Where to Play, Eat, and Stay in Wichita, Kansas

No matter the time of year you decide to visit, these are some of the best things to do in Wichita, plus where to eat and stay when you get there.

Things to do in Wichita

For everyone

Keeper of the Plains

The number one Wichita must-do is a visit to the Keeper of the Plains. The 44-foot statue by Kiowa-Comanche artist Blackbear Bosin stands above the point where the Little and Big Arkansas Rivers meet. During the day, the statue can be accessed from the Mid-America All-Indian Museum, but I’d recommend visiting in the evening.

On my first night in Wichita, I took the footbridge to the statue. After soaking in a bit of history from the plaza and getting up-close statue views, I walked back over the bridge and along the river until it was time for the Ring of Fire lighting. From the river, I watched the group of fire pits in front of the statue burn. The Ring of Fire lasts 15 minutes nightly, starting at 9 PM in spring and summer and 7 PM in fall and winter.

While exploring the next day, I kept my eyes peeled for Keepers on Parade, a project that commissions local artists to paint 10-foot replicas of the statue, which are then sprinkled all over the city. The Keeper of the Plains is open from 5 AM to midnight. Admission and parking (at Central Avenue and North Nims Avenue) is free.

Keeper of the Plains: 339 Veterans Pkwy, Wichita, KS 67203

Botanica

Confession time: The only class I ever failed was a botany class. Plant identification was my downfall. I actually failed it twice. I’ve never kept a plant alive before or since, yet I loved the quiet hour I spent wandering around Botanica.

The garden’s lush and shady 18 acres were full of flowers I couldn’t identify but delighted in nonetheless. The children’s park features a yellow brick road under the rainbow, a sweet nod to Oz. Also in the park is a carousel that used to be part of Joyland, a Wichita amusement park that closed in 2004.

Botanica is open from 9 AM to 5 PM on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, it stays open until 8 PM, and on Sundays, it opens at 1 PM. Tickets are $10, and parking is free. I’d recommend going during those Tuesday or Thursday evening hours when everything is quiet and cool.

Botanica: 701 Amidon St, Wichita, KS 67203

For families

Tanganyika Wildlife Park

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Tanganyika Wildlife Park (@tanganyikawildlifepark)

Tanganyika is smaller than most zoos and features fewer animals, but the tradeoff is more encounters. Admission includes the opportunity to feed five animals, like giraffes, lorikeets, or tortoises. There’s a petting zoo, playground, and summertime splash park (all included with admission). The wildlife park is located about 15 miles outside of Wichita and is a great spot to visit right after flying into town, as it’s near the airport. Spring and fall hours are 10 AM to 4 PM. Summer hours are 9 AM to 4 PM, and the park is closed during the winter. Tickets are $49.99 per adult and $39.99 per child, but you can save $10 per person by purchasing online.

Tanganyika Wildlife Park: 1000 S Hawkins Ln, Goddard, KS 67052

Exploration Place

Wichita is known as the Air Capital of the World, thanks to its prolific aerospace manufacturing industry. It makes sense, then, that aviation is one of the focal points of this science center on the Arkansas River. Exploration place is open daily from 10 AM to 5 PM (8 PM on Thursdays and Fridays). Tickets are $20, and parking is free. Visitors