Homeschool Discounts in Kansas (2026) — Wichita's Zoo & the Cosmosphere

Kansas's marquee STEM venues all carve out a homeschool rate. The Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita — one of the country's top-attended zoos at a $33 gate — runs monthly Homeschool Expeditions for $8 a child (grades 1–5), and right across town Exploration Place names homeschool co-ops by name at its $7 field-trip rate, a third of the $20 walk-in price. Down in Hutchinson, the Smithsonian-affiliated Cosmosphere books field-trip Mission Passes at $8.50 against an $18.25 gate, and Strataca's underground salt-mine school tour runs $14 a student versus $35 at the door.

Co-ops carry the day across the rest of the state. Salina's Rolling Hills Zoo writes 'home-schooled' straight into its $7.50-per-student school rate, Manhattan's Flint Hills Discovery Center drops to $4 a student for field trips (a third of its $12 gate), and the Topeka Zoo and Manhattan's Sunset Zoo both welcome homeschool groups of 15-plus at rates you confirm by phone. Most programs want a 12-to-15-student minimum booked two to three weeks ahead — easy for a homeschool group to fill.

Confirmed homeschool pricing

Published price on the venue's own homeschool page — most under $20 per child.

Recurring

Monthly Wed

10–11:30 am, grades 1–5

per kid

Sedgwick County Zoo

Wichita · Tickets online; zooeducation@scz.org

One of America's top-attended zoos runs a dedicated monthly Homeschool Expeditions class in its Cargill Learning Center — 90 minutes of animal science, life science, and physical science for grades 1–5, with parents actively involved. The September KSHE Zoofari Day adds a big all-ages homeschool event.

Regular admission: $33 adults / $28 kids 3–11 — A naturalist class for less than a quarter of the gate

Homeschool page at scz.org →

Year-round

Mon–Fri

Co-ops of 15+

per kid · adult $7

Exploration Place

Wichita · Reserve a field trip online; (316) 660-0620

Wichita's riverfront science center names homeschool groups outright: gather a co-op of 15 and everyone — kids and parents — pays the $7 field-trip rate that bundles the hands-on exhibits, dome theater, and live science shows. Standards-aligned program add-ons available on request.

Regular admission: $20 adults / $15 youth 3–11 — Over 60% off the gate, everything included

Homeschool page at exploration.org →

Year-round

Wed–Fri

Mon–Thu in summer

$8.50

per kid

Cosmosphere

Hutchinson · Field-trip booking, 3 weeks ahead

Kansas's only Smithsonian-affiliated museum — flown Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo spacecraft — books homeschool field trips at $8.50 a head for a Mission Pass covering the Hall of Space plus planetarium and rocket-lab shows. One of the best space-education values in the country for a co-op.

Regular admission: $18.25 adults / $15 kids 4–12 — Over half off the gate, shows included

Homeschool page at cosmo.org →

Recurring

Aug–May

Weekdays, grades K–12

$14

per kid

Strataca - Kansas Underground Salt Museum

Hutchinson · (620) 662-1425, 2 weeks ahead

Ride 650 feet underground into a working salt mine on a guided K–12 field trip — geology, history, the dark ride, and a souvenir chunk of 275-million-year-old salt — at $14 a student, well under the $35 adult gate. A homeschool co-op of 12 easily qualifies; one of only a handful of mine museums on Earth.

Regular admission: $35 adults / $18 kids 4–12 — $14 vs a $35 gate for the full guided mine tour

Homeschool page at underkansas.org →

Year-round

By booking

Book 2 weeks ahead

$7.50

per kid · adult $7.50

Rolling Hills Zoo

Salina · School-group inquiry form; (785) 827-9488 x132

Central Kansas's AZA-accredited zoo and wildlife museum offers discounted admission to 'public, private, home-schooled, and daycare' groups by name — $7.50 a student, with chaperones at the same rate. Add an optional grade-specific Discovery Class or guided tour to deepen the visit.

Regular admission: $16 adults / $12 kids 3–18 — Over half off, chaperones at the kid rate

Homeschool page at rollinghillszoo.org →

Year-round

Tue–Fri

Closed Mondays

per kid · adult $4

Flint Hills Discovery Center

Manhattan · Group-visit form; (785) 587-2726

Manhattan's immersive Flint Hills science-and-history center — home of the 'Tides of Kansas' experience — books group field trips at $4 a student, a third of its $12 gate, with optional staff-led education programs for $8. Any homeschool co-op can book as a school group.

Regular admission: $12 adults / $7 youth 2–17 — A third of the gate; staff-led program for $8

Homeschool page at flinthillsdiscovery.org →

Year-round

By booking

Groups of 15+, register 48 hrs ahead

$6.75

per kid · adult $8.25

Topeka Zoo & Conservation Center

Topeka · groups@topekazoo.org, 48 hours ahead

The capital's compact, walkable zoo — African safari area, giraffe deck, rainforest dome — books home-school groups at its published 'All Other Groups' rate ($6.75 a child). A $1-off Day of Play combo pairs it with the Kansas Children's Discovery Center a few blocks away for a cheap two-stop day.

Regular admission: $10 adults / $8.50 kids 3–12 — Group rate plus a $1-off combo with the Discovery Center

Homeschool page at topekazoo.org →

Year-round

By booking

Groups of 20+, 2 weeks ahead

$4.50

per kid · adult $5.50

Sunset Zoo

Manhattan · (785) 587-2737, 2 weeks ahead

Manhattan's AZA-accredited Sunset Zoo gives groups of 20-plus a deep discount — $4.50 a child, $5.50 an adult — a rate a homeschool co-op easily fills. Pair it with the Flint Hills Discovery Center downtown for a low-cost Manhattan science day.

Regular admission: $11 adults / $9 kids 3–12 — Half the gate for a co-op of 20

Homeschool page at manhattanks.gov →

Plus more free and cheap educational outings in Kansas

Already on DiscoverCheapUS — free and low-cost Kansas attractions homeschool families plan whole field-trip days around.

Wichita

9 free or cheap

Keeper of the PlainsFree
Wichita Art MuseumFree
Old Cowtown Museum$12 adults / $11 seniors 62+ / $10 youth 5-17 / Pay-as-you-wish Sundays April–October
Great Plains Nature CenterFree
Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum$5 adults / $2 children 6-12 / Free under 6 / Free admission every Sunday 1-5pm
Mid-America All-Indian Museum$9 adults / $7 seniors 55+, military, students 13+ / $5 children 6-12 / Free under 6
Exploration Place$20 adults / $15 youth 3–11 / Free under 2 / Free SNAP/EBT
Sedgwick County Zoo$33 adults / $28 kids 3–11 (online $5 less) / $5 Winter Wednesdays
Botanica Wichita$12 adults / $10 seniors, youth & military / Free under 2

See all Wichita attractions →

Lawrence

8 free or cheap

Spencer Museum of ArtFree
Watkins Museum of HistoryFree (donations welcome)
KU Natural History Museum$7 suggested adults / $4 suggested children / Free for KU students & members
Robert J. Dole Institute of PoliticsFree
Haskell Cultural Center & MuseumFree
Prairie Park Nature CenterFree
Booth Family Hall of AthleticsFree (self-guided)
Baker University WetlandsFree

See all Lawrence attractions →

Topeka

11 free or cheap

Kansas State CapitolFree
Brown v. Board of Education National Historical ParkFree
Old Prairie Town at Ward-Meade Historic SiteFree grounds / $5 adults guided
Reinisch Rose Garden & Doran Rock Garden (Gage Park)Free
Cedar Crest – Kansas Governor's ResidenceFree
Mulvane Art Museum (Washburn University)Free
NOTO Arts & Entertainment DistrictFree to walk and view
Kansas Museum of History$10 adults / $5 youth 6–17 / Free under 6
Topeka Zoo & Conservation Center$10 adults / $8.50 kids 3–12 / Free under 3
Kansas Children's Discovery Center$11 kids & adults / $10 seniors / Free under 1 / $3 Museums for All
Lake Shawnee & Ted Ensley GardensFree (park & gardens; some activities extra)

See all Topeka attractions →

Overland Park

5 free or cheap

Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead$5 ages 3+ / Free under 3 / Free after 2pm Mon–Thu
Nerman Museum of Contemporary ArtFree
Johnson County Museum$6 adults / $4 kids 1–17 / $23 family max / 4 free days a year
Museum at Prairiefire$5 ages 3+ / Free veterans & active military
Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens$7 adults / $3 kids 6–17 / Free under 6 / Free first Tuesdays

See all Overland Park attractions →

Manhattan

4 free or cheap

Konza Prairie Nature TrailFree (suggested $2 trail donation)
Flint Hills Discovery Center$12 adults / $7 youth 2–17 / $5 Museums for All / Free under 2
Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of ArtFree
Sunset Zoo$11 adults / $9 kids 3–12 / $5 Museums for All / Free under 3

See all Manhattan attractions →

Hutchinson

6 free or cheap

Cosmosphere$18.25 adults / $15 kids 4–12 / Free under 3 / Free for Reno County residents
Strataca - Kansas Underground Salt Museum$35 adults / $18 kids 4–12 / $19 Reno County residents
Hutchinson ZooFree (donation suggested)
Dillon Nature CenterFree (donations welcome)
Reno County MuseumFree (suggested $2 adults / $1 children)
Hutchinson Art CenterFree

See all Hutchinson attractions →

Salina

5 free or cheap

Rolling Hills Zoo$16 adults / $12 kids 3–18 / Free under 3
SculptureTour SalinaFree
Smoky Hill MuseumFree
Salina Art CenterFree (galleries)
Lakewood Discovery CenterFree

See all Salina attractions →

Kansas City

7 free or cheap

Kaw Point ParkFree
Rosedale Memorial ArchFree
Grinter Place State Historic SiteFree
Quindaro Ruins & OverlookFree
Wyandotte County Lake ParkFree
F.L. Schlagle Library & Environmental Learning CenterFree
Wyandotte County MuseumFree

See all Kansas City attractions →

See all 72 Kansas attractions on the directory →