The Jet Set Life
The Jet Set Life
What to do in Wichita, KS
If you want a quintessential Kansas travel experience, Wichita is the spot to visit. Wichita is an active cultural and entertainment hub with restaurants, retail shops, museums, and parks. It offers good value for money and has a reputation for being a strong location for small and local businesses. This post answers the question of what to do in Wichita, KS so that you’ll have the perfect weekend on your next visit.
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81 - What to do in wichita===
[00:00:00] Welcome back to the podcast jet setters. I hope you're doing well. I want to talk with you this week about Wichita, Kansas. back in may had the opportunity to spend a few days over in Wichita. And to be honest, it was never a destination that I thought I would be visiting. It was my first time in the state of Kansas. And as far as Midwestern hospitality goes and what you would expect Kansas to be like, I think Wichita is a really good example of that. Wichita is the largest city in Kansas and is known as the air capital of the world. The city is home to the highest concentration of skilled aerospace manufacturing employees in the us.
Wichita was first inhabited by the Wichita Indians in 1863, it became a trading post and then a destination for cattle drives earning the nickname [00:01:00] cow town, which I'm based in the Dallas area and we have our own cow town in Fort worth, which is nearby. So I guess felt kind of at home. Wichita is an active cultural and entertainment hub with restaurants, retail shops, museums, and parks. It offers good value for money and has developed a reputation for being a strong location for small businesses. Wichita has located in south central Kansas. So temperatures and humidity can vary. Wind levels are typically considered moderate. When I visited in may of 2022, the weather was quite pleasant at times, a little hot, but overall enjoyable.
The hottest months to visit are July and August followed by June. The coldest month is in January, June, and may are the bus busiest months to visit followed by July. If you're looking for the least busy month to [00:02:00] visit go in November, this will likely be your least expensive and least crowded month. That being said, I didn't find Wichita to be overly crowded during my visit in may. So take that as you will. Fall is considered the ideal time to visit for more mild temperatures and less rainfall. Though may and June are the rainiest months of the year. I did not experience any rainfall during my weekend in Wichita. So how to get there. Well, Wichita is centrally located within the us.
It has options to fly in, drive in bus, in or train in. The nearest airport in Wichita is the Wichita Dwight D Eisenhower airport, abbreviation I C T. And that's located 6.2 miles from the city center. It's conveniently located just 10 minutes from old town. Had I come to Wichita from my hometown in DFW. I would've gone this route and flown into [00:03:00] I C T, but I was actually coming from Kansas state, Missouri. So we, we drove in. Back to our other transit options. We've got buses. So according to Wanderu, Wichita is accessible by bus from 60 other cities between two bus lines, Jefferson and Amtrak. There's a nonstop bus that travels between Kansas city and Wichita leaving from Kansas city. It departs once every day and takes around four hours. To get to Kansas city. Our group took a private car transfer from Kansas city to Wichita, and it was a very pleasant ride. We didn't have any delays or issues. There are limited train routes to Wichita. Amtrak runs two routes into Wichita at an average cost of $167 and 35 cents. As far as where to stay. I have a couple options for you.
For my visit, I stayed at the Drury [00:04:00] Plaza hotel, Broadview. It's a three star hotel with beautiful views of the Arkansas river banks. It's a historic hotel originally known as the Broadview hotel, which opened in 1922. If you stay here, request a river facing room on the top floor. The rooms on the top floor have higher ceilings that make the room feel more expansive.
And if you are in a river facing room, obviously you'll have prettier views of the river, like other Drury hotels, hot breakfast, and the 5:30 kickback happy hour are offered complimentary daily. Another great option is the ambassador hotel, Wichita. This is a four-star hotel located near Drury in downtown Wichita.
