Old Cowtown Museum Reviews

What a wonderful site! I love the layout and all the buildings oozing with history.I really enjoy seeing how life was like with all the implements that were included in daily life in the 1800's. The buildings are in excellent shape as it is evident they are taken care of well. You truly feel like you are strolling down a territorial town as it takes you back in time.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching the gunfight and there was a wide selection of items in the gift shop. I selected a Kansas mug, butterscotch and a magnet of the Murdoch House. There are many opportunities for fun pictures. Family friendly location that is an entertaining place to help keep history alive.

Admission is free on Sundays. Definitely worth a visit when you are near Wichita.

Old Cowtown has a great collection of historical buildings that replicate the early days of Wichita and the old west. They have regular events with special themes and it's also great to just go and stroll the streets immersing one's self in what it might have been like to live in Wichita in the early 1800's.

This place was hands down one of my favorites of all time. Be prepared to do some walking but it is totally worth it. This is a place the whole family can enjoy from small children to teens.

If you're interested in history and how things were in the old west this is a very worthwhile stop. Old town is set up with stores and businesses the way they were back in the day and very informative. If you're lucky you might even get in on some movie shooting.

We visited this museum earlier today and are very impressed! Hands down this museum surpasses The Boot Hill Museum in Dodge City! The buildings are authentic, with a few exceptions. There is a variety of occupations and lifestyles represented . All information was complete and well displayed. They presented the history of the area and people in a way that both adults and children would enjoy. The staff we interacted with were professional and friendly. Really wish we hadn’t wasted our money at The Boot Hill Museum.

I have to be honest, for years I had no interest, same buildings, same signs, same history. But, I bought my partner an annual pass and my opinion changed. I spent more time getting to know the history of the buildings and time period, and got to experience some fun events they have through the year. The Halloween event really stands out, but there are events every month.l, and even more in the summer. The volunteers make this place special and they try the best to provide both education and entertainment.

The buildings were very interesting and filled with lots of artifacts. NO shootout ... limited items in saloon. Would have been nice to have someone to talk to on tour

The Old Cowtown Museum is a recreation of a Kansas town from the 1880s that includes knowledgeable volunteers dressed up in period costumes. These volunteers actually perform some of the jobs just like they were done at the time. When we were there the blacksmith was making horseshoes & the newspaper printer was making business cards. It was very hot the day we went, but most of the buildings are are conditioned.I would definitely recommend this to anyone interested in how people lived in the late 19th century in Kansas.

This place takes you back to the way it was. Stables, blacksmithing, saloons, it was great.
The place was the way it was back in the 1800. Lots of history. A walking tour. Go at your own pace. I was told in the summer the have horse drawn carriage rides.

If you want to see how the settler's lives in KS in the 1880'2, this is the place. Restored building, authentically dressed reinactors, real boardwalks and building you can explore, even a working 1880's farm. LOTS of special events and historical information. I think this is a must if you like anything about the expansion to the west by settlers.

What an amazing display of history!! We spent almost 3 hours here. So much to see and explore. Very well done replicating this time in history, lots of Information on each building. Over 60 buildings and almost all you are able to enter and see. The saloon closed at 1:30, would have loved to sit a bit and take that in a little bit. They offer for money drinks and snacks there. Could only take photos through the window, A wonderful walking museum that truly takes you back. Loved the farm in the back as well. One of the best we have seen. Highly recommend stopping and seeing this great area.

If you are in the area then this is a must do. The museum is authentic and has tons of artifacts and antiques. We enjoyed going through each of the buildings. The buildings were nice and it all looked like an old town. Supposing that's why it is called old Cowtown museum.

Fun educational experience for the kids. Definitely a must see if you have an afternoon. We love to go during education days so the kids can see demonstrations.

Great day at Cowtown. I used to come here on a field trip growing up and this was a blast from the past. There was a car show to boot.
Gotta see the very entertaining gun fight show. Thanks for the volunteers doing this.

Had a great time. Lots of antiques to look at. The gunfight in the street was fun. We got a really good hotdog and popcorn at the saloon. Would definitely visit again and recommend for adults and children.

When I was growing up in Wichita, I pestered my parents constantly to bring me here. They never did, and I left home without having seen it. 40+ years later, I finally got here.

It wasn't worth a lifetime of waiting.

The buildings were great, and quite interesting. I was very unhappy to see that they had taken the old saloon building and made it a modern snack stand.

The docents left a great deal to be desired. If they were in the area they were supposed to be in, they were generally pretty clueless about that subject. I watched one turn around and bug out when a group of kids headed to her building.

At least one of my bucket list items is finished.

An actual town consisting of orginal and replicas buildings from 1876. On an uncrowned day it feels like you are actually in 1876, they offer senior tickets and Veterans and military get in for free .

We decided to check this out after running low of ideas for things to do in Wichita. Let me just say, this place is completely awesome. I can't believe it's listed as #5, it should be the #1 thing to do. Its basically a town built and set up like it would have been in the late 1800's. You can walk down the streets, go into the houses and businesses. There is a bank, general store, school, church, dentists office. Its unlike anything you have done anywhere else. The houses are mostly preserved from the time period and are furnished with old furniture and items. Its literally like taking a step back in time. I've never seen anything like this anywhere else. This should without question be the #1 Wichita attraction. Even if you aren't much into history, this is like walking into an old movie except everything is real!

Lots of history and historical buildings from the beginnings of Wichita. Restaurant, gift shop, main street with businesses. Saloon to get your sarsaparilla.

Old Cowtown Museum is a fantastic place to visit. Very friendly and knowledgeable volunteers. Especially loved the performances by the Entre' Nous Club Victorian Dancers.

There is free parking at the entrance. The park contains several buildings from Wichita during the period from the founding of the city to the early nineteenth century. When we were there, some people walked in the park dressed in the clothing of that time. In a limited number of houses you can talk to them about their activity. The highlight was at three o'clock when two ladies got into a heated argument about a man. Eventually they both turned against the man and he was chased away while shooting.

If you or anyone you know want to go back in time this is the place to visit. If you can visit when they have people there to make the place come alive it is even better.

It was a great time. Our group loved all of the old shops in which artisans were re-creating how things used to be done. The old time soda shop was a hit. The Sarsaparilla was loved by all. You can spend a lot of time wandering from shop to shop and down Main Street. There’s also an old time shoot out, toned down off course, so the young ones don’t get freaked out.

Wonderful experience walking around the old town with the different houses and shops. You can go inside in all these buildings and read about the history and the former owners.
People are dressed fitting to that time and performing a gunfight or dancing in the saloon.

This is the 3rd time taking my son here. I have been coming since a child. Yes it's been around for over 40 yrs. It's good education experience for kids to learn about how it was in 1860's. They also have gun shows. Prices to get in are reasonable. They also have their staff and volunteers dressed as the pass.

This place is so cool. The have buildings and equipment reaching back 160 years. They have some living museum locations like the blacksmith. It’s huge and I loved wandering around the town.

Took family from out of state here and enjoyed a fun photo shoot, an old fashioned "gun fight" and seeing lots of history from the old days in Wichita. Many of the buildings are air conditioned and now they have a building with a video giving the history of the Wichita area. Great way to spend a few hours.

Out of season visit so no one dressed up to play the citizens. A fine collection of
buildings and it was a bonus to be able to go inside them and see how life was in
the Old West over one hundred years ago. Being out of season meant you could
take your time strolling from building to building. Information map very helpful.

We stopped by Old Cowtown on our second day in Wichita. My wife had been there when she was a kid and now we brought our 3 year old. She loved running down the streets, sitting on the saddles, and watching the actors perform. She even got up on stage at the Saloon and sang for us and a couple other patrons. Looking forward to going back next time with visiting Kansas and exploring Cowtown more.

What a great stop. This is a recreation of the original town of Wichita. We spent about 2 hrs here, roaming in and out if buildings. Only a few interpreters, but each building gas a lit if information on signs. Refreshments at Ssloon consist of soft drinks and snacks, so do not an to eat lunch here. Street performance in front of saloon was good old time entertainment. Definitely recommend. Large parking lot will easily accommodate RVs.

Very nicely done exhibits of Wichita life in the 1800s. Lots of great information in general and specifically to certain people and families. Many buildings were air conditioned - which was nice as we were there during an extreme heat wave. Free parking and the entrance fee was very reasonable. We enjoyed our time here!

As a history-buff, this place was GREAT! They moved all these old buildings back in the 1950s/1960s to this area and restored them. You can go inside each building and wander around (which could be bad for those with younger kids).
For a limited time, the admission is free on Sundays. Call to confirm.
The ladies at the front desk were SO NICE. Be sure to arrive an hour before they close because they stop letting people enter. If you're into history, it will definitely take over an hour to view each building.
The re-enactors are very knowledgeable and have first-hand experience on their designated character's lives. Be sure to visit the printing press to try your hand at printing. The saloon offers real snacks and drinks - Cash Only. They do sell Sasparilla which tastes a lot like Root Beer (none of my kids liked it).
It gets really hot out here. No air conditioning except the Saloon and the main Center. Bring bottled water. Clean restrooms. Large gift shop.
12 year old - Liked the swing, the bowling game, and the drinks at the Saloon.
7 year old - Liked the swing and the bowling game
3 year old - Liked the chickens

If you want to experience what Kansas was life in the days before car travel, this is a great experience for the family. Our family really enjoyed watching the blacksmith work, seeing a working farm area, the shops back in the day to purchasing sasparilla at the saloon. The best days to visit is during special events as they have docent volunteers in period clothing talking about life back in the day. We spent 21/2 hours exploring. Well worth the admission and cool to be on a movie set as a couple of movies have been filmed here.

Probably not the best choice for a scorching hot day (102 degrees today.) The gun show in the street was slap stick. Thank goodness that many of the old buildings were air conditioned. The docents seemed to be hot and bored, too. I felt like I had to pull out information from them in some of the buildings. It was very nice, though, that our admission was free due to my husband being a veteran.

Cowtown is a nice place to take your family on a weekend visit. I went with my Grandson's school field trip and they had a wonderful time. A lot to do and see. True to the pioneer days. A must for all to see.

Traveling from Minnesota, we carefully planned our two day visit to Wichita by reviewing websites for open days and hours on places we wanted to see, Cowtown among them. Not one spot on their website (including their homepage) mentioned anything about being closed Saturday Oct. 16. Their calendar showed a ‘hootenanny’ event starting at 4:00 with no other details. We arrived at Cowtown at 2:00 pm to find a closed sign at the front door and a rude staff person behind the door telling us ‘we are closed today’ with no other explanation. Apparently a $50 fundraiser started at 4:00, the ‘hootenanny’, and out of state visitors were expected to know this intuitively from their zero communication website. Horrible.

This place is like going back in time. The people were nice and the place was real clean.
This is a great place when passing thru Wichita like we were. You can see everything in a couple of hours.

