Overview
Hutchinson is a Reno County city located on the northeast side of the Arkansas River in the State of Kansas. With a population of more than 42,000, it is the seat and the largest city in the county. The city was incorporated in 1872 and has been home to many salt mines almost all throughout its history, thus the nickname “Salt City”. With interesting attractions, urban amenities and friendly people, Hutchinson and the entire Reno County welcome more than 1.5 million visitors every year.
Fast Facts
- Locals fondly call the city “Hutch”. It was also once known as “Temperance City”.
- Hutchinson occupies a total area of 54.9 square miles.
- Aside from producing salt, the mines in Hutchinson also serve as great storage spaces for movie masters and business records. Underground Vaults & Storage houses masters for several Hollywood classics including ‘Gone with the Wind’, ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and ‘Star Wars’.
- Salt mining in Hutchinson was once featured in the Discovery Channel program ‘Dirty Jobs’.
- Professional football quarterbacks Buck Pierce and Tommy Thompson once called Hutchinson home.
Accommodation Tips
Being a large city, Hutchinson has a good number of accommodation options that its visitors can choose from. If you’re traveling on a tight budget or you just need a comfortable bed to lay your head for the night, stay at the Budget Host Hutchinson. With rates running around $57, you get basic accommodations and a free breakfast. Another budget-friendly hotel is the Days Inn and Suites Hutchinson. Business travelers can make use of the onsite business center. If you want to be close to the city’s shopping centers and main attractions, this is the place you’re looking for. The hotel was recently renovated so you can expect well-appointed rooms, but if you can afford a little more luxury, get one of the suites which are really nice. Book your Hutchinson Hotels with Reservations.com.
Tourist Spots
There are many attractions in and around Hutchinson that draw the interest of visitors. The city is known as the home of the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center, an educational facility and museum that displays flown spacecraft artifacts used in the Apollo, Gemini and Mercury Missions. Hutchinson’s other claim to fame is the Kansas Underground Salt Museum which brings its visitors 650 feet beneath the Earth’s surface to explore an environment carved out of salt deposits. Just outside the city limits is the Prairie Dunes Country Club which is regarded as of the most outstanding golf courses in America. The course has hosted several national championships sponsored by the United States Golf Association.
Best Museums
Hutchinson’s main attractions are its interesting museums: the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center and the Kansas Underground Salt Museum. The Space Center is a planetarium turned into a museum that boasts of having one of the largest collections of space artifacts in the world, second only to the National Air and Space Museum. One of the museum’s best known displays is a moon rock from Apollo 11. Other displays in the museum include life-sized space shuttles, rockets and spacesuits used in actual missions. The Kansas Underground Salt Museum is a unique attraction that is built in the confines of the world’s largest rock salt deposits. It is the only salt mine in the United States that is accessible to the viewing public.
