Cosmosphere, Starlite Drive-In to open Friday. June for Wichita dog parks, playgrounds
The reopening date of the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson is back on for Friday, May 22.
That’s the date the Cosmosphere had originally planned to reopen based on the first variation of Kansas’ reopening plan announced in early May. Last week, when Gov. Laura Kelly said museums and other indoor leisure activities would need to remain closed since the state was moving into a phase 1.5, rather than phase two, Cosmosphere officials put their plans on hold. Earlier this week, Gov. Kelly lifted that restriction for museums, movie theaters, non-tribal casinos and other indoor entertainment venues.
That means the Cosmosphere, a Smithsonian-affiliated science center and space museum, will indeed reopen in time for Memorial Day weekend, and so will two area movie theaters.
The Kansas Star Casino plans to reopen Saturday morning, May 23, with gaming temporarily limited to slot machines only, and visitors will have to undergo temperature checks and screening when they enter.
Most other attractions that could open under this new modified phase two — and some that had originally planned to reopen in the next couple of weeks — are going with reopening dates in June.
At the Cosmosphere, visitors are being encouraged to wear face masks and use contactless pay by buying tickets in advance online or by phone. It’s limiting seating in its planetarium, dome theater and Dr. Goddard’s Lab areas while some areas will remain unavailable, including its new interactive CosmoKids.
The museum will be open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays — including Memorial Day on May 25 — and noon to 6 p.m. Sundays. To find out more about its reopening plan and guidelines, visit cosmo.org. The box office number is 620-665-9312.
Movie fans who’ve been wanting to get back to area theaters will have limited choices. The Starlite Drive-In in Wichita and Chisholm Trail 8 in Newton will reopen Friday, May 22, with some COVID-19 precautions.
The Starlite is showing single features only on its two screens: “The Invisible Man” (PG) at 8:45 p.m. and “Trolls World Tour” (PG) at 9 p.m. According to the Starlite’s Facebook page, the box office will open an hour before the first movie and admission is $8 for ages 12 and older, $4 ages 3 to 11 and free for those 2 and under Concessions will be open, with spaces marked for social distancing. It’s encouraging movie-goers to wear masks and use its bathrooms only if necessary. More information is available at starlitefun.com.
Chisholm Trail 8 is limiting seating in each theater and spreading out showtimes to allow for social distancing. It’s showing two movies that had been scheduled for release in March — “Bloodshot (PG-13), starring Vin Diesel, and “I Still Believe” (PG), based on the true-life story of a Christian music artist and his wife who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, along with several older favorites, including “True Grit” with John Wayne, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” “Forest Gump” and the first Harry Potter movie. More reopening information and advance tickets are available at chisholmtrail8.com
At least two attractions — the Great Plains Nature Center and the Wichita Art Museum — decided to go with later reopening dates and slightly modified plans than they’d originally announced. The nature center is planning a June 1 reopening date and has decided to not offer any in-person programming in June, said director Marc Murrell. It had previously planned some limited in-person programming.
The Wichita Art Museum has pushed its reopening dates to June 16 for members and June 23 for the general public. Initially, WAM was going to reopen June 2.
Here are the expected opening dates for other Wichita-area attractions. Masks are required at all city operated facilities:
May 23: All city golf courses.
May 26: All city libraries except the Linwood Branch. Patrons will not be allowed to browse the stacks and children’s areas will remain closed. The used book store wlil remain closed and no book donations are being accepted at this time. Patrons will be allowed to pick up books on hold, use the computers and fax and copy machines. The first hour of operation Monday-Saturday is reserved for at-risk populations.
June 1: Mark Arts, CityArts, Field Station: Dinosaurs in Derby and the Linwood Branch Library. City officials said dog parks and playgrounds also are expected to open on that date and park facilities will be available to rent.
June 2: Old Cowtown Museum, The Kansas African American Museum and the B-29 Doc Hangar Education and Visitors Center. Flights will be available on Doc on June 20 and 21.
June 15: City fitness centers and Century II, although the end of summer is the earliest any shows will resume, according to the city.
June 16: Mid-American All-Indian Center and the “Ring of Fire” around the Keeper of the Plains statue will resume its nightly lighting, which is at 9 p.m. for 15 minutes, weather permitting.
Officials for Botanica and the Museum of World Treasures said reopening plans haven’t been finalized.
Exploration Place, a hands-on children’s museum with hundreds of touch points, is looking at reopening in July.
This story was originally published May 21, 2020 at 10:33 AM.