Adventure Playscape Boosts Wichita Museum Attendance
News related to:Hoerr Schaudt · 2 min read
WICHITA, Kan., Sept. 29, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- The landscape architecture firm Hoerr Schaudt has unveiled the Adventure Playscape, a 6.5-acre outdoor destination on the prestigious riverfront campus of the science center Exploration Place in Wichita. The playscape, which has been designed to attract families from across the Midwest, has already proven to be a significant draw, boosting museum attendance by 70 percent since its opening. The project is expected to increase Exploration Place's yearly economic impact from $21 million to $66 million.
The Adventure Playscape is the result of a $25 million civic investment, featuring 10 themed environments. One of these environments is believed to be the first aviation-themed playground of its scale anywhere in the world, and another is one of the largest educational water play environments in the United States. The playscape is organized as a continuous riverfront landscape, featuring paths, gardens, gathering spaces, shade, and native planting, allowing the campus to unfold as one connected experience.
Hoerr Schaudt, the master planner and overall design lead, conceived the playscape as a multigenerational gathering space shaped by Kansas's landscape, heritage, and identity. The attraction is designed to be more than just a playground; it is conceived as much as a landscape as it is a place for play. The project renaturalizes the grounds into expansive prairie and woodland landscapes, featuring more than 40,000 plants that emphasize native Kansas species and grasses, 500 tons of Kansas limestone, the preservation and reintegration of existing site trees, and 250 new trees selected to provide shade and comfort for visitors as the planting matures.
The playscape also includes a dedicated sensory garden, offering a calmer space within the playscape for those who need it. Exploration Place's overall consumption of city water will decrease through efficiencies in irrigation design and stormwater management.
The Adventure Playscape has already generated continued support from the Wichita community, including a recent $1 million investment from Koch, Inc. The playscape is included with general admission to Exploration Place, located at 300 N. McLean Blvd., Wichita, Kan., and is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and until 9 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays.