Silver Springs

How about taking a really close look at the planets and the stars? The kids will love seeing Saturn's rings through the 16-inch telescope at the Lake Afton Public Observatory. Once you go through the whole Solar System, enjoy some great interactive exhibits and attractions in the observatory's museum area. The exhibits will describe what you just saw through that ultra-powerful telescope in greater detail.

The Wichita Grand Opera offers you a chance to see stellar performances like Puccini's Madama Butterfly and local productions like the 10th Anniversary of There's No Place Like Home in a first-class venue that features stunning acoustics and equally compelling production values. You and your date will enjoy getting close to one another while enjoying the operatic masterworks that are unfolding in front of you on your romantic rendezvous.

The Old Cowtown Museum makes it possible to really travel back in time without the aid of a time machine! Return to the Old West as Wichita and Sedgwick County are recreated between 1865 and 1880. Take a ride in a covered wagon, dress up in the costumes of the day to take an old-style photograph, and see genuine artifacts from the era in the museum. And don't forget to see the historic buildings on your way to the gift shop to take home a memento of your time in Old Cowtown.