Is the Old Cowtown Museum a good place to visit?

On my most recent roadtrip, I went to Kansas and spent some time in Wichita. One of the places my family and I visited was the Old Cowtown Museum. This museum features historic buildings moved to the same area to create a town like you would see in the 1800s. Each of the houses or buildings are set up similar to what they would be when they were in use. It will give you a small taste of living in an old west town. 

Pricing and Hours: At the time of me writing this article the Old Cowtown Museum was open from Wednesday – Saturday with pricing ranging from $11 – $12 for adults and $10 for children. During this summer and fall season, they are also open on Sundays for guests to visit for free. You can check current pricing and hours HERE.

Buildings: The day we visited the museum was a hot summer day. We were pleased to find out that most of the buildings were air conditioned and stepping into them was a nice change from the weather outside. It was still warm as we were traveling from building to building but at least we had an occasional break from the heat. 

I was also impressed with the variety and number of buildings we could explore. There were so many different businesses throughout the town that were filled with historic facts and information. It was recommended on their website that you have at least 1.5 – 2 hours to spend exploring the museum. If you want to go in each one, I agree that you will want a couple of hours to explore. One neat touch they added was that in the printing shop I could make my own printed bookmark from one of the old machines. I don’t know if there are always workers helping at the print shop but I would stop in and check it out. It was a fun experience and a neat souvenir to take home.

Bathrooms: It is always a plus if any attraction or event has public bathrooms and a nice one at that. I was pleasantly surprised to find very nice and well maintained bathrooms in the visitors center as well as in the town. They were easily accessible as well.

Refreshments: If you find yourself wanting a snack or drink, you can stop by the saloon and grab a treat. To help feel like you are really in the wild west, you might want to buy a sarsaparilla in a glass bottle before you leave. They also had various candies, soft drinks and water to purchase. This can be a good place to stop and rest at one of the many tables available in the saloon. 

Shopping: If you want a souvenir to take home to remember your visit, the visitors center is the place to go. Here they have a small gift shop with all kinds of trinkets to purchase. The visitors center is also where you will grab your map of the town before you head out to explore. You can shop before or after your visit of the town because you will start and end at this same location. 

Gun Show: When I was looking up the Old Cowtown Museum I found out that they had a “gun fight” each day out in front of the saloon. One of the workers let us know what time the show would be when we signed in at the visitor center and then we made sure we were near the saloon before the show was suppose to start. Before the show begins, the street is roped off for the safety of the guests and guests were asked to stand or sit on the opposite side of the street. 

After we were given instructions, the show began. I was expecting the show to be more on the serious side but instead it was a bit of a comedy. It was very family friendly and the actors looked like they really enjoyed their job. They had two shows throughout the day and they said each one is a little different so you could attend both if you wanted to. 

Workers: The workers at the museum were very helpful and were interested in sharing the museum with guests. Every interaction we had was pleasant and helped add to our good experience. The workers were informative, helpful and kind throughout the whole time we were there. 

Animals: There weren’t a lot of live animals on the property but we saw a couple of donkeys while in the town and a mom and baby cow at the old farm. I don’t know if they have more animals during other times of the year or not. 

Special Events: While we visited on a regular summer day, there are days that the museum has special events. For example, they might have an old time baseball game or 4th of July celebration. When looking at different events on the website, the Victorian Christmas looked neat to me! If you want to see upcoming events, their most recent newsletters can be helpful to find that information. Check them out HERE.

If you are looking for a family friendly activity, this is a great option. The kids can walk, run or ride in a stroller and you can experience a little of what it would be like to live in Wichita in the 1800s. – Pepper and Passports

If you are visiting Wichita and want some other great ideas, check out THIS article with restaurant and activity suggestions. (Link coming soon)

You can also find my thoughts on Botanica Wichita HERE.

AND if you are planning on visiting for 2 – 3 days HERE is my 2 day itinerary for visiting the area.

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