We were looking for something to do while in Wichita, Kansas for the day. We spent about an hour here. We walked around and looked inside the houses, businesses, and the farm area. They did have sheep. There was a lot of kids there. It was a weekday, so it probably was a school field trip. I expected more staff to be dressed like that era, but I only encountered one staff member on the grounds. It is interesting finding the history behind this town.
Only $10 to go in which isn’t bad for an hour of entertainment. Wear comfortable walking shoes because it is a good walk. Parking is free and on site.

This place is very good for big kids and young teens, who are willing to see, that the world wasn't always like it is now. Everything here is as authentic as possible in our world, including the staffs attire. People here are very friendly, always ready to explain everything, you can ask about. There is even a small educational show and working shops, too.

I did this because nothing else seemed to be open on Sunday, but I ended up enjoying it. Lots of interesting historical buildings and furnishings and other items. There's a shoot-out on main street. The day I was there was very hot, but many of the buildings have air conditioning, anachronistic i know, but quite welcome that day. There's a nice snack bar at the saloon. I enjoyed the experience a lot.

This was a great way to spend almost 4 hours and not expensive $9 each Very good museum and well set out there is a blacksmith working on site so was great to watch him work.take time to appreciate this place.

old cowntown was interesting place to see. gives you a good idea what the old west looked liked. went on friday afternoon not many people walking around so you really check out the buildings. reading the history most were original not modern reconstruction. first stop view short film on Wichita history then just walk around. some stores have people will to explain history. gun fight at 3pm. saloon offer snacks and drinks. large gift shop as you enter. well worth the stop. much more realistic than the one at dodge city. area has art museums and the Keeper all worth seeing. nice area to visit

We brought an eleven-year-old girl we were babysitting here during one of their FREE Sundays, and we had a marvelous time! Cowtown is HUGE! There are so many different old shops and buildings to explore. They've done a great job preserving the old feel to the place. It was hot, so I appreciated the saloon where customers can purchase cold root beers. We were there in time for the gun show, which was entertaining. There's also a lovely farm with live animals. Our eleven-year-old, like many kids there, had a blast watching blacksmith demonstrations, a magic show, the tree swing, the prison, the animals, and the well-stocked gift shop.

1st off make sure you bring your walking shoes. 22 Acres of land and close to 40 buildings to go through. Spent close to 4 hours there and it was not busy. There was a lot of great artifacts and history. Lot of them are original buildings. They do have a snack area forwards the middle. I was on an knee scooter in got around just fine. I did have to walk a few times because of the dirt/gravel. Wheelchairs will go through their just fine. Make sure you take lots of pictures and enjoy.

Cowtown in Wichita, KS is a great place to experience history first hand. The buildings are all original to the area so you can see how our settlers lived and worked. They have cowboy gunfights which are neat to watch. Cowtown also has a great event center that you can rent for various occasions. If you come during the summer prepare for the heat it can get very hot. Enjoy your visit!

Everything in this museum is amazing and authentic. Everyone dressed period appropriate, and stay in character.
Kid friendly, lots to see, but lots to read as well. Definitely a place to stop if you are in Wichita!
Cowtown is also PERFECT for a childs birthday party! They have the birthday kid rob the bank, and make them a sheriff of Cowtown. You get escorted by a staff member around who stay ins character, it was so much FUN!

Nice to go back in time. This place was carefully planned. It really looks and feels like a town way back when. We enjoyed it. Great learning for kids.

I discovered the Cowtown museum a year ago and vowed to return. I was blessed to see it again this year on our annual visit to Wichita. It is a beautiful historic old west town which features actual period buildings which includes but is not limited to a working farm, blacksmith shop, a saloon which serves excellent sarsparilla, a dress shop, print shop, church, feed mill, school, church, homes, general store and oh so many authentic buildings. There are detailed descriptions of each building. I definitely want to return each year to see what's new in the "Old West". Everyone is pleasant and knowledgeable.

Wanna see what Wichita was all about back in the cowboy days? Check out cowtown. I was fascinated with this place as a kid. Loved watching the black Smith beat and pound hot metal on his anvil. Sometimes they have cowboy shoot outs. It's a neat place to get a taste of the wild west.

Good place to take kids to have fun and learn about history. Reenactments were cute and the volunteers are really nice.

Visited Cowtown with a group. We were there for dinner. The food was great, nice bar and service and it was great to meet chamber and airforce members. We had the opportunity to walk around town after dinner. Great experience.

Really enjoyed my visit! Was there a few hours before storm chased me away. I walking down the street was like walking back into the past. Love how many of the buildings were original. Almost every one could be entered and lots of items to view.

A definite stop on any visit to Wichita!!

Probably my favorite attraction of all the ones I visited in the area! We showed up when there happened to be another event and the staff was very helpful in offering us options to return another day (that ended up being free) and things we could do instead that day (which also happened to be free). Well worth the visit.

These places are fascinating to walk through. There is a Lot of Wichita, KS History in this museum. They have gunfights and horses, cows, and goats. The Church is a great place to have a Wedding.

We enjoyed this. It is actually laid out like a town; we did not have time to visit the homestead and farm at the end of tome due to time restrictions, but would have liked to have been able. You go from building to building, businesses, homes, etc, go in the ones you want and spend how long you want. I had gone through almost 1/4 of the town by the time my husand got out of the carpentry shop! Fun and interesting, if we are ever in the area again, I would not mind returning.

What a fantastic place! I've lived in KS all my life and had never been, I could have spent nearly all day there. There is so much to see, most buildings are air conditioned and its huge! You can have lunch or a cold drink at the saloon, and there are plenty of things for smaller kids. I suggest a good 3-4 hours to take it all in. Everything was excellent!

This is an unique place. Made up of both original and replica buildings. On most days it is like being in 1876 Wichita with all the people gone. Free admission to Veterans and seniors. It and the new ballpark are must sees. Wichita is a low cost places to visit with lots to do. I recommend staying at either a best western or the Hampton inn . Both give you great value for your money .

Waste of time and money don't go if you want to learn anything about Wichita Kansas Don't bother to go to the keeper of the plains either

We visited old cow town museum this past weekend and had so much fun! There weren't many visitors when we got there in the early afternoon so it almost felt like we had the town to ourselves! When walking to the museum from our car it almost didn't seem like we had the right place as there was just a standard building in front where the gift shop is and you couldn't see the town but beyond the gift shop you begin the adventure. So many neat original buildings, markets, shops, etc. it really was fascinating. Such a good bang for your buck ($7.50 normal adult admission)! We spent about 3 hours just going from place to place. My only wish was that we could have explored more of the homes as all of the homes were only open on the first level only. I would highly recommend this place to anyone! You'll do a lot of walking so wear comfortable shoes.

We took our young grandson & nephew to Old Cowtown Museum, and they loved it. They liked the animals, the gun fight in the street, seeing a storm trooper, (I know, not really a cow town kind of character, but still fun), getting to shake hands with the sheriff, and then other cowboys. Sitting in the school desks, helping the newspaper man print the paper. Getting a Sarsaparilla. Running up and down the hill. They had a great time.

This is a collection of buildings from the early days of Wichita and Sedgwick County. Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp both lived here. The guides are all well versed and pleasant.

I enjoy history so liked walking around this historic site which preserves Wichita history 1865-1880. We visited on a weekday morning. There are 50 historic buildings over 23 acres so wear comfortable shoes! The saloon has snacks and beverages but only hot dogs and sausages for a lunch type meal. I enjoyed the sarsaparilla to drink.

This is an immersive historic experience with period actors! The buildings are old historic buildings that have been moved onto the site. They even have the first house built in Wichita by Europeans. The actors were friendly and informative. My big regret is that we went on a super hot Friday, when we should have went on the weekend. They have more going on during the weekend. Still a great way for the kids to learn about pioneer times. Some of the buildings have ac, luckily because it was 105 when we visited. The actors were wearing full cotton suits and still smiling! That is professionalism at its finest.

This won't be for everyone, but if you are into the history of this time period and this region of the country then you will enjoy it. As you enter some of the buildings don't be surprised if there are character actors in there. We were startled a couple of times and it was kind of awkward.

We have visited several living history museums with some better than others. I would rate this one average for that genre. There is an interesting collection of buildings to view and enter. The gunfight was entertaining. If you go during the summer I would suggest that you go early as it does get hot. We visited on a Sunday with free admission and when we left the parking lot was full with people waiting for our spot. Lastly, this attraction is not handicapped friendly due to the many stairs.

Very fun and complete explanation of the history of Wichita and surrounding area was founded and developed. Fun place for the kids and not so kids anymore.

This place was amazing. It was really cold out, so there was only one other visitor when we got there at 10 am. The buildings are original and set up as close to the way they were for the time. It's like stepping back in time as you go through each building. We ran out of time to see the farm, but we already spent 2 1/2 hours looking at everything else. What a gem Witcha has preserved!

We spent a few hours here and really enjoyed talking with the workers. What a great place to see history come to life. Loved the gun show!

We ended up going on a Sunday which was free admission starting at noon. We walked around the small town and interacted with the horses on the farm. Went to the saloon and had a sarsaparilla. Started getting crowded as we were leaving so i would recommend going on Sunday at noon to beat the crowd. There is a gunfight at 1PM.

You stepped into the 1840 to 1880's. The homes were well done in period pieces. The artisans were great. The dime novel reactament was clever. Well worth the time.

Almost nothing about this place was as advertised on the website. There were no shootouts, no stagecoach rides, and no period-costumed people walking around. I would have paid extra for a stagecoach ride. We only saw a man doing blacksmithing and a man in the print shop. No guides walking around anywhere to answer questions or detail the buildings, the history and the stories they could tell. I would have paid for a guided tour. No signage to explain the cabins or houses or their builders and the same for most of the businesses. We were given a map, but that doesn't really give any background to the town. At least the same info from the website could have been posted.
There was no place to buy food unless you think paying $4.50 for a small bottle of soda and buying chip-type snacks is lunch. I even called earlier and was told sure there was food available in the saloon. There was not even a recording of piano music in the saloon. A person could have been hired to play one. Or a player piano could have been set up as a "pay for play" item. There could have been saloon girl dancing shows a few times during the day. It only had a sales clerk in it, who wasn't dressed in a costume, a stage, and a picture on the wall beyond the tables.
The old-time photography shop wasn't open so we couldn't get our photo taken in period clothing and I was looking forward to that. Pictures on the website indicated that was available.
We were able to enter most buildings and found fascinating things in them. And they were airconditioned. It would have been soooo much better with a tour guide to explain what we were seeing. The scenery, the atmosphere and the proliferation of content were all there, but they weren't utilized. The best part was that a groundskeeper did go to a few houses with us explaining what we were visiting. He was knowledgeable and patient, and I wished he could have continued throughout the very long walk through time and the town. All of the grounds and buildings were very well kept up.
I was told most of the things I thought would be there weren't there because it's staffed by volunteers who aren't there on weekdays. That's a piece of info I could have used while planning my visit BEFORE I got there. I was very excited to visit Old Cowtown and did enjoy some parts of it. But mostly it was a huge disappointment. It's such a wasted opportunity for tourists! It's too bad some savvy city official can't let loose of the purse strings a little, hire people to be there whenever it's open, and celebrate this wonderful commodity for what it could be. Then it could get good postings on TripAdvisor. It has so much potential, but the website greatly oversells what's actually available.
P.S. I noticed the review given prior to mine have no date on them. I wonder when they were posted.

