Wichita offers residents and visitors more than 220 sunny days each year. It’s the perfect setting for an outdoor adventure filled with animals of every species, from guinea pigs to tigers. Get in touch with your wild side at these must-see places for animal lovers in Wichita, Kansas.
Sedgwick County Zoo
The first stop on our safari around Wichita is the Sedgwick Zoo. The seventh-largest zoo in the country and the top outdoor family tourist attraction in Kansas lets you come face to face with 3,000 animals from all around the world.
Take a zoocation right here in the city and get to know the wildest animals, grouped geographically, from Asia to Africa. Then walk through the enormous aviary and catch the afternoon bird feedings daily at 1:15 p.m.
Meet resident gorillas and elephants, visit with bison and bears, see flocks of colorful birds, and watch the antics of playful penguins. There are endangered orangutans and tigers and cuddly guinea pigs and rabbits to meet, and all exhibits are designed to maximize the animals’ natural habitats. Many enclosures are designed to invite visitors inside so you can walk among the residents.
Tanganyika Wildlife Park
When you want a wildly different hands-on experience, head over to the Tanganyika Wildlife Park. At this park, visitors are encouraged to feed the animals, from ringtail lemurs to a rare Indian rhino named Stacks. Tanganyika offers more opportunities for close encounters than almost every other animal experience park.
Pet a kangaroo while he basks in the sun or feed a cupful of nectar to a colorful flock of lories. Swim with African penguins, then meet a lovable, slow-moving sloth. This is one wildlife park where you’re guaranteed to meet many new friends and experience something entirely new every time you come out.
Conservation is at the heart of Tanganyika Wildlife Park’s mission, and with every visit, you become a champion for these rare animals. With the recent birth of a female pygmy hippo to parents Posie and Pluto, Tanganyika celebrates its 40th successful breeding program of endangered creatures. The park opens for the year on March 17.
Great Plains Nature Center
Have you ever wanted to learn more about the wildlife native to Kansas’ vast prairies? Then the Great Plains Nature Center is the destination for you.
Start your visit in the centerpiece of the nature center: The Koch Habitat Hall. The hall features 3,500 square feet of displays, including The Prairie, in all its original glory. Beautiful murals painted by John Lencicki and Kent Pendleton line the walls, while at the far end, you’ll find the Bob Gress Wildlife Observatory.
Have a seat in the observatory and discover picturesque views of the wetlands around Chisholm Creek. Spot birds as they collect around the feeders and see butterflies flutter over varieties of blooming flora, all while you experience the wild beauty of the country’s heartland.
Grab your little monkeys and head out for a wild adventure today. Pick one or all of these must-see places for animal lovers in Wichita.
Image via Flickr by P_Linehan
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