award at the recent American Alliance of Museum’s 31st annual Excellence in Exhibition competition. 

The seven museums receiving awards included not just Exploration Place but also such notable institutions as the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago; the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C.; the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City; and the art museums of Colonial Williamsburg. 

Exploration Place received a special achievement award for Innovative Example of Intentional Practice for its Design Build Fly exhibition. After five years of planning, the 5,100-square-foot aviation exhibit gallery opened at the end of 2017 with dozens of hands-on activities related to Wichita’s aviation industry. 

The aviation exhibit is included in regular admission. For more information, visit exploration.org.

WAM illuminates Georgia O’Keeffe

“Georgia O’Keeffe: Art, Image, Style,” the first exhibition to explore the art, image and personal style of one of America’s most iconic artists, will be on display at the Wichita Art Museum until June 23.

Organized by the Brooklyn Museum, the exhibition offers an intimate glimpse at the artist as well as her paintings, photo portraits and original clothing. O’Keeffe was at the forefront of the American avant-garde movement in the early decades of the 20th century.

For more information, visit wichitaartmuseum.org.

Pizza Hut Museum

So what if it’s cold outside?

Wichita has plenty of indoor museums to explore. The most recent addition is housed in the first Pizza Hut, which was opened by Wichitans Dan and Frank Carney in 1958 after borrowing $600 from their mother. 

The 500-square-foot building, which was moved to the Wichita State campus (the Carneys are alumni)  from its original location at Kellogg and Bluff in 1986, is filled with memorabilia and artifacts as well as Interactive features and early TV commercials. The museum is located south of Marcus Welcome Center. Admission is free; check Wichita.edu for hours.