We were there on a day when we had to pay, but only half price since there was construction at some of the buildings. There were a few costumed interpreters and everything looks authentic to the late 1800's, but we weren't impressed. As history buffs we've been to other 19th century "villages" that have done a better job. It does seem to be very kid-friendly and we saw a program they were having with young girls. If you have children I think you'll enjoy this place, but for two history loving adults it's just average.

Wife and I visited while in town. It is set up like an old western town with shops and business outfitted with what was in them back when they were active. Great western history.

Great place to see what life was like back in the old days. they have people dressed in the clothes of the time.

Cowtown is a collection of old buildings from all over Kansas, brought together to recreate what life in the late 1800s was like. Many of the building are set up to illustrate life, others have a museum quality. We spent a good part of the day there and learned a lot. A "saloon" was open to provide food and refreshments for those who wanted to purchase a lunch.

Had a few hours to kill so we gave it a try and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Our kids are 7, 11, and 15 and they all loved it. Spent 3 hours exploring.

Last 3 events we attended at Cowtown this fall have been great and we were so happy we came. Great staff.

History on display all around. Many well preserved buildings representing all the typical trades and homes of early Wichita. Staff in costume. Even heritage chickens and a period themed garden. Plus, a working blacksmith when we were there.

Been several times including when I was a child. They have fixed it up a little too much from years ago & by doing so kind of ruined it a bit from then. It used to have bullet holes in the walls & such that really made it more realistic from that era, but that kind of stuff is no longer present knocking out some of the historical value in my opinion. I suppose some of that couldn't be helped to keep the place up but more care should have been taken to preserve the historical aspect as much as possible. Still it is worth seeing.

My husband and I were visiting Wichita for a long weekend and decided to checkout Cowtown before we headed home. It's a cool step back in time. A good portion of the buildings are all original and have been brought in from other parts of Kansas to create a historic old town. The saloon will sell you sodas and hot dogs for a reasonable price and the blacksmith is fun to stand and watch work. The stagecoach was running from time to time and we saw several people enjoying rides on it. The printing press is fun to stop in and visit with the knowledgeable gentleman working it. It's a cool place to visit for a very reasonable price and it's fun to take a step back in time.

Interesting collection of historic buildings from old Wichita. Tells you a lot about life 130 years ago. More people should see this, it was very good

I have lived in Wichita my entire life but bad never been to Cowtown. My company offered a free day so I went with my mom, aunt, grandmother, teenage cousin, and his friend. I thought I would be bored but it was fantastic. You are able to go in to a lot of the buildings and they are beautifully kept and surprisingly with a/c for year round comfort. The gun show was fun and the horses were beautiful. There are also resident cats to keep the rodent population down. They are feral but you will see them around. It's fascinating to see how Wichita may have looked in its early days. On the way out there is a path of placards that share fun facts about Wichita such as when we first got electricity and etc. I would definitely go again and recommend. If your kids aren't into history or like museums I would not take them they may be bored.

Coming back from our two week vacation out west we stopped through old Cowtown Museum. Spent a couple hours walking around and even ate lunch there. Was worth the stop and if we ever come back through, we will definitely go back in the museum.

We love history, old building architecture, stories of real people who lived long ago. Imagine living in a western town back in mid 1800's. This is what you experience here and we loved it!
It's not a real town but it sure looks like it. Many buildings are original and moved here and positioned on streets and side streets as any town would have been.
Open every building door and walk in to view the building's interior for what it was: A blacksmith shop, a funeral parlor, a dentist, a mill, a train depot, etc.
A general store stocked with dry goods and huge pot belly stove just as it was in its day.
A real 1800's farm house and out buildings complete with animals.
Full dress cowboy dudes getting on in a street shoot out.
This is a great family place to experience!
If you see anything in Wichita, make this your #1 stop.

Visited in October 2021. Unfortunately I did not have enough time to spend going through the entire outdoor/indoor museum. Exhibits were wonderful and having grown up in the midwest, were authentic in presentation. The "gunfight" was not as expected, but at this time there were really limited number of guests attending at time I did. A great place to go back in time to the simpler days long gone.

I've been going to Cowtown for 30 years. I use to go there as a kid and now I take my kids and I love the experience each time. So much history is there and it literally comes alive. You can watch a real blacksmith making iron works, or an old-fashion printing press and the old newspaper, or check out the can-can girls. They have many great events though out the year as well.

This is the most authentic and complete living museum that I have ever seen. Completely furnished homes and businesses with real items, not fabricated items. The town has everything a town needs, including, but not limited to a church, school, livery, haberdashery, mortuary, and live animals, including a fox that wanders around town. Plan to spend lots of time to go inside every building. Fair price for a memorable experience. We really enjoyed it!

Often overlooked and under appreciated this park composed of actual relocated historic buildings let’s you experience the real Wichita of the 1880s. Not a tourist trap but rather an authentic walking museum. Never crowded always interesting.

Good history lesson for all ages. Image going into a 1870's log cabin with AC. We enjoyed the Shoot out on front street. The saloon hot dogs and brats were great for lunch. Sent 3 hours here. Also if you are active duty or retired Military your visit is free for you and all your dependents.

Great place love the people the shows and history. More than expected and military oriented. Would go again and recommend

I confess, I am comparing this experience with some truly great reenactment sites like Cittie of Henricus and Colonial Williamsburg, but this visit just fell flat.

Parking is free and seemed plentiful on a moderately slow day. It's now $9 per adult at the door. Payment is at the gift shop so you get a tangling of lines and it's hard to move around at times.

Once you get in, it's sort of pointless. The walk is populated with history markers but rather than a period narrative they try to encapsulate all of Wichita's history. The volunteers are hit and miss regarding their interest in engaging the visitors. The gal at the millinery shop was delightful and competent, but the blacksmith shop was only interested in jawing with someone he seemed to know. Meanwhile there were lots of reading stops with plenty of information, but as before there seemed to be a lack of narrative thread.

It wasn't bad, by any means. It just didn't make any effort to interest me in the history being represented.

Go for the Christmas festivities or go during the summer excitement. Whenever you go to this attraction you will be surprised that more folks are not enjoying this Jewel. Take the whole family and enjoy this local treasure.

We have wanted to visit this ever since we saw the movie Family Vacation. It is well worth the time whether you are a couple or a large group. The buildings are stocked with items from the era. Flash photography is allowed. A real trip into the old wild west. We made it in time to see the realistic gun fight and the saloon girls dancing the can can dance. We even drank a sasparilla. Great place to visit and tour the old buildings. It is like visiting the 1800's, even has an authentic old log cabin. Don't forget the gift shop. We bought our granddaughters back some old fashioned toys and they loved playing with them.

it was a great step back in time to see wichita and some of the original buildings. It was nice to have people dressed up and know historical accurate information about wichita in the 1800's.

If a person loves Western History then they need to visit this outdoor living museum. During the year they offer free admission days--which was a day that we attended. Be sure to watch one of their live gun fights at 1pm or 3pm. There is a lot to see and you will easily spend a couple hours walking through the town to see the homes and businesses from Old Cowtown. We will for sure go back during a few of their special events! In September they have a wine event, in October is the Halloween celebration, and we can't wait to see the town decorated for Christmas in December. It was a great afternoon, even with the heat. (They have many buildings with air conditioning so we could sit and cool off a while. And they have many benches throughout the town for people to rest.)

It was fun. It’s a big place that they have moved mostly all original buildings and houses from historic parts of town to this one place and made it like it was back in the day. Inside most places there is someone in there working dressed like they would have back then. There is air conditioning in the stores so you don’t die. Lol. On Sunday it’s free and they do a shootout. We liked it, the history and a lot of interactive stuff

It's always a fun time here. Cowtown always has different things going on, different educational meetings, and it's a great place to visit year round. If you've never been to the Victorian Christmas celebration, you really should. Check their website and other websites for to dos here and consider being a member.

Was looking for something to do for a couple of hours and wasn't disappointed by this modern representation of 1880's Wichita! Many of the buildings came from nearby locations others were constructed to period likeness. Lots of interpretive signs and people in period costumes in the various buildings. Maybe better for slightly older children on normal days

I visited Old Cowtown Museum initially because it was a ten minute drive and I had a card for free admission, but it turned out to be an interesting place that represents Wichita in its beginnings. I was there early in the week before the peak season so there were no actual activities going on. During the summer season, I have been told there are wagon train rides, gun battles in the streets...typical old west type encounters. But it was interesting even without those aspects.

Halloween time is especially fun for all ages. The staff dressed in costumes. Great job on decorating the whole place for Halloween. The gun show was my favorite.

The Cowtown museum was well worth the admission price. We appreciated walking in buildings that were relocated there but really were from the late 1800's. The gun fight was well done. I would like to go back and plan on spending at least 3 hours.

This museum takes place on about a 23 acre plot of land, most of which is behind the entrance (don’t let the entrance fool you, there is a lot to be seen.) There is an entrance fee during the week and Saturday, but it is free on Sundays. We were thoroughly surprised by the museum, and loved it (our group ranged from ages 27-55.)

I went to the Old Cowtown Museum when I was a kid and was happy to take my family there this past week. So much history and culture there. The people are knowledgeable and willing to take the time to talk to you. A gem hidden in town that everyone should see at least once.

Must see. Stores, dentist office with a pump drill? Sassparilla! Old items like on little house on the prairie. Has a cafe.

Cowtown truly takes you back to the good ol western days!! It's like you went back in time and you are truly there. My kids love it and so do I. Sometimes they are not fully staffed and do not have all of the people there working so some of the stores are closed down and you don't get to do all of the activities you would if it was fully staffed. However very fun and neat place to visit especially if you have never went or have any interest in the western times. All the kids seem to truly have a great time! Would definitely recommend for families!!

Was a great day spent learning how buildings , tools , dentists, doctors and many other things were in the late 1800's. The people on site were very knowledgeable of the history of Wichita, the man in the carpenter shop was very good.

That was fun to visit and could go in the buildings and they had a gun fight, to bad it was so hot, I would have liked to walk to the back farm area.

