We arrive in Yichang city centre at noon and need to be at the airport at 5.30pm.

Hi, the good sights in YC are all very far from the city. Since you need to be at the airport at 5:30 which means you have to start off at least at 16:00. So the time is not enough for you. May be you can just have a lunch and stroll in the streets. There is a western restaurant named Liangpin Guomu Steak and it is located at No. 6118, cultural world, Xiling district.