Museum of World Treasures-Wichita, KS

Jonathan Elmore
Jan 2
2 min read

WICHITA, KANSAS

Occasionally, I find myself in Kansas. Mostly on purpose. But when I'm there, I like to visit the museums that are around. One such museum that I had the pleasure of strolling through was the Museum of World Treasures in Wichita. As usual, I never look to see what's in the museum ahead of time so it's a surprise when I go. And this one was definitely a great surprise. It's a historical museum with one of the broadest timelines I've seen so far. They have you covered from prehistory to very recent history. It was incredible.

I was told that the museum hosts on-loan exhibits now and then, but for the most part, it is a privately owned collection. And what a collection it is! There are a couple of ways to start the walk through, but I opted to start with the giant T-Rex skeleton and other prehistoric fossils. With a little imagination, you can picture yourself in the middle of Jurassic Park dodging shrieking dinosaurs. As I meandered through the museum, it began to slide up the timeline of history and the collections were from all parts of the world. World Treasures indeed! I saw things from Africa and Asia, from medieval Europe and the American Civil War. They even have a full section of the Berlin Wall!

One of the only things I attempt to collect is coins and currency. So when I saw their display of Roman coins from over the centuries, I was over the moon. I had to put my reading glasses on as I examined each and every coin. If the cleaning crew had to wash off my nose prints, I humbly apologize. They were all so interesting not only because of the coin itself, but also because of the short description of when it was in use and who was imprinted on the coin. It was truly an oustanding collection in perfectly displayed cases. After I oohed and aahed over the coins, I made my way upstairs.

The top floor is the home of more modern history even though modern includes medieval times. Compared to ancient Greece, it is modern! There was a presidents hall with portraits and historical items from all the US presidents. They covered all the wars that have happened in the recent past where Americans were involved, Civil War, WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm. It was quite a thorough look at the devistation of war and how our troops dealt with it. The exhibits showed the sadness, the resilience, and the aftermath in a way that didn't leave me overwhelmed by war, but the lessons were still poignant.

Since I'm such a history nerd, I will probably make another trip to this museum because there is so much to look at. I know I missed some things or didn't linger long enough at some other things. That's okay though. I promise not to fog up the coin case again.

835 E First St. N, Wichita, Kansas

316-263-1311

Entry Fee: Adults-$10.95, Seniors(65+) & Kids(4-12)-$8.95

Hours: Mon-Sat 10:00-5:00, Sun 12:00-5:00

https://worldtreasures.org