If you like old pioneer history, you will enjoy visiting this replica of an old 1880's cowtown. There are many old buildings furnished with artifacts from those days. There is an interesting introductory film, and much to read in each of the buildings. One of the buildings is an old saloon/ dance hall, where you can buy sasparilla, and some snacks. At certain times there are actors who are available to explain things in the buildings, walk around in period costume, and reinact some typical events in the town. They have several special events throughout the year ( christmas, Halloween themes, etc.) Being a history buff, whenever I have come to Wichita to visit, I try to go visit Cowtown.

Visited this museum during its Civil War weekend with my 6 year old grandson. The battle reenactment was on a small scale but well done. The facility and the volunteers were entertaining and informative. My grandson enjoyed exploring the grounds and touring the historic buildings. I enjoyed interacting with the volunteers.

This is a fun place to visit, " During the season they have shows and "shootouts" that are fun and the kids love them. They have made a point to have it as authentic as possible, and the "cast" members are well informed, appropriately dressed, and interactive with guests.

It was pretty empty. I’m not sure if we hit an off day for the experience or if it’s in decline. In pictures on TripAdvisor the experience looks like there would be re-enactors throughout the town but we had a fake gunfight and that was it. Picture also show a horse. Not a horse could be found, we did see a sheep. Map shows a larger Indian village and trading post but we saw one teepee. It was a great gunfight and we loved that part but the info in the buildings is difficult to read. It’d be nice if some info was always maybe at a podium like date of building and original purpose. It seemed like it had a ton of potential and fell short.

Okay, I am going to start this off by saying I am biased (I work at a western museum, so I have very high standards for what I want to see)
That being said, this was a cool museum. Would have liked to have had more interaction from the workers, again working at a western museum, high standard. The buildings were cool and lots of them original. Some had people in them, not many of them said too much to us, but the girl who was in the print shop was super friendly and even offered to let us use the printing press she was using to print some bookmarks for an upcoming event they were having (which I thought was really cool)
The gift shop left something to be desired... But again I work at a western museum that has a pretty large gift shop.
Overall a fun afternoon with my boyfriend. Be prepared to walk a bit tho, the buildings are spread out (especially when going to the "farm" portion of the museum.

The Old Cowtown museum is a collection of historical buildings that have been brought into the area in a rough assembly that resembles a late 1800's township. Some of the buildings are as old as 1850 and others were built after 1900. But all are the original buildings, which have been carefully moved and are available to explore. From the board walk sidewalks to the stocked interior of the general store, the museum offers a good opportunity to see what an old western town probably looked like. This is definitely worth a few hours to walk through and enjoy the historical buildings.

All the buildings are separate so this is an outdoor excursion. We were there in June and it was HOT. I would suggest you bring water for your walk. Air conditioning has been added to many of the buildings, but not all. Despite the addition of the boardwalks, this is a very dusty area, so be prepared for a hot, dusty walk.

This was a very interesting place to visit. Being able to walk into the past and really get the feel of life in Wichita. The staff was very nice. Clean bathrooms. We went in the colder months and at the end of the day. I would suggest 1.5 to 2 hrs. It is an outside walk and steps to get into some buildings. Really a fun place and good for all ages. A must visit in Wichita!

I really enjoyed my visit here. I was there on a Wednesday in April and there weren’t a lot of other people there which actually gave it a sort of ghost town feel.

I’d like to come back when there are the volunteers there which would make it more like a bustling western town.

Still, off season travel has its benefits as I was able to read a lot of the information contained in the signage inside each building.

If I lived in the area, I would definitely be a volunteer here

This is an 20th c outdoor architectural museum. It is arranged in a residential neighborhood, a downtown and a farm. Some buildings like the residential have been moved there, others recreated. Downtown has all kinds of stocked up artisan shops, bank, hotels, dancehall, even a working train station. The Masonic Lodge featured a Mason fellow who was chock full of lore. The farm has a farmhouse, barn, outbuildings and a smaller stock area. It is all well done and seemingly a work in progress as they seem to be adding and improving all around.

We went on a blustery day threatening rain, so it was sparsely crowded. We were told some days were quite crowded. It would be fine for kids. There's food and refreshments. We had sarsaparilla.

This activity is a little gem and a must do in Witchita. So easy to visit and we were very surprised the family got in free as my husband is active military. So wonderful. We were there on a very very got day with 2 teenagers and we all absolutely loved it. Almost every building had air-conditioning which was lovely. Make sure you stop by the saloon for a drink and hot dog and at 3pm there is reinacted mini show which was fun.

This place was really well laid out and fun to walk around in. There is a working saloon and blacksmith on site. I wish the gift shop had a bit more things related to the site, bit other than that it was good.

This is a family friendly reminder of the past.it is set up for your own pace and it’s full of historical information. The staff are friendly and helpful. This location also honors veterans

I love the old buildings and the people are very knowledgeable about our history. Love the Cowboys and the farm animals.

Spent an evening here taking pictures and had about 20 period dressed models to participate in the photo shoot. It had been a while since I had been there but it was a perfect evening in a great setting. If you haven't been for a while you need to go. Very well done!

I have performed here and this place is great. 33 buildings and a full working 1880s farm make it a great place for all. Saloons with foid and dance hall girls and all the buildings have been moved in from tbe area. Great staff and lots of fun.

My family and I went for the Christmas special that was going on at the museum. I really appreciated all of the activities that were kid friendly and enjoyable for adults. It was like stepping into the old west. We all had so much fun, I can't wait to go back during the day.

Working at a 14th century castle I wasn’t expecting to be wowed but I was so wrong. It was like stepping back in time. The attention to detail, original buildings, folk in period costume and gun fight was just awesome! Plus the gift shop was lovely.
I can’t recommend enough, the staff were so friendly to us and our two year old. We will be back next year!

It was fun seeing the old houses and businesses. It's a great place to see how people lived back in the day and some history of the area. It was hot when we went so I was grateful for the ac in some of the buildings.

Love all the events they have here. Cookouts, wild west shows or just coming to look at the buildings.

Really enjoyed the look back in time stage coach ride should have circled the whole thing with option to get off at the farm

It's much more than a museum! We enjoyed meandering through the buildings and looking at the way folks lived then. You can go inside some of the buildings, such as the bank, the store and the saloon It sure makes you appreciate the times we live in now. This property is very well managed and so fun. The patio area behind the gift shop would make a beautiful backdrop for a wedding.

We went here during River Fest hoping it would be maybe not as busy and it wasn't. I felt like we had the whole place almost to ourselves which was great for us, maybe not so great for Cowtown but my kid LOVED it. The staff was SO INCREDIBLY AMAZING! Everybody was so nice and informative. If you haven't been in awhile it's worth checking it out again. My son especially LOVED the gun show!

Very interesting. We took our grandson out for the day and we all had a very good time. We really enjoyed the gunfight.

We have a family membership so we can visit during various events throughout the year. Our boys especially love the Steam Punk Day and Christmas festivities. Dress up and be a part of the fun or just enjoy the heritage of our fine city. And be sure to try a sarsaparilla in the saloon...yum!

Cow Town has fun activities for all ages! I attended as a grandparent sponsor on a daycare field trip. The docents led fun activities like sack races, a rope pull, bag swing, and lots of toys from decades ago. See artisans at work in the forge, a staged gun fight, or bring your picnic lunch and relax at picnic tables. You can rent the venue for events and have lots of available parking. This is an inexpensive day trip for the whole family!

Old Cowtown Historical Museum is a wonderful way to spend a day with family or friends. It's not entertaining in the way video games are, but if you are willing to invest yourself in reading the information provided in each display and letting your imagination take you to what it would have been like to live in this kind of setting it will be a day well spent.

It's been well over 20 years since I'd been here and so much improvement has happened that still maintains the spirit and integrity of the old west town that is Cowtown.

Foir adults and three children jad a great time seeing the animals, the buildings showing how people lived over one hundred years ago, and the gunfight.

We traveled from Kansas City to Wichita to spend a few days doing touristy things with our 6 year old grandsons. Our first stop was Old Cow Town. As we were there on a Sunday in July, admission was free. Can't beat free!

We arrived in time for the 1:00pm gunfight on Main Street. The performance seemed typical of what you'd find in other old west towns (i.e. Dodge City, KS, Deadwood, SD, etc.). However, the story line was a bit insensitive. The outlaw had killed the sheriff's wife...and left his children motherless. Maybe they could change it to something a little less extreme....like the outlaw stole the sheriff's horse?

Lots of "characters" wandering around town. Good photo ops for the kids. There are dozens of old buildings. Most are open for you to view. As you'd expect...school, church, jail, saloon, blacksmith and many more. Food is available in the saloon and at least one other building. Hot dogs, chips, soda pop and other snacks.

We did catch a performance by the "dancing girls" in Turnverein Hall. The performers seemed to really be enjoying themselves. Unfortunately, the audience didn't seem to be enjoying the show quite as much. A little too long.

We spent a total of about 3 hours at Old Cow Town. While I wouldn't visit Wichita just to go to Cow Town, if you bundle it with a few other activities, it's worth the trip.

Cool place to visit for a family and for learning new stuff about this era! The staff was friendly, helpful and wearing beautiful costumes.

very nice old time buildings. original from the period. nice accessories, antique furniture, time period stuff and furnishings, authentic, saloon girls dancing, have a sasparilla nice Christmas activities

25 years ago, I visited as a young teen. Taking my great nieces back recently was an awesome experience that brought back good memories. This is certainly a do not miss experience. Everything is clean and well kept, the gunfight was very cute, and the demos are something the kids are sure to enjoy!

Nice place for an outing with the kids and the dog. Path is smooth enough for skateboarding. Plenty of decent people out with family, not much worry about riff raff

We went on a group tour and enjoyed seeing how things used to be. As in most cowtown attractions, there was the traditional gunfight in the street in front of the saloon, but it was a surprise to see who shot the bad guy.

This interesting museum is located off the Chisholm Trail next to the Arkansas river and is one of the oldest open-air living history museums in the United States. It has over 50 historic and re-created buildings taking visitors back in time to experience the sights, sounds and activities of a mid-1800’s period cattle town. It is an attraction, museum, living history site and preservation project all in one. Great fun, worth a visit. Open Tuesdays to Saturdays 10am-5pm.

This place is ran down and needs to be improved.The 1st major improvement would be for it to be moved to a area that it first to a original location and build around it like everything else where it will attract more poeople from all ages.Its definitely not a cowtown like Fort Worth Texas in the Stockyards that attract visitors from all over with the history of the city.

Then do special advents on the weekends To attract people families children with things around like shops where you make money from the goods you sell Restaurants concessions ect Do a cattle drive In order to attract people and revenue to the city of Wichita but they don’t want to put the effort in.

I love this place, many years ago, I was even a reenactor. Little did I know what you had to do to become a reenactor. You must have not only the desire to want to "Live" in the 1800's but you had to study the history of Wichita, the founding father's, the first people who settled in Wichita, and even down the the "Undertakers" workshop, and what they did back in those days. Remember, this was a time when embalming was "NEW" due to the wars that went on. I had a little more interest in that area, as I used to as a teenager deliver bodies to morgues and funeral homes. But, that was "my" thing!!!!! The blacksmith's shop, the general store, the church, the homes, some of which were the actual homes of the people who lived in them, and family members have donated the homes to the Museum. Each summer, the girl scouts go out there and "Play little house on the prairie!" They sure get into it. Anyone who has a desire to see what history was all about, needs to check this place out.

