Fun things to do in Wichita over spring break that are easy on your wallet

While it’s spring break, one thing you don’t need to break is your budget when it comes to finding activities for your family to enjoy. Here are some free activities and special spring break activities we’ve found at several area attractions.

Take a fashion tour

A stunning new exhibition featuring historical fashions crafted from paper is on display at the Wichita Art Museum, 1400 Museum Blvd. Join a docent for a tour of “Isabelle de Borchgrave: Fashioning Art from Paper” at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 11, to hear more about the exhibition. While adult non-members visitors will need to buy a $12 ticket for this special exhibition, admission is free to college students with IDs and youth 18 and under. While you’re there, check out the museum’s other exhibitions.

General admission to WAM and its other exhibitions is free for everyone during its Tuesday-Sunday hours. If the kiddos want to use their imagination about dream destinations, take them to WAM for its free, vacation-themed Spring Break Artcation activities from 1-4 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, March 15-17. WAM also is starting its new hours this week; it will remain open until 9 p.m. Fridays and close on Tuesdays in addition to Mondays. More info: wam.org or 316-268-4921

Make art

The east-side studio of Paint the Towne, 1635 S. Rock Road, #135, is holding several open studio times during spring break for families to create paintings, pottery and wood-based art. Costs depend on what you choose to do, with paintings starting at $11 and pottery and wood art starting at $8. Saturday sessions start at 10 a.m., while those scheduled during the week start at noon. The studio also is offering guided painting classes during spring break that start at $15 per class. More info: paintthetowne.com or 316-425-1941

The Mid American All-Indian Museum is offering two-hour classes in making beaded items and dream catchers. Cost per class varies, starting at $25 with sibling discounts. Saturday classes on March 11 and 18 meet at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.; weekday classes Wednesday-Friday, March 15-17, start at 1 p.m. More info: facebook.com/MidAmericaAllIndianCenter/events

Bug out

Learn about bugs and more during the free Buggin’ Out spring break activities at the Great Plains Nature Center, 6323 E. 29th St. North. Activities, billed as being ideal for elementary students, start at 10 a.m. each day March 13-17, with a naturalist-led hike through the center’s grounds at 11 a.m. More info: gpnc.org or 316-683-5499

Picture yourself on TV

Pretend you’re a cooking show chef or give a weather forecast at the PBC Kansas Cochener-Garvey Children’s Education & Discovery Center, 8710 E. 32nd St. North. A video creation station is just one of the many activities kids and adults can do as part of the drop-in activities at the center, which is free to visit 10 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays. Other activities include 3D printing demonstrations, a construction corner and a fort-building station and a makers space. Visitors can also program tasks for the center’s robot.

Special spring break activities include a visit from a guide dog and its handler at 2 p.m. Monday, March 13, drone demonstrations at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, March 14 and 16, and impromptu tours of the PBS Kansas TV studios. Special giveaways will include garden seed packets and books. Visitors can also drop in to check out vintage TV technology in the adjacent PBS Kansas Museum. More info: kpts.org/family/CEDC

Take flight

Along with offering special $5 spring break admissions, the Kansas Aviation Museum, 3350 S. George Washington Blvd., will open most of its planes located on the tarmac around the building that served as Wichita’s airport terminal from 1935-54. Generally, only a few are open during museum hours. The museum displays more than a dozen aircraft, ranging from smaller Cessna planes to an Air Force KC-135 tanker and B-47 bomber and a Boeing 727 that was part of the FedEx fleet. Themed STEM activities, geared for elementary and middle school students, are scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday-Friday. A food truck will be on-site Thursday from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. More info: kansasaviationmuseum.org or 316-693-9242

Keep rollin’

Go for a few spins around the roller-skating rink at Carousel Skate Center, 312 N. West St., which will open daily at 11 a.m. during spring break. Admission is $9.99; skate rental is free Monday-Thursday, and $3.99 Friday-Sunday. More info: carouselsk8ks.com or 316-942-4505

Climb the clock tower

The Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum, 204 S. Main, is offering free, drop-in activities and guided tours from 1-4 p.m. Thursday-Sunday, March 16-19, including a special tour of its clock tower on Friday, March 17. Each day has a different focus, including the Keeper of the Plains, the Victorian Cottage exhibition and the Wichita flag. The museum is free to visit on Sundays. More info: wichitahistory.org or 316-265-9314

Play games

From bingo to lawn games and trivia, Chicken N Pickle, 1240 N. Greenwich Road, offers several free games throughout the week. Lawn games are available in the courtyard, while it holds special game nights like free Bingo on Sundays and a Monday night trivia challenge. The venue will also hold a special St. Patrick’s Day event from 5-8 p.m. Friday, March 17, with face painting, a kids scavenger hunt and a local artisan vendor fair. More info: chickennpickle.com/location/wichita or 316-535-7150

Go prehistoric

If your family loves dinosaurs, you have several opportunities to indulge that interest.

Field Station: Dinosaurs, 2999 N. Rock Road, is debuting a new show, “T-Rex Takeover,” during spring break starting March 11 where expedition guides will help visitors document the life cycle of the T-Rex. The park has also updated its raptor maze; visitors can also play 18 holes of Jurassic Park. Admission is $12 for ages 2 and older. More info: kansasdinos.com/spring-break

The Museum of World Treasures, 835 E. First St., will include special dinosaur-themed activities during spring break. That includes dino tattoos, making dino sock puppets and creating amber stones. Regular admission applies, which starts at $9.95 with discounts available; a family pass for two adults and two children is available for $32.95. More info: worldtreasures.org or 316-263-1311

Check out life-sized animatronic dinosaurs at Exploration Place’s traveling dinosaur exhibition, “Expedition: Dinosaur.” The science center’s staff also created a complementary new interactive science show that features a dinosaur. Its Dome Theater is showing the 40-minute movie “Dinosaurs of Antarctica” daily at 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m. and on Thursdays at 5 p.m. An all-access pass for exhibits, live science shows and dome movies costs $20 for adults with discounts available. Ala carte admission is also available. More info: exploration.org or 316-660-0600

See a baby rhino

There are a few days left to take advantage of Tanganyika Wildlife Park’s annual season pass sale, which ends March 15. With the basic season pass of $24.99, you get unlimited visits to the park, 1000 S. Hawkins Lane, Goddard; add-ons and upgraded packages are also available. With the unlimited pass, you can do a variety of feedings, where visitors can get close to a pygmy hippo, an African tortoise, lemurs, giraffes and other animals. In February, the park welcomed its newest resident: baby Indian rhino MarJon, or MJ for short. Park officials have said he won’t be available for public viewing until the weather is in the 60s so keep an eye on the forecast. More info: twpark.com