It's part of the Marriott autograph collection. This hotel has contemporary stylish decor with an Italian steakhouse restaurant and a speakeasy style bar in the basement called Dockum. The [00:05:00] ambassador hotel is also in a historic building that dates back to 1926. It was originally home to the union national bank and Dockum drug store. Hence where the name Dockum comes for the speakeasy bar in the basement. Now let's move on to what you can do in Wichita. Wichita offers a nice blend of activities ranging from historic landmarks to contemporary museums. This Roundup has a little bit of everything, whether you're a history above a cultural enthusiast or a modern day Explorer.
First up, you pretty much have to visit the keeper of the Plains Plaza and the ring of fire. It's the most iconic image of Wichita. It's a 44 foot tall steel sculpture representing a native American figure. It stands on sacred native American ground at the point where the big and little Arkansas river joins the sculpture [00:06:00] was created by Wichita and native American artist, Blackbear Bosin.
The sculpture debuted in 1974 to celebrate the United States bicentennial. The best time to visit this monument is when the ring of fire burns. It burns for 15 minutes daily at 9:00 PM in the spring and summer.
And it's 7:00 PM in the fall and winter. Note that if the winds are too high or if there's rain or bad weather, they will not turn on the ring of fire. So hopefully go when there's good weather, when the ring of fire is turned on, you can also hear native American chanting being played. I visited on my first night in Wichita and it set a beautiful tone for the days to come in the city.
As I was able to learn about the historic significance of the native American culture in this Kansas destination, which is very prevalent. As you explore Wichita beyond the lookout for smaller replicas dotted all around [00:07:00] the city. They're known as the keepers on parade. They're 10 feet tall fiberglass, replicas painted and adored by local artists. No one keeper is the same.
Next learn about Wichita's native American history and culture at the mid America, all Indian museum. This is a museum that is mostly dedicated to Blackbear Bosin. It's got a lot of his works on display and it's open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The museum is small, but it houses works works of art from American Indian artists around the country.
And it's the largest collection of work by the artist blackbear. It's amazing to observe how this particular artist's skill and style evolved over the years. It, it started with more [00:08:00] rudimentary comic book sketches, and then it evolved eventually into these massive vibrant mural. The museum is host to several important native American gatherings today, including the trail of tears Memorial, back to school powwow and the Indian art market. Next Make some time to explore the 18 acres of gardens at Botanica Wichita. Botanica Wichita is home to over 30 themed gardens and exhibits featuring over 4,000 species of plants, both native and new to the region. At the time of my visit, there was an inspiring temporary exhibit set up throughout the gardens called washed ashore.
It featured 14, large scale sea life sculptures made entirely from trash that washed up in the sea. It graphically shows the tragedy of plastic pollution while bringing awareness to their mission of creating art to save the sea. [00:09:00] It was hard for me to pick a favorite because they're also beautiful, but if I had to pick as far as where to go in the garden, I would say the Margie button Memorial fountain and garden, the border of the garden was filled with these flourishing peonies and day lilies. They were absolutely stunning. There were up to 85 different peony varieties blooming, and those bloom from late April through early June. Hardy hibiscus also grow west of the fountain near the gazebo. I enjoyed a quick ride on the 40 foot tall carousel that is at the Botanica Wichita. It was designed over 70 years ago and served as a popular attraction at the joy land music park park, which was closed in 2004.
Botanica Wichita salvaged the historic carousel replicating much of the original [00:10:00] 1949 machine as they restored it. Artist, Marlene, Irvin repainted, all of the original 36 horses and every single one is unique. And whether you go on the carousel or not, definitely stop by it because there's this beautiful unicorn topiary just outside. And it's magical. If you look closely, you can spot this cute little mouse shining up the unicorn's horn, and it's just so sweet. Another fun thing to do in Wichita is spot colorful murals in the Douglas design district. There are over a hundred murals within this district starting in 2015. Local artists have the opportunity to create their own murals every year during avenue art days.