Wow, the historical artifacts being preserved is amazing. Oldtown was so much fun. I felt like we were actually in a frontier town. The volunteers dressed in period dating costumes just added to our wonderful experience.

What a great stop while spending time in Witchita. The old buildings were all open and it wasn’t crowded on a rainy day in June. This stop was better than we expected it to be. There were lots of kids there but it was still quiet.

es un lugar muy bonito, los guias fueron geniales. i went to visit this place and it was very nice and took me to that time.
the people who work there are so kind and very informative.

You will see a small town and what it looks like and how people lived in the 1880's. Tour all of the building and learn how your grandparents lived before you came along. These are days there will be gun fights in the street, and horses to watch. Old wagons to ride in, and salon girls that will dance for you.

Really cool open air museum, the buildings are very fun to explore and the staff are friendly and knowledgeable. If you follow the path the building also get progressively more modern as you move through time which was an entertaining and educational touch. Highly recommended for anyone that loves learning about history.

Another wonderful museum to experience Wichita should be proud of salvaging and restoring these buildings so that many more generations can experience what it was like in the beginning of Wichita’s history

Hard to complain when something was free, but this attraction could have been a lot more entertaining. The old buildings and stores were interesting, but if all the characters walking around town were actually stationed in the various shops with knowledge of how they were run, it could have been a great experience. Also, the reenactment of the gun fight could have been more realistic if they had left the comedy act out and the actors could have been heard. Overall, we enjoyed our visit and would go again if in the area with more time.

Love the Blacksmith shop. The gun-play on the Main street was entertaining. I have lived here for over 30 years and this was my first visit. Will come back again.

I take my kids to Old Cowtown regularly. Sometimes we pop in and out and sometimes we wander for quite sometime. The volunteers who make Cowtown come to life are fantastic and everyone has a great time while learning about history.

Take grand kids to Cowtown several times and they enjoy it. Lots of exhibits depicting life back in the 1800's. They usually have a melodrama type gunfight at noon that the kids find entertaining.

We have been to several old cowtown and western museums. This was by far one of the best, not just because Veterans were free, but because of all the reviews. This was even better than The one downtown Dallas. There are about five streets filled with old buildings from across Kansas that have been moved to the location. Each of the buildings has plenty of displays as you can see from my pictures. Displays tell about the building and the time period, as well as items within the building.

Is my 1st time to go here and is really interesting. Is a nice place to go to have a nice walk. If you like to learn Wichita history, and about cowboys I recommend.

There was a larger than expected turnout for the Haunting. There were several tour leaders, however, for the special event. We had planned to go before knowing about the haunting tour. We only did part of the tour with the group. Some of the buildings are air conditioned which was a plus.

If you want to learn how people lived and how Wichita got it start back in the 1800’s this is the place. Some buildings are original and some reconstructed. But they are all done as well as possible. People walk around dressed in period. Not too many people when we were there mid week through. Each building you enter has information you read about its purpose & history. Lots of it was pretty interesting.

Went to two concerts held at Cowtown for Mark Chesnutt and Joe Diffie. Had a great time. Toured through all of the old buildings, watched pig races and saw the main street gun fight. Pretty good entertainment.

This is a well done museum situated among a block museums. A lot of old buildings most of which were moved there from other locations. Some are used in the town as they were intended and others were re-purposed. The history of each building was clearly stated. Very historical and enjoyable.

We visited the Cowtown Museum in late February, arriving just minutes after they opened. For the first hour, we were two of only eight people at the museum, so it was easy to get photographs with no 21st century people in the photo.

We thought that they had nice displays in all of the stores and houses. I was happy to see that they were very upfront about which buildings were original construction and relocated to this spot and which buildings were "newly" constructed to show how a particular building would have looked.

They had a mock "gun fight" at noon, but we were told earlier that it was "visiting gunfighters" for that show. We thought the show was pretty lame, but perhaps it is better with the regular actors.

I was surprised that there weren't character actors in any of the stores, buildings or houses like one would see when visiting Colonial Williamsburg. I think that would be a great addition to the museum. We did see that on some days one can have portraits taken in period costumes, but that was not available when we were there.

Despite its location being in the city limits and not that far from the city center, its 23 acres are closed off enough that you rarely see a car drive by the perimeter. All in all, it was a nice two and one-half hour visit for us.

Didn’t know what to expect coming here but I was super impressed! We’ve spent the last 5 days on a road trip from Utah so we’ve seen MANY museums and moments across Kansas and this honestly has been the most impressive. It’s not so much a museum as an experience. You get to walk the replica or restored original town of Wichita with some dramatic reenactments. I would HIGHLY recommend this museum as a must see in Wichita!

My kids loved going from building to building and exploring. Be aware that each of these buildings comprises a museum, so your kids cannot touch anything. Once they understood that, my kids had a great time here. There is a lot of walking and the characters in the places are actual people, which confused my kids who are used to mannequins and robots. :-) We had a great time.

Necessity stop for kids' education with lots of life reenactments and explanation. The Christmas is very quaint and warm/fuzzy. Halloween with Paranormal Group is even interesting for adults...Nice...

Take a group on river trails, not good idea alone any longer.

The Old Cowtown Museum is must for the adventurous spirit.
It's a wonderful place to bring your children as there is so much for them to learn. Let's be honest we are all kids at heart when we visit Cowtown.

Haven’t been here in over 30 years and it was great from a nostalgic view to how good this place really is. The exhibits really show how life was during the pioneer days and really interesting whether old or young. I’m surprised hasn’t capitalized and made this an even bigger attraction and with more publicity.
There is a real news press, a dental office, a grocery store showing actual prices and items that were on the shelves. The homes had original or replica furniture. The hat and clothing store were really cool.
We went i winter but understand they have live “gunshows” by cowboys.
There is a restaurant that I believe is open for dinner.

It’s in the museum area right across the street from the surprisingly exellent Wichita Art Museum and Botanica, the botanical Garden. You can make a day of it or even 2 Days.

Really interesting to walk around this wild west town, just as it would have been 100 years ago. Everything from the saloon to the blacksmiths and the school house, most of them being the original buildings. Lots of supporters dressed in period clothes, saloon girls, the marshal and deputy a few gun slingers waiting for the shootout !
There is a waggon ride to the farm at the top side with the women spinning and tending the fields. Just the place to spend a sunny afternoon and well worth a second visit. Warning, don't try the sarsaparilla, almost choked me.

We have visited sites similar to this in several locations and were a bit disappointed - perhaps it was the time of year we visited. The store fronts were not operational. We went into the carpenter shop and there was a person there, but there was no project underway and no explanation of what would go on in that shop.
The biggest disappointment was the "shoot out" . There were several people who waited 30 minutes or longer for this event. In my opinion, it was a poor scenario and lacking - again not what was expected. Again it may be the time of year we visited.

Was in Wichita on a business trip and had a few hours to spare. Pretty cool to see a part of history. The characters/actors were really awesome to talk to. Really glad that we visited

If you like old towns from the 1800s you will love this place! It is amazing. Some original buildings like the jail, church

Let me say that we were there during a special event. This *may* have taken away from the reenactments/actors roaming around telling their accounts. There were also vendors selling items (jewelry,oils) in some of the buildings that took away from the overall feel.
The town itself is awesome though. Really like a step back in time.
My tip would be to get a hold of the days schedule before you go- See if they are having a gun fight (read some reviews of those here, but didn't have one the day we were there) , fencing demos, etc so you don't miss something you would have wanted to see.
Also, we had a toddler and an infant with us. We didn't take in the stroller and glad we didn't. The main road is gravel/dirt. The buildings would have been tough getting in a double stroller. Little umbrella stroller you would probably be okay with.

My 2.5 year old found a few things she really enjoyed, but really is probably better for ages 5 or so.

If visiting on a hot day- remember sun screen. You are outside quite a bit going between buildings.

Fun place to walk around with your family. They have a huge variety of different buildings depicting what life was like in the west. Old Wild West village was cool! Farm on premises. Saloon was place you could buy food. Wild West show was outside saloon.

A place set back in time. Authentic American traditions in the old days of the Midwestern Era. Mid-Day shootout always an exciting part of the Day with drama unfolding in front of you.

We went for the first time. Its very impressive, big could easily spend all day with kids. Lots of demonstrations the day we went, gunfight, Indians etc. good for history buffs who are into the old west. It was hot hot, which made it a little tough. Would be a great visit in spring or fall!

Cowtown is not a collection of made for exhibit buildings. What you see there are real buildings collected from local towns and farms . These are real houses, barns, school rooms, etc. that were rescued when modern society was going to demolish them to make room for modern housing.

I speak from experience, a farmhouse and barn was removed from a field near my home and relocated to cow town. The historical significance of cowtown is it allows young families to see what the “real west”was like

We really enjoyed our visit to the Old Cow Town. Extremely authentic - people in period dress, soda for sale in the saloon, and a gun fight on main street. Super fun - glad we swung off the highway to tour - all buildings but one are authentic - staff extremely personable and friendly.

First of all the day was perfect. Walking through the entrance brought us back to the pioneers of the Great Plains.The dirt road lined with shops and businesses were awesome. Staff dressed in character made it feel like we were part of that era. Fun for everyone. Reasonably prices. Plenty of benches to sit and air conditioning in some buildings.

We went to several museums of this type and this is the largest. The children had fun and learned a lot. They have a gun show at noon and at 2 pm.

We went on a Sunday because admission was free. It was close to 100 degrees outside so I wasn't sure if we'd stay very long. I was surprised that a lot of the buildings are air conditioned! There are a lot of interesting artifacts. The history of the buildings is very interesting.

Living abroad in the UK, I love telling the Brits how awesome this place is and they are always intrigued!! I did take one of my British friends here before and they loved it. Wichita residents really don't give Cowtown enough credit as it is actually quite a unique experience. It is the one attraction in Wichita that I try to sell my friends outside of Kansas. I've been to 4th of July event a few times and it is also highly recommended by me.

If you want to know what the old west was like, this is a good place to go. From a dirt main street to a working farm, a saloon to newspaper to a school to a church, it has what a small town was like

This is much more extensive (not expensive) than a typical "old town" that you might find in other cities. I think most of the buildings are original, and they're arranged like an Old West downtown, with a homestead/farm a short walk away. It really reminded me of historical Williamsburg, just in a different time period.

It like walking around an active western town in the 1800's. All the workers are dressed authentically and in character. They have staged shoot outs you get to experience. Well worth the time and money to spend a few hours here looking around.

Nice staff, awesome old midwestern houses and artifacts, and a super friendly goat. I am new to Wichita and have been twice.

My partner and I visited during the Civil War Reenactment weekend during our weekend stay in Wichita and it was amazing. We had so much fun and enjoyed going back in time. The battle was interesting to watch as was touring the town. Especially enjoyed how all buildings were open and staffed with period dressed volunteers. What we thought would just be a fun day turned out to be really incredible and educational. The volunteers really added to the day especially the Can Can Dancers and Sheriff Dawg, so friendly he made our day. Would definitely recommend Old Cowtown and if your looking for a room the Drury Hotel downtown is possibly the best accommodations we have ever had.

this is basically just a collection of old buildings. Even when there is a special event - it's still not very special.

Great place to spur the imagination about how life was lived in times past. Lots to see and the Sarsparilla was great!

My family amd I went here and it was amazing. Before I went, another girl said that it was boring (we are not natives to Wichita), but when I got there, we were greeted by everyone. The actors talked to us and taught us stuff about Cowtown. I especially liked the Chuck Wagon Coffee making 🙂. There are some air conditioned buildings so that's a plus (especially for someone like me, living woth hyperthyroidism). My favorite place is the church and the house beside the church. If you've never been to Cowtown, the funeral parlor has a heavy feel to it. I dare you to go in. We didn't. It felt too real. Like there are still souls in there. The funiture shop has cool stuff inside of it. I never made it to the Saloon. We are going to go back because we went at 3pm. We had no idea that it was an entire town. Thanks to all the actors for taking the time to talk to us. It was very hot too and no one was disgruntled.

The web site says open high noon till 5. We drove over 1hour to go we get there and a small sign on museum door said CLOSED. What a bummer. I guess I wait and go to Wyoming and see the real thing. Sad. Kids were bummed.

Very nice place to visit. Very reasonable cost. We took our 4 and 8 year old grandchildren but turns out they are a little young to appreciate the history and surroundings. They did really enjoy the gunfight though. Would have loved for them to be able to get closer to the animals, but do understand the legalistic reasoning behind them to not be closer.

We arrived at 9 AM to find out that it was a special day and only opened that evening. we wanted to see it so we came back at the right time and enjoyed the museum with music and a gun fight thrown in.

I was so impressed with this museum that is dedicated to preserving the life style of the early settlers in Wichita Kansas. Walking down the streets of Cow town made me feel like I took a trip back into the old west. The old buildings, the Church, school house, general store, the blacksmith, and many more, were very informative. Very affordable admission makes this attraction very desirable.

Some great examples of mid 19th century original buildings and life. You are free to wander through the exhibits. Look out for the fun staged gun fight.

Oh my gosh ! I gave my husband so much grief about paying to go see a “cow town” when we basically live in one back home !
Well, I ate crow for lunch......😂
What a WONDERFUL place to visit . Over 40 buildings to go in and out of and learn about life in Wichita in the 1800’s. Most buildings had air conditioning which was wonderful on a hot day!
And a saloon to stop at to have a snack and a Sarsaparilla!!
After a snack and rest we watched a gunfight go on right outside of the saloon! It’s a wonderful leisurely walk at your own pace while you follow a map they give you as a guide and information on what each building is .
We couldn’t believe this was only $6 each for this whole experience to see everything!
A must see while you are in Wichita for the whole family regardless of the age .

Enjoyed seeing Cowtown. Had alot of interesting things, stories, and building. You can see the way people lived back then.

Cowtown is a great outdoor museum showcasing life on the prairie in the 1800s, specifically life in the Wichita area. Sundays this season are free! I enjoy my time wandering the grounds imagining life back then...when temps are the 100s, I’m thankful live in the age of air conditioning!!!!’

Well done and fantastic to look through to see how our ancestors lived through the ages.
If you really want to take photos and to seriously look at all the exhibits, I don't recommend going to look around when they have family Halloween activities on or big crowd family days, it's too crowded and it devalues the authenticity of the place, (it becomes a fun park)
Well worth a visit.

This is a must to go to at Christmas! They have booths filled with homemade goodies to buy, Carolers on the corners and was gonna rides! Loved it.

What a fantastic collection of structures, objects, and people to keep the past alive! Every building contains some interesting information about the local and American histories. The volunteer-produced gun display was something I truly liked. It was very enjoyable, educational, and nice.

This place was a very good two hours spent. I was there at opening and had the place pretty much to myself. I went in every door I could and if you've ever wondered what it must have been like, you will know after coming here. All of the proprietorships were set up for business, the homes furnished, etc. I enjoyed my first sarsaparilla and the few people I did talk to there were very friendly. It would have been cool to have been there during the times when shows are happening, but because of the upkeep, the access and freedom to roam around at will, I gave it a 5. I was very happy I went.

It was a really nice place to visit I thought it would be more like Williamsburg where they act out their parts and live the town in that time period but it was not like that. Still it was really nice for pictures and to get out and walk.

I love this place, I could go back fifty times and not feel like it's enough! A great experience where I actually enjoyed history (how often is that?)

This is a must trip for local and out of town visitors. If you like frontier days in the natural setting and don't mind a little dirt and wind, the people who work and operate this site have a great persona and are so welcoming. Along the banks of the Arkansas River, you can come and go for less than $60 for a family of 4 and get to eat and drink as well. The activities and special events are purposeful and bring history to life. Somewhat out of the way to get to but follow the signs and enjoy prairie village.

Nothing gives you the flavor of what the "wild west" used to be than Cowtown. This is a MUST SEE for anyone making a trip through the midwest. Whenever I have visitors from out of town this is the first place I bring them. It's definitely uniquely Wichita!!!!

I didn't know what to expect coming here with my kids for a field trip, but this place is awesome. They have a town with stores and houses that are straight out of the 19th century. The guides are very informative and love answering questions. The farm animals are awesome and very friendly. I love this place!

We enjoyed our visit to cowtown. The buildings are real old buildings.so it's fun to see them.it is history preserved.I love going there. The staff was nice.it is worth a visit.kids can visit the old school and sit at a desk.and go outside to swing on a old type swing. And see old games they played.the dentist and doctor offices are cool to see. There is an old store and houses.a barn a saloon.

You can experience how settlers lived and worked a simple life. The buildings themselves are so beautiful and historically correct you can envision yourself being in that period of time.

Not really much here. A few nice restaurants and a really good breakfast shop that I loved, but wish I could remember the name of it because the food was great and we had a really fun, sassy waitress, but I digress.
I come to town once and year and don't really go here any more because the restaurants are ok and not much shopping.
If they could tie this in better with downtown, the shops on Douglas and the Union Station across the street it would have a really good synergy.
Wichita is such a conservative town and most folks move out East or West, but this could be a really dynamic area, but just not quite there. If you're visiting once definitely check it out.

If you enjoy history this is a good place to visit. They have moved old buildings to resemble a town in the 1800’s. The day we visited there was a blacksmith and carpenter demonstrating their trades. Also there is a farm house, barn and outhouse at the back end of the venue. We had fun in the Saloon when we bellied up to the bar and ordered a nice cold Sarsaparilla. It was cold and good.

This was an interesting stop but we were a little disappointed in the end. We saw the reviews and were looking for things to do in Kansas on our way to Colorado. This looked cool so we drove 2 hours out of our way to see it. Not worth the drive. I would recommend it if you are in the area but don’t go out of your way for it. Gun fight was cool but only lasted maybe 5-10 mins.

Good weather and good fun. My son is 9 and he found it interesting with many questions. All the workers are very friendly also.

I only rated this a 4 instead of a 5 because it was a little corny for me. Still was a very pleasant evening (was there for 1st Friday). Lots to see. They offered a ghost tour, food trucks, and a gunfight. Good for the kiddies.

I took my 8 and 10 year old kids to the Old Cowtown Museum on a Saturday morning. It was a blast! The old buildings and the overall facilities are very well kept. The volunteer staff was very kind and we enjoyed the Wild West shootout in the main square.

This is a family favorite every year especially around Halloween. I love how the employees dress in Period clothing and the activities for the children are always so much fun!

We came with our grand children, ages 5 & 8, and we all loved seeing the old buildings and exploring the grounds. Very educational. At the wood shop you can watch a foot pedaled scroll saw in action. The photo studio offers old time photos. This place was great!

Awesome experience! It's literally like step back in time. Took my nephews and I don't know that they've ever had a better time while learning! Staff was so great and the experience is something that will be remember forever!

Fun interesting place. Wish re enactment had been done and saloon open.bigfer gift shop would be nice

Old Cowtown Museum is an enjoyable historical museum. I visited the place on the Sunday of the Age of the Gunfighter festival weekend, and it was a fun day. There were several groups from different parts of the country presenting entertaining skits throughout the day. The museum itself is a collection of accurately restored historical buildings that one has very good access to walk through and look at in detail. No building was a duplicate of another. The grounds are well manicured and maintained. But the visitor center did not have much detail. The miniature model of the Museum complex that was in the visitor center was not displayed properly. One negative was the lone Long Horn which appeared to be caged pathetically.

The museum is worth visiting to appreciate Kansas history and one will enjoy the place. More so, if there is a special event going on.

the ambiance was great. but its more like an old west ghost town. google showed pictures of cowboys and horses. My kids were really disappointed when we got there. it was still worth a visit but just dont expect interaction. Even the welcome center was empty. Far better for adults than children.

This was quite a unique, fun, difference experience. I loved how the museum is like a small town with all the time pieces in place. We had a wonderful time!

We researched ahead to go on a Sunday, free on Sunday, and lucked out as they also had a Community Fair too. This place is great. So many buildings to check out between the houses, businesses, and homestead. I wasn't expecting a real person so the dentist gave me a scare! We were happy they had snow cones as well since it was hot out

Friendly staff and showed what the West was like in the late 1800’s. Went during the week so quite quiet and able to take time at each building exhibit. Missed being able to see the activities that occur during the weekends. Great museum/exhibit.

Never ever been here. Decided to go around Halloween activitys. What a fantastic place to walk around and visit. Loved the older building. Street fights was with zombies. Lots of activities for kids.

Enjoyed visiting a town from the past. Many of the buildings are originals brought in from a variety of communities. Visitors are welcome to go through all the homes and business (which are all air conditioned). You can have a cold root beer and which a "dime novel" shoot out. Fun to visit for all ages.

Very interesting, lots of old genuine buildings resited to the Cowtown. Enjoyed a short play in the Main Street. Probably 2 hours is enough. The gift shop was good. Worth a visit, if combined with Botanica and Indian Centre. Makes a good day out.

This is a great place to visit for the historical side of things. The gun fights are good, maybe a little over the top on the acting. They do need to post rules to observe during the gunfights and have things blocked off adequately instead of being short with the patrons when directing them where to walk and not walk, but all in all a good experience.

