Kansas City to Wichita drive: Distance, time & best stops
The best road trip stops on the Kansas City to Wichita drive are Topeka KS, Emporia KS and El Dorado KS. The distance from Kansas City to Wichita by car is 196 miles, with a 2h56m driving time.
Planning a Kansas City to Wichita road trip itinerary
The Kansas City to Wichita drive connects the two biggest cities in Kansas.
Technically two cities spread over two different states, Kansas City has a rich cultural heritage. The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and American Jazz Museum show this off. Other top attractions include the National World I Memorial and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
Good experiences in Kansas City include an indulgent food tour of the city’s best BBQ joints, Segway tours, the Sealife Aquarium and wine-tasting trips.
Memorable Kansas City accommodation includes the colonial-style Truitt Hotel and the stylish, art-filled 21C Museum Hotel.
Good things to do in Wichita include the Museum of World Treasures, the Exploration Place Science Museum and the Great Plains Transportation Museum.
Of these, the Museum of World Treasures is the most gloriously eclectic. It flits from Ancient Egypt to World War II via shrunken heads and dinosaurs.
Track down Wichita accommodation deals here.
Kansas City to Wichita distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Kansas City to Wichita is 196 miles. You can expect a driving time of around two hours and 56 minutes. The quickest route is usually via the I-70, I-335 and I-35.
The best stops to add to a Kansas City to Wichita road trip itinerary are Topeka KA, Emporia KS and El Dorado KS.
Best stops between Kansas City and Wichita: Topeka KS
The capital of Kansas has several attractions that grab the attention. You can do tours of the Kansas State Capitol Building, push lots of buttons at the Kansas Children’s Discovery Center and get a feel for the past at Old Prairie Town. The latter is a living history museum, with plenty of heritage buildings to explore, at the Ward-Meade Historic Site.
Topeka’s most compelling attraction, however, is the Evel Knievel Museum. This celebrates the world’s most famous stuntman, and includes a virtual reality experience.
Kansas City to Wichita road trip attractions: Emporia KS
In 1857, Emporia KS jumped the gun somewhat by becoming the first prohibition town in the US, 61 years before the rest of the country followed suit. This is covered, along with other local history at the Lyon County History Museum.
Happily that attitude towards drinking is long in the past, and now you can enjoy a few beers at the Radius Brewing Company.
Kansas City to Wichita drive: El Dorado KS
Two museums make El Dorado a little more interesting than most Kansas towns. The World War II History Museum is very much a volunteer-led effort, but you might still learn something you didn’t know. The Kansas Oil Museum, meanwhile, looks at the history of the oil industry in Kansas, as well as the local heritage of Butler County.
More Kansas City road trips
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More Wichita road trips
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