Now I didn't come close to seeing them all. But my favorite out of the ones that I did see was the mini maker madness mural on the side of the workroom, as well as [00:11:00] the floral, we've got the joy mural. You can look these up online and you can also take a self-guided tour of all the murals by downloading the avenue arts days, mural map app, and it's free. Another fun outing that we had was petting stingrays at the Sedgwick county zoo. Now I don't typically recommend zoos due to the fact that they're usually overcrowded with families and kids, and there's also sometimes an ethical issue that arises with zoos. However, I did enjoy this visit to the Sedgwick county.
it's home to 3000 animals of nearly 400 species grouped by geographic location. The zoo supports field conservation programs and is a not-for-profit organization accredited by the association of zoos and aquariums, which is abbreviated as AZA. Whenever you visit a zoo or an aquarium, [00:12:00] be sure to look out for the AZA logo to ensure that you're supporting a facility that provides excellent care for animals. At the time of my visit stingray Cove had just recently opened and it was the zoo's newest, interactive attraction. I've actually never pet stingrays before and it was surprisingly fun. I was surprised by how smooth they were. They feel like kind of velvety, smooth. I don't know how to describe it. And I thought it might be kind of scary but all you really have to do is stick your hand in the water after you clean it. And you just wait and the stingrays will actually come up and glide under your hand. And it was just really kind of fun. The other species that I enjoyed visiting was the red Panda.
Now I first discovered a red Panda and what they look like while I was in China and I was enthralled by them. I'd never seen one [00:13:00] before until I got to China. They're freaking adorable. They have this reddish color and these super sweet faces. They're kind of like this, an adorable blend of a Panda and a raccoon. Scientists have found that red Panda are not a raccoon, nor are they a bear. . So when I heard that this vulnerable species was at the Sedgwick county zoo, I was so freaking excited to see them, because I hadn't seen them since China, which was several years ago.
Another great spot to visit is the indoor exhibits and the outdoor sculpture garden at the Wichita art museum. I really enjoyed the Wichita art museum more than I thought I would. It's one of the largest art museums in Kansas and it houses 7,000 pieces of contemporary and historical. I had a wonderful first impression of the museum as I walked in because you're greeted with this beautiful Dale Chihuly, blown glass art display above your head right when you walk through [00:14:00] the doors. And if you've heard me talk about before, I love Chihuly art. I always have, since I was a kid. So it's just a really interesting, exciting way to enter the museum. Then as you look to your right, there's this giant suspended white abstract sculpture, that's just breathtaking. It's called living history by Beth Lipman. And it's a perfect compliment to the large colorful Chihuly chandelier on the second floor. The thought that this museum has put behind the curation of their art and where they're placing it and how they're placing it was really well done. And I was really pleasantly surprised.
So after you see the giant white sculpture, you go upstairs and you see what they call confetti chandelier, which is another Dale, Chihuly blown glass art suspended from the ceiling and it's [00:15:00] just gorgeous. There's also an outdoor sculpture garden on property, and they have a Henry Moore piece in the collection, which I love Henry Moore as well. And another really popular piece found in this museum is the Kansas cornfield by John Stewart Curry. It's a very powerful image of the Midwest. And I actually remember seeing it in my history books as a kid. The Wichita art museum is free to the public every first Friday of the month so keep that in mind. Another super cute spot to visit is the Cleveland corner. It is the place to go to get your local Wichita souvenirs, Wichita locals love their city flag. Really honestly surprising how much they like it and they call it flag swag and they sport this Wichita flag everywhere on t-shirts pillows, art everywhere.
So Cleveland corner is made up of three [00:16:00] interesting venues. The first of which is the workroom. This location served as an interior design hub, which has now expanded into a one stop shop for home furnishings, fine art and accessories, and one of a kind Wichita centric gifts. I was absolutely obsessed with all the products in this store. I wanted to stay for hours. I could have brought the whole store home with me, and if I was a local, I would be in this shop every single weekend. Owner Janelle king met with us and she explained her intent for the Wichita community, with the workroom. She wanted to create an environment that offers inspiration education and good vibes.