We loved it. Be ready to walk more than you planned as it's huge! Every sort of shop/old business you can think of. Incase you wonder what a funeral home looked like 150 yrs ago. ;) our kids are 10, 9, 4, and 2, and they asked questions and learned a lot. So did we! A cheap and relaxing way to spend a few hours. Go!

This is a must see if your in Wichita. Whether you have children or not doesn't matter. Great history and entertainment.

We were a little doubtful when we pulled in, but as soon as we got inside we were all amazed. It feels like we were going back in time. The "real" gun fight was my children's favorite part!

Could not rate this attraction b/c when we visited on Tuesday, it was closed! I had called a month ago to check along with their voice messenger, and in both cases I was informed that they were open on Tuesdays. We came from out of town to see it, and that was our only day!

It was as if time turned and we were more than 100 years ago.
The houses in the “town” had open doors and some fantastic volontairs told us anecdotes and how life was at the time.

It was fun to be able to go inside the houses, shops, and other houses.

Met a lot of interesting volontairs who played their roles very good.

Most enlightening as to Wichita roots & beginnings. Authentic buildings. Appropriately.furnished and well explained. There’s so much to view. Plan a half day, at least. Eat lunch. Enjoy some saaaporilla and a “dog”. Don’t miss the shootout, but don’t be afraid....They will miss you!

At first we were expecting more. When you walk in the "town" it just seems like abandoned old buildings with no people around. We were there on a Saturday afternoon and there's no people. But once you start walking around there are people and then when you go inside the different houses and stores it's pretty interesting. In the one room schoolhouse we talked to a man and he told us that Wichita is known for the first White Castle, Pizza Hut was started there. Mentholatum was discovered in Wichita, Hershey's chocolate and a couple other things are from Wichita. The Blacksmith was working and we got to talk to him. There's lots of buildings to see. It's worth the time and money to see.

We recently relocated to Wichita and have heard nothing but good things about Old Cow Town and decided to go. My husband is a history buff and also loves historic architecture he was in heaven! We went on a Saturday and it didn't seem to have many other patrons, which was nice. Navigating a double stroller in and around places isn't always easy. Not all the buildings are stroller friendly, but we made it work. We met a few knowledgeable volunteers/interpreters and wished there were more. Learning about historic/period jobs, life, and artifacts was a lot of fun. The kids loved the working water pump and the "farm" the most. We can't wait to go back and attend other events.

Cowtown has been active for many years. It has a bank, post office, a stables, newspaper building, and much more. Sometimes they have country music, food and drink. Also had cowboys on horse back, and use to have gun fights, and even hosted a quick draw contest there. It sets right on the river, and has a park as another opportunity for fun.

We visited Old Cowtown today and really enjoyed ourselves. The various buildings are all decked out in period pieces, and there were even demonstrations going on in the blacksmith and carpenter shops. We had sarsaparilla at the saloon where we also got to watch a shoot out. This should be a must-see for anyone visiting Wichita.

We had a great time walking through the town. I took many photos. This town draws you in and you want to be part of it. The people who work in the printing shop, wood work and the saloon were very kind and informative. We had a great time talking with them. It definitely is a family destination, dress your kids like cowboys and they will love it snd you can get great photos of them in this western town.

They call it a museum, but it is so much more. It's a town. A town you can walk through and ask questions of the "townspeople". This should be on anyone's list of place to visit whether you live in Wichita or are visiting. It really is a step back in time!

The people were nice. One woman gave us a ride in a golf cart to where the buildings were so my wife wouldn't have to walk on her bad knees. Saw a shootout between bad guys and the sheriff. All was shot but the women and kids. Visited with a very knowledgeable man in the Masonic Hall building. Being a Mason myself, I found this interesting. We went into the "saloon" and had a Sarsaparilla which was very tasty!

While we managed to make it on the hottest weekend of the year - it was still a great time. Most of the buildings are air-conditioned. It was easy to get around for our full family. And very informative. There is enough to see and do to easily make it a full day.

Cowtown is an amazing tribute to historic preservation and it's benefactors of many years are to be deeply congratulated. I greatly enjoyed my visit through 1860's and 70's Wichita but left with far more questions than I had answers. Most notable was the near total absence of Wichita's amazing story from the viewpoint of the displaced American Indians. Likewise, the roles of black people and women are barely mentioned. Catherine McCarty seems like a historic figure that could be easily built upon.

My other major question involves the role of The Four Horsemen in redirecting cattle from Park City to Wichita using large "compensation". The ominous painting commissioned by the Carnegie Library suggests a far more complex story than merely compensation. I think Cowtown could become a model of historic and cultural learning and entertainment and I was encouraged by my inquiry in the gift shop about their awareness of these shortcomings and efforts to improve. I look forward to a future visit to learn even more about Wichita's amazing past.

We visited on a weekday when school kids were there and it was a little hectic :). The location itself is a nice palce to visit if you want to learn about the roots of Wichita and some of the founding families and homes that were built. Most of the homes/stores are open to visitation and some have volunteers who will explain about the location. If you want ot explore the whole town, reading/learrning about each place, amke sure to allocate at least 4-6 hrs there.

Traveling through and some business got cancelled so I thought I would check it out. I thought I would be there for a half hour and the price was right so "why not". But over 2 hours later I came away with a great appreciation for the "Old West".
The staff did a great job of putting together virtually a complete Old West town. All buildings were open for you to wander in and check out. Great informative placards assist you too. Many different types of buildings: Drug store, mercantile, print shop, blacksmith, saloon, Dr & Dentist offices etc... You literally are walking into "Little House on the Prairie" community. There were school kids on tour with a guide and all having lunch in the Saloon. Well worth the time to check it out.
There is an orientation building on the right when you enter town that gives you the history of each building that I found helpful to my curious mind of where did these all come from. I'm glad this time piece of history has been preserved. thank you

I freakin'love the Wichita-specific adorability of this place and highly recommend a visit if the stars align and make it possible. There are shows and events, sometimes, that make it more vibrant, but just poking around in this little cowtown is kinda fun. Take the kids or leave 'em at home, this is just a little something different to do. And, it totally helps that it's nestled up against the river in Riverside and is surrounded by all kinds of coolness.

Very well laid out, extremely clean. Lots of relics from that time period. Interesting and extremely educational. Would be great for people of all ages and families.

Fun and educational museum. Lots to explore, beautiful grounds. History comes alive through the volunteers in costume

When you go through the entrance building at Old Cowtown Museum, and step onto the boardwalk that runs in front of the historically correct shops, saloons, offices, and storefronts, you can be transported to 1870 in Wichita, Kansas. The city, at that time, was known for it's culture and finery, as well as being a rail head at the Northern end of the Chisholm Trail, which had seen literally millions of Texas longhorn cattle driven from Texas to Kansas to load onto trains and then transport to Kansas City, St. Louis, Chicago, and beyond. Truly a family experience to be sure to take in the next time you're in Wichita.

Great attraction! Large number of historic old homes and buildings. Well done and much like what old Wichita would have been like a century ago.

This place is awesome and steal. I feel this place did an awesome job trying to represent what a cowtown would’ve looked like in the late 1800’s.

There are multiple buildings about 40 plus. You can go inside each one and learn what the building was originally used for and what they may have repurposed it for today. It also will tell you where it was originally located at. Some buildings are just reproductions but the detail that goes into the building to try to tell a story is just awesome.

We were able to view the following things while visiting:
1. In the carpenter shop a gentlemen making a barrel even though he wasn’t a cooper. He was using what we would call a jigsaw today by peddling. It was really neat.

2. In the printing shop we watch them set type and then print. Also explained the different printers they had in there.

3. Watched a good old fashion gun fight at high noon.

4. The dressmaker was sewing some fabric for a patch.

5. Tried bowling on a wooden lane, and ball which was a different experience.

Couple of buildings that we found unique were the grain silos, meat market, funeral home with an old time hearse, and a really old soda fountain.

They offer food and snacks in the saloon.

Some buildings are air conditioned which is nice.

We spent about 2 and half hours there. There is a lot to see.

The admission price was definitely worth it for what you are able to see.

Even though this is not as famous as Dodge City do not dismiss this if you are in the area.

We have been to both and by far this place is 100 times better.

I LOVE history and have always loved this place. The saloon show I is not to be missed and they have fun days like Steampunk days and gun fighters!!! You are truly transported back in time. The school is always my favorite to still look at.

A great piece of history is you take the time to read the signs. It is more exciting when there are history rein-actors for special celebrations

For someone with any interest in western history, Old Cowtown is a great experience. Historical structures have been appropriately furnished for the period. We spent several hours there hoping not to miss a thing.

This place is pretty cool, a step back in time. They have themed days like Steampunk, Cowboys Days, an historical re enactments. It is a lot of fun for the whole family!

Went today with my Mum and my Brother as we are visiting the area. Was amazed at how authentic everything was. The people that worked there was knowledgeable about the areas they worked in. The houses were fascinating. I was grateful I had my walking trolley as regular breaks were needed . Definitely a place to take children. But it's suitable for all ages. Xxx

I enjoyed an evening at Old Cowtown Museum for Victorian Christmas again this year. Old Cowtown is one of the best examples of an early western town with several historical homes and buildings dating back into the 1800's. It is definitely worth a visit.

This is an ACCREDITED historical museum. That's a big deal, and not something that is easy to receive. Being here, you'll understand why. This is a living history museum that has 44 structures on site (many of them air conditioned) that show visitors what life was like as Witchita moved to an official city. All of the structures are either original donations to the museum, or are structures that existed and needed renovation. They are full of period pieces and artifacts. Depending on when you go, you can see people wearing clothing of the period, blacksmithing and giving oral histories. At less than $10 per person (first responders, teachers and military are FREE), this is a MUST-DO attraction!

This exhibit is walking tour of what the area around Wichita was like from the post-Civil War time to the late 19th century. Fun and easy walking tour of what the downtown area was like, various shops, homes in that era, and a working farm somewhat away from town. It was sobering to see the kind of conditions these strong pioneers endured to live, work and prosper - as compared to the "gimme, gimme" or entitlement generation of today's USA. A thoroughly enjoyable afternoon despite a heat index that was pushing 110. Would be a great exhibit to take the kids to when in Wichita.

We were very excited to visit this "museum" with our 3 and 7 year old grandchildren. All of us enjoyed walking through the town of 1870 houses and businesses. We had fun playing school and the kids games. We ate at the saloon and sat a spell. We loved the variety of buildings. We enjoyed playing chess and watching the gun fight. It was however disappointing not to have seen the actors out more. They began walking around about 10 minutes before the 10 minute gun fight. There was a narrator and he did a nice job speaking with the crowd for ten minutes but that was it. We realize that we were there on a Friday but there were only maybe 30 - 40 people there all day. It is well kept up and clean. The displays eww fun to see and read. But oh how much fun it would have been with real people dressed in garb in at least some of the buildings or strolling the street to stop and talk to the visitors about the town. Horse or buggy rides available would have been so enjoyable. We realize that there are a few events held during the year which sound like fun. Including actors would bring this museum and history itself to life! However, we would like to thank the people of Wichita for providing this glimpse into the past.

