10 Indoor Activities For Kids On Winter Break

Wichita has three of these: “Urban Air” on the west side of town, the “Wichita Sports Forum” on the east side of town, and “Get Air” which is in the downtown area. Tickets range in price from around $13 on up, although parents usually get a discount depending on the location, and some family nights and group rates are available. This is an excellent way to expend a lot of that pent-up energy, it’s great for all ages, and will definitely entertain for hours!

The Wichita Ice Center offers open skate times throughout the week as well as “learn to skate” classes, youth ice hockey leagues, and a figure skating academy. Prices range from $2 admission on Tuesdays (with a $3 skate rental) on up for special events and classes. Check out their website for open skate times and more information.

Roller Skating Wichita has three roller skating rinks still in operation: Carousel Skate Center, Roller City, and Skate South. Tickets are fairly cheap and usually include a skate rental or you can bring your own roller blades or skates. Great for all ages!

Wichita has three roller skating rinks still in operation: Carousel Skate Center, Roller City, and Skate South. Tickets are fairly cheap and usually include a skate rental or you can bring your own roller blades or skates. Great for all ages!

Laser Quest at 21st and Woodlawn has been a fun Wichita staple for decades! Offering the nostalgic glee that only comes from a fog-machine-filled-glow-in-the-dark game of hide-and-seek where you get to shoot your friends with laser guns and compete for the #1 spot on the leaderboard!

But now Wichita has another option for good clean fun while shooting your friends (or your kids), Dart Warz! Think of playing an indoor game of paintball but without the mess or the pain, or having an epic nerf gun battle without having to worry about losing all your ammo! Dart Warz in an indoor nerf gun arena for ages 5 and up, and while you can bring your own blaster they do have some available to use and they will provide all the ammo.

One of my favorites on this list is somewhere I have been taking my boys ever since they could crawl, Exploration Place. Located right on the river in downtown Wichita this science and discovery center has so much to offer it’s hard to see it all in a single day.

Tickets start at $6 for ages 3-11 and go up from there, however memberships are available and I highly recommend them. While your little ones won’t be jumping around or running any laps here like they might at some other spots on this list, they will be thoroughly entertained for hours, and will probably learn something while they’re at it. Exploration Place is great for all ages as it has a separate area for the toddlers, yet has plenty for the older kids as well.

A highlight is the three-story castle (INSIDE the building!) that children can explore, as well as a separate area that changes frequently with traveling exhibits so you never know what you might see next!

Another Wichita classic, with locations both on the east side and west side of town, All Star Sports and All Star Adventures are great for all ages. When the weather is nice you can enjoy miniature golf, go-karts, batting cages, and more in the outdoor areas at both locations. However, those attractions do close when the temperature drops below 40 degrees. Inside, you'll find the classic arcade games and several newer additions where you can earn tickets to win prizes, as well as bumper cars and a small bowling alley. The west location also includes an indoor climbing wall, large spiral slide, and a small laser tag arena.

If you are looking for an indoor racing track, and perhaps a few games to go along with it, we now have the new “Xtreme Racing and Entertainment” center near 21st and Woodlawn.

It’s $16 per racer, with special deals available as well, and is for ages 6 and up for the kiddie karts, and ages 12 and up for the regular go-karts. They also have a pool table, air hockey, Foosball, and video games, making this an excellent choice for the older kids.

The Alley, located near 13th and Greenwich is a similar spot with indoor go-karts and arcade games but they also have a large bowling alley as well.

Children of all ages can enjoy bowling at any one of Wichita’s three standalone bowling alleys, Northrock Lanes, Seneca Bowl, and the West Acres Bowling Center. While this activity doesn’t use up as much energy as some of the others listed here it’s still a great, inexpensive, way to get out of the house.

The Wichita Children’s Theatre and Dance Center offers classes and live performances throughout the year for children of all ages to enjoy. More information on classes can be found on their website. 

This last entry on my list is for those days when you really just need to get out of the house but don’t necessarily want to tire everyone out. Each of the seven public libraries in Wichita offers different story times for different ages throughout the week. Some of these include arts and crafts, or even puppet theatre, but obviously, you can just explore the library and peruse the books on your own as well.