And I can attest to the fact that the store really does have good vibes. not only did she start featuring products in her store made by over a hundred Wichita area artists, but she also launched [00:17:00] a concept called the garage. The garage at Cleveland corner is a retail incubator project that helps small businesses get off the ground in a low risk supportive space that fosters learning growth and mentorship.
When we visited grow Giesen plant shop was actually closing up to launch in their own new space in the summer of 2022. meaning that it was a success so soon there will be a new startup retailer occupying the garage to get their start. The third awesome place in Cleveland corner is viola's pantry or Viola's pantry. I'm not sure how to pronounce. But it's a small Italian market serving made from scratch sauces, fresh pasta, taken bakes and homemade cheese. They also offer cooking classes for the community. I'm pretty much obsessed with Italian food. Like I only wanna eat pizza and [00:18:00] pasta my whole life. If I could get away with it, maybe some salads in there, but this would be my go-to place. If I had it locally. This area was definitely my favorite shop area to go to. And, but if you are wanting to do some more shopping, I would also recommend Clifton square. It's a charming, Victorian inspired neighborhood with shops and restaurants. My favorite store in this area was Clifton collective Midwest maker exchange. Next you can get a custom fitted hat at Hatman jacks in the historic Delano district. Hatman jacks is one of the longest running small businesses in Wichita founded in 1976. They specialize in customized hats, tailored to perfection.
They are the third largest hat store in the nation. Founder, Jack Kellogg does [00:19:00] custom fittings and has over four decades of experience. And if you have some time, stop a few stores down at bungalow 26. It's a very cute retail shop featuring handmade home goods, healthy products and beauty products. And if you wanna stick around that area, Delano district is one of Wichita's oldest neighborhoods. The streets used to be filled with Cowboys, cattle, horses, and wagons. For more information on historical landmarks in Delano, you can visit their history page online. Another great thing to do is spend a morning strolling through downtown Wichita. You can start your day at homegrown Wichita, which is an excellent breakfast lunch spot. Serving cage, free eggs, homemade pop tarts.
The brown sugar cinnamon was amazing and fresh squeezed orange juice. And. they source locally wherever possible. And they promote a [00:20:00] philosophy of cultivating kindness. They have another location in Kansas city in case you're there by the way. Next, you can cross the street and wander down gallery alley in downtown Wichita. It's a small alley with inner sensory art experiences. It features five sculptures created by local artists, including a giant spider, a sound sculpture and some colorful cats. Once you're done there, you can peruse the shops at gallery alley and grab an espresso at espresso to Gogo. They have a disco ball inside and the final recommendation that I have would be to experience farm to table cheese tastings at Elderslie farm.
Just north of Wichita sits Elderslie farm. It's a small batch artisan made cheese Creamery and restaurant. The Creamery uses traditional methods to produce [00:21:00] fine cheeses with goat and Faye farms cow milk. Their goats and cows are fed grass and leguminous haze on pasture. The farm started as a Blackberry and vegetable growing operation, as well as a sawmill and woodworks station today, they still have that. And now there's also the Creamery, Blackberry picking and outdoor cafe and farm to table dinners served in their restaurant. The restaurant on property serves a prix fixe menu for dinner, and that changes seasonally and highlights their handcrafted cheese. Reservations are required.
So here are my closing thoughts. If you want a quintessential Kansas experience, Wichita is definitely the spot to visit. Wichita may appear to an outsider as a sleepy Midwestern town, but it's actually a very active community oriented destination. They have interesting historical museums, [00:22:00] outdoor attracts attractions, and good food all at an affordable. So, if you've ever been to Wichita before, I would love to know what you did and what you enjoyed most. You can reach out to me on the blog, the podcast, social, all the things. And I'd love to hear from you. And I will talk to you guys soon.