Seven Wonders of Wichita

Stonehenge, one of the Wonders of the Medieval World, is located in Wiltshire, England. The ancient ring of massive, stacked stones has perplexed humanity for thousands of years. Stonehenge is a point of interest primarily because we have so few details about its origins. Carbon dating of the stones has suggested that the structure was built between 2400 and 2200 BC, but it could date back as far as 3000 BC. With stones weighing up to 25 tons, it is unknown how the builders were able to lift the stones without the aid of technology. Its purpose is also unknown, though it has been suspected to be an ancient burial ground and to have connections to ancient astronomy.

You can find a structure similar to Stonehenge in Wichita’s Riverside Park. A solar calendar on the park’s Northwest edge features a few large and strategically placed stones.

The stones are arranged in such a way that they offer a technologically accurate solar calendar, tracking the sun’s location by aligning the stones at sunset, sunrise, and at local noon on the first day of each season. Some of the stones stand upright and some lay horizontal in a circle, much like the real Stonehenge. Mosaic tiles on the stones depict constellations, astrological signs and more.  Learn more.

Located in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, the Christ the Redeemer statue was constructed between 1922 and 1931. The statue is a monument to Christianity. 

Christ the Redeemer stands 98 feet tall (124 feet when you including its pedestal) and its arms stretch 92 feet wide.

Resting atop Corcovado mountain, which stands 2,300 feet above the city, the Christ the Redeemer Statue overlooks Rio and can be seen from miles away.

Wichita is home to a similar stature of Jesus. Located just north of Kellogg on 119th, an 18-foot-tall bronze statue of Christ stands in Resthaven Mortuary's Garden of Christus. 

Resting atop the garden's mausoleum, the statue of Christ overlooks the garden much the same way that Christ the Redeemer overlooks Rio.

Resthaven sits on nearly 120 acres in west Wichita, and it is recognized throughout the Midwest for offering a variety of unique features in its beautiful gardens. Stately trees, lush flowerbeds, bronze statues and a sparkling stream are among the outstanding focal points of the gardens. 

Colossus of Rhodes was a likeness of the Greek sun god, Helios. The monument stood in the City of Rhodes (which was on an island by the same name) and was erected in 280 BC by Charles of Lindos.  

The statue served to aid in the celebration of Rhodes' victory over Antigonus I Monophthalmus, the ruler of Cyprus, in 305 BC.

Most descriptions indicate that Colossus was 108 feet tall, making it similar in size to the Statue of Liberty. At this height, Colossus would have been the tallest statue in the ancient world. It stood until the earthquake of 226 BC when it was destroyed and never rebuilt.

Wichita, too, is home to a large statue that overlooks its major body of water. The Keeper of the Plains, which stands at the confluence of the big and little Arkansas Rivers, has become an iconic symbol for our city.

The Keeper stands on a sacred location, the place where the Wichita Indians settled after fleeing their homes in Texas and Oklahoma when the Europeans' arrival brought population pressure.

The sculpture was created by Kiowa-Comanche artist Blackbear Bosin in 1974 and was installed to commemorate the United States Bicentennial.

Weighing in at a whopping five tons, the 44-foot-tall steel sculpture now stands on a 30-foot-tall rock promontory which was added in 2006. To this day, many Native American tribes continue to gather at this site. Learn more about the Keeper of the Plains.

You’re probably familiar with the Roman Coliseum (or Colosseum).

The largest ampitheatre ever built, it dates back to 72-80 AD when it was constructed.

With an astounding capacity of 50-80 thousand people, the Coliseum was used for gladiatorial and public events. The Coliseum offered ancient Romans a place to go for entertainment and excitement, and this is often replicated in movies and television whenever gladiatorial battles are held.

The structure is iconically damaged, a result of earthquakes and the work of stone robbers over the many, many years it’s been around.

From 1977 to 2010, Valley Center was home to the Kansas Coliseum, the Wichita area’s pre-Intrust Bank Arena arena. It, too, was used for public events, though its capacity of only 12,200 made it much smaller than the Roman Coliseum.

Home to the Wichita Thunder and all kinds of concert tours that stopped in the Wichita area, the Kansas Coliseum was as much a go-to place for entertainment as the Roman Coliseum was for Romans. The neighboring Kansas Pavilions have since remained open. The Coliseum building later reopened as a Wichita State University National Institute of Aviation Research (NIAR) facility. 

Dating back as far as the seventh century BC, The Great Wall of China is comprised of a series of fortified walls. The structure runs generally east to west along China's historical north border and was constructed with the intention of protecting the Chinese people from attacks by various nomadic groups, though it is suspected to have had many uses in its time. The Great Wall branches in places, but was found by one archaeological study to measure 13,171 miles in total.  

The Great Wall was constructed with several different types of reinforcement, including stone, brick, earth, wood and other materials.

The Great Wall has been rebuilt, maintained and enhanced on and off over the years. Some parts are well preserved, while others hardly remain. 

Though you won't find a Great Wall of Wichita anywhere, you can get a taste of Chinese culture at Botanica's recently added Chinese Garden of Friendship. The garden was built in honor of Wichita's Sister City, Kaifeng, China and is filled with carefully-selected structures and elements that reflect Chinese culture. among these are a Treasure Dragon Wall, a few Asian-style pavilions, a mural depicting life in the area that is now Kaifeng and more. Even the plants featured in the garden reflect those present in China, creating a very immersive and authentic experience. 

The garden's design highlights two distinct and unique parts. The south side of the garden is known as the “earthly world” and depicts an area where people live, work and experience day-to-day life and other worldly things. In contrast, the north side of the garden is intended to represent the “heavenly world” or “dream world.” This scenic and peaceful area features a waterfall, the Friend Pavilion, a stream and more to make the guests feel as though they are in their own dream world.

The Great Pyramid of Giza is both the oldest and the largest pyramid of the three that stand in the Giza Complex. It is also the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and it is the only one to have remained largely intact to this day.   

The Pyramid is believed to have been built as a tomb around 2560 BC and construction took between 10 and 20 years to complete. Standing 481 feet high, the Great Pyramid was the tallest man-made structure for over 3,800 years. The exterior of the Pyramid that exists today was originally an underlying core, covered by external casing stones. A few of these stones are still visible around the base of the structure. The Great Pyramid was used as a burial ground for the Pharoah Khufu, his family and his nobles. 

Although you can't find any pyramids in ICT, you can celebrate Egyptian culture by visiting Wichita's Museum of World Treasures. On the first floor of the museum, you'll find an impressive exhibit dedicated solely to ancient Egypt.

Featuring a variety of Egyptian artifacts including sculptures, planks with ancient hieroglyphic writing and much more, the exhibit offers a look into ancient Egyptian life in the heart of Wichita's Oldtown Square.

Egyptian life isn't all that is featured in the exhibit, however, as the death and burial processes of the ancient Egyptians also play an important role. Visitors will also see Egyptian coffins and a couple of real mummies. 

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, are a bit of a conundrum, as the definitive location has never actually been determined. 

The ascending series of tiered gardens are said to have been built in the vicinity of present-day Hillah, Babil province of Iraq, in the ancient city of Babylon. Historical writing from 290 BC links the gardens to king Nebuchadnezzar II, who ruled from 605 and 562 BC, though no archaeological evidence has been found. 

Because there is no solid evidence of the garden's existence, some have supposed that the writings of the garden are simply romantic and fantastic ideas of an eastern garden. Supposing, however, that the garden really did exist, it would have been destroyed after the first century AD. 

Though duplicating a place that might not even be real is quite a challenge, Wichita's Botanica Gardens offer a similarly astounding garden experience. Though they aren't tiered and towering, Botanica's 26 themed display gardens will keep you coming back! featuring a Shakespeare garden a children's garden, a Chinese garden, a sound garden, a butterfly garden and much more, there's always something to look at. 

Botanica opened in 1987 and rests on 18 acres of gardenscaping featuring more than 4,000 species of plants. In addition to thousands of plants, the gardens highlight a collection of 50 elegant sculptures, fountains, flowing streams and waterfalls that create a visually stunning atmosphere.