The final stop of our 6 weeks in Kansas was Hutchinson, a city in the center of the state that’s about an hour northwest of Wichita.
We spent five days there, although taking into account moving days, working and going on a road trip around central Kansas, we didn’t have that much time to explore.
Having said that, we did find some fun things to do in Hutchinson, so here’s what we’d recommend.
Cosmosphere
Cosmosphere is an absolutely fantastic space museum in Hutchinson. It began life as a planetarium in 1962 and has expanded since then into a complex that’s more than 100,000 sq ft.
Shae and I wanted to make the most of our time there, so we went for their All-Access Mission Pass ticket package. It normally costs $26 per person for adults, but I think we got a couple of bucks off with our AAA membership. That package got us access to the following attractions in the museum:
- Hall of Space Museum and Innovator’s Workshop
- 1 Carey Digital Dome Theater documentary
- 2 shows in Our Universe Theaters
- 1 ride on the naviGATOR Simulator
The Hall of Space Museum was fascinating. It gave a comprehensive history of the development of rockets over the past century but in a way that was incredibly interesting. When visiting museums, I’ll often find myself skimming the displays, but Cosmosphere’s exhibits were different. Both Shae and I took forever to make our way through the museum as we stopped and read every single thing in the first half of the museum.
We learned a phenomenal amount while we there, particularly about how World War II and the Cold War spurred much of the development of rockets.
Cosmosphere is also home to the second largest display of US space artifacts, including the actual Odyssey capsule that was used by the astronauts of the Apollo 13 mission.
If you only have time for one thing in Hutchinson, Cosmosphere should be it. It was well worth the ~$26 for the museum exhibits, movies and simulator.
Address
Cosmosphere, 1100 N Plum St, Hutchinson, KS 67501
Strataca
Strataca is the only salt mine in the US that members of the public are able to visit. Located 650 feet below the earth’s surface, the tunnels are very wide and so if you suffer from claustrophobia, you’d hopefully still be OK down there.
We didn’t have time during our stay to go on a regular tour, but everyone we spoke to who’d done the tour said that it was worth doing.
Shae and I did get to explore the salt mine though as we took part in a 5k down there on our final day in Hutchinson. Being 650 feet underground means it’s definitely one of the most unique 5k runs you can participate in, especially since you have to wear a helmet and headlamp. We bought cheap bike helmets from a thrift store, but Strataca offers miners helmets if you need one.
Check out this post which has photos and a video from the Mine Run 5k.
Address
Strataca, 3650 E Ave G, Hutchinson, KS 67501
Hutchinson Zoo
Hutchinson is home to a free zoo, although they do encourage donations of $2 per person or $5 per family which is very reasonable.
The zoo is less than 10 acres, so it’s fairly small and only takes an hour or so to walk around. Due to its size, they don’t have any lions and tigers and bears (oh my), but there’s a good selection of other animals. We even got to see a baby llama when we visited.
The zoo also has a train called the Prairie Thunder which is open seasonally. One of the nice features of it is that it’s free to ride.
There are several different animals, along with a snake and reptile display.
Address
Hutchinson Zoo, 6 Emerson Loop, Hutchinson, KS 67501
Sandhills Brewing
We were in Hutchinson over Valentine’s Day, so Shae took me to Sandhills Brewing as part of my present. The taproom hadn’t been open for too long when we visited, but they had some tasty beers.
Well, they have at least one tasty beer – I tried one that I liked and ended up sticking with that. If the Great Horned Wee Heavy is anything to go by though, their other beers will be good too.
I had a few servings of the Great Horned Wee Heavy and was surprised at how tipsy I felt. Checking their website last night though, I saw that it’s something like 10.5%, so that explains it!
Seeing as they don’t serve hot food, Sandhills Brewing is pet-friendly. We returned with Truffles the following night for another drink to take advantage of that policy, although she stuck to water.
At the time of writing this post, they’re only open Thursday-Saturday, so be aware of that if you’re planning a visit.
Address
Sandhills Brewing, 111 W 2nd Ave Suite C, Hutchinson, KS 67501
Question
Those are four fun things to do in Hutchinson, Kansas that we enjoyed, but how about you? Do you live in Hutchinson or have you visited there in the past and have any other recommendations? Let us know in the comments below.
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