We were here the same time as the steampunk convention which added another element to the western theme :) Overall, I didn't know what to expect but was pleasantly surprised by the historical buildings, the friendliness of the staff and the way the whole place is layed out.

I had never been to Cowtown since moving to the Wichita area nearly 30 years ago. I went last Friday to the Education day to help out with Prairie Quilt Guild teaching children and some adults how to hand sew and quilt. A great time was had by all. Some 1800 students, mostly 3rd -5th graders and some home schooled attended.

I have been there 4 times and would go again many times. It is like a trip back in time. I am always excited to see Cowtown used in the movies. Definately a place you should visit in Wichita , Kansas.

It was a sunny Sunday afternoon when my family and I visited Cowtown. It was amazing to see all the historial buildings and houses that have been moved to the Riverside Park area: Homes that belonged to the founders of Wichita, as well as a hotel, a saloon, a bank, a dressmaker's shop, Sheriff's Office, general store, barber shop, train station, dentist office, blacksmith's shop, churches, and many more places. As a visitor, you can walk through the houses and shops. The town also has volunteers wearing costumes of the 1870's. They are stationed in various buildings and are able to pass on information about the buildings and the famous people of the old west like Billy the Kid, Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Carry Nation, etc. There is also a shootout with professional actors. I really enjoyed seeing all the historical details inside the buildings.

I've only ever been here with a schedule group of people or over Christmas, so we've always experienced all the shops being open and characters throughout the area. The kids loved it. Their Christmas shows are especially fun, we'll likely go back again this year.

This place is a great gateway for kids to start the wagon train moving in their understanding of our western states. I love Cowtown! A great place to take kids of all ages, giving them a real glance at the life of the plainsman. Don't miss the Blood Homestead.

Was a very enjoyable visit. Loved all of the buildings and artifacts. Everyone was willing to answer question and give information on the history. Recommend highly!

I loved the chance to see a bit of the Old West. The displays were terrific and things like the shootout and the blacksmith shop were good as well. I only wish I had more time to explore!

I liked this place. There was an assortment of old buildings replicating an old Western town. The Saloon offers snacks and drinks (Sasparilla). Recommend comfortable walking shoes and bottled water during the trip inside. Part of the exhibit was under construction, so they only charged us half price and it was not crowded during a Tuesday. It is hot in June, so dress appropriately. The gunfight was lame, but fun to watch.

I was so excited for this, but turned out to be very disappointing. The brochure made it seem amazing but it really wasn't. Needs some help.

We went on a free admission day to the museum. It’s an outdoor place that’s laid out and themed like an old western town. There’s lots of different historically themed buildings that are filled with historical artifacts to replicate how they would have been so you can see what an old wester town was like. They do a gun fight reenactment on the Main Street. There’s also a live blacksmith operation, a saloon that severs old western themed refreshments, as well as a farm homestead with chickens, goats, and horses. There’s hands on activities for children, such as plowing a field, and working old style water pumps. There’s also a western photo shoot available. Lots of walking involved, the paths are stroller friendly, but not all of the buildings are easy to get in and out of with one and some places have steep stairs that require going back quite a ways to a ramp if you can’t navigate a stroller down them.

If you are anywhere near Wichita, KS you must go by and see this museum. Especially if you are into the old West and items from that time frame. The building are either authentic, refurbished from the area, or they are reproductions of the time. Each has a story and most have items associated with the building. Certainly go and see the gunfights as they are family friendly and enjoyable.
This is certainly a living history museum you dont want to miss.

I had no idea it had a whole old west town on site. And most of the buildings are air conditioned. Worth every penny.

This is a walk through town. You can go in most of the buildings and they are so real looking. I especially enjoyed the school and the church. In fact, I think I probably enjoyed this more than the Dodge City similar. The only down side is that a friend I was traveling with has bad allergies and the musty buildings almost did her in. The visitor center/gift shop is very nice and the staff is very helpful everywhere. Highly recommend.

The wild west comes into sharp focus with this frontier town! Living history explodes before our eyes. Magnificent entry way with the inverted railroad lead into adventure, excitement, and living history. The most excellent immersion into history.

I am a 35 plus year reenactor and I currently portray a civilian during the civil war with a music group. We are called the Locofocos and were pleased to attempt the Cowtown civil war event. It was our first time to visit, and thought it was a grand place to visit.

I went there with my classmates and we saw how the real old Americans live in their time and it was so nice to have that experience.

We were fortunate enough to go on a free admission day. We really weren't expecting it to be as cool as it was. It was like taking a step back in time. We walked through all the buildings and were able to see a good ole fashioned shootout in the middle of town. I highly recommend getting a rootbeer from the saloon, it was very cold and refreshing on a hot day, like the day we were there. Plan on spending about 1-2 hours there to see everything. And don't skip anything! Its all worth it!

I loved watching my young sons sit and read primers in the one room school house, telegraph their names in morris code, assist the blacksmith, and so many more things. I love that the museum slavages actual buildings from the original Wichita rather than create replicas. The dime novel reinactment was fun too. Definitely a great experience

My husband and I decided to come and visit while we were in Wichita. It was a chilly day, and a few buildings were closed at the time, but it was a good visit. We enjoy the history and going in the houses/businesses and seeing how it was back in the day. We'll definitely have to come back.

I loved waling the old boardwalks and visiting the businesses of the 1800s. It is particularly fun to visit Cowtown in October and celebrate Halloween.

Really enjoyed this. You can do this as a causal tourist, a serious history buff, or 'bring the kids' day. Enough information that can spend hours or whiz through with some sage comments on what it was like way back then for the 10 year olds. There's enough moving around and varied attractions to keep even pre-teens from getting bored (also an old time refreshment opportunity). 40+ buildings on display and open to varying extents; room enough that you don't feel crowded even if there's a fair crowd that day. Well signed. Did not notice the usual complement of interpretive staff, might not be something that's offered / did not miss it. All in all a really good afternoon outing. Some of the buildings have AC, others do not; dress appropriately and bring a hat if it's sunny - you will be walking a bit.

It is always great to step back into history. I visited before the opening of the season with a tour group. We had a blast going back in time. Non the less it was nice just to walk around and see inside these buildings. I love going back in time. Even though I probably wouldn't survive it today.

My wife and I had some time to kill so we went to this museum. When we walked into one of the houses, we saw to photos of a man and woman who lived in the house. Later that day we say the same photos in the African-American museum. Turns out they are the great-great grandparents of Barack Obama!

This was a fun stop for history lovers, with houses and shops relocated and restored to be what one might find in the 1800s. The displays set up in the buildings were well laid out and seemed to be authentic. It was an easy walk to see all of the “in town” buildings, but we ran out of time, so skipped walking out to the farm homestead. I had only allotted 90 minutes for our stop here, but we easily could have used another hour, as our favorite part was talking with the docents in period dress, especially the blacksmith and the printing press attendant; they have a lot of information and stories to share. We were sad to have had to skip a couple of the other buildings with docents, as our time was short. The saloon was closed (I’m guessing it opened at noon) and we had to leave too early to see the gun fight, which was also at noon.
If you’re planning a stop here, give yourself at least 2 ½ to 3 hours in order to be able to see and do everything.

Lovely staff, interesting place. They have gun fight drama with blank ammo which was interesting to me. Spend about 2.5 hours and still could have spend 1 more hour if i had time. Its definately worth $9 i paid for entrance.

We almost didn't go but I'm glad we did. The museum is set up to resemble Wichita, Kansas in the late 1800s. All of the buildings are original, not recreations, and were moved to the museum. The museum includes shops, a saloon, a doctor's office, a farm, church, school and homes of some of Wichita's founders. Very interesting to see. We spent approximately 2 hours here.

It wasn't bad I was just a little disappointed. The staff was friendly. I just felt like more could have been done with the displays.

Good for history to see the way things were in the 1800's. Reproduction of a town during that period. Easy walking and information is available at most buildings. Did have a shoot-out around noon and it was okay. It is a self paced tour and take your time to get the entire feel. Several people are in the area doing different skills and some in period clothing. Gift shop was okay as well

This is a great way to step back into history and learn the past of Wichita. Reenactments, live gun fights, and a working saloon. My kids love this place. Make sure to wear comfortable tennis shoes. The best time to go is in the spring or fall. Winter is too cold and summer is way too hot. It’s an outdoor/indoor exhibit. Some of the indoor exhibits have air conditioning, but most don’t.

I visited Old Cowtown Museum yesterday for Steampunk a Day with some friends. What a fun experience! Vendors for the event set up shop in the shops of Cowtown, and in the boardwalk. There air conditioned buildings that the guests could retreat to when they became too hot in their costumes and there were food and drink vendors everywhere. All of the buildings were clean and only slightly modernized allowing Cowtown to keep its authenticity. My only complaint was that there was not enough parking but I doubt that the museum expected to have such a turnout. Over all one of the best museums I've ever visited.

This is not much of a place to see Some old style buildings and antiques but is really quite boring. Glad there was no cost involved. Head to the Botanical instead as it’s beautiful and a very nice kids area as well

This is a really nice attraction. Had a great time. I went with my husband and two grown sons. We all had a good time. My youngest son is in the military, so we all got in free (which was really nice), but it is worth the normal admission price. If you enjoy history, you should enjoy this.

We visited here during the off season so we did not get the full experience with period actors etc. We did enjoy seeing the historical buildings and being able to go inside to see items from that time period.

Quite authentic. Much better than what is in Dodge City or Abilene. Great for dates or family outings.

I enjoyed my visit very much. It was after Labor Day so not crowded, just a handful of people at the museum. Very interesting and everyone very knowledgeable and friendly. Recommend you see this if you like history.

A great look back in time.
A must for those in Wichita.
Great insight with old buildings and characters
Good visit for families

we went on a sunday and admission is free on sundays. my 8 year old grandson really enjoyed! weather was warm but a nice breeze and most of the buildings were air conditioned.

Fantastic and unique museum. Makes one feel like you are stepping back in time. Very friendly staff and volunteers make the museum come to life.

This is an outdoor museum which recreates Wichita in the 1800's. Plenty to do and lots to see. The boys really enjoyed it too. If you have a half day in Wichita, this is a good way to spend it.

Very interesting, well done exhibits to get a feel of life on the frontier mid 1800s. Exceeded our expectations. Just enough silliness to be fun but not enough to overwhelm the history lessons.

We love history and wanted to see what some old time houses and business would have looked like. This place was great. Lots of variety from homes, churches, school, and businesses. There was a lot of construction going on when we were there and the road is extremely dusty so don't wear sandals. There was some re-enactments at the time we visited which was nice. A wedding was also being setup which wasn't any issues. I would recommend a visit since its nice to see all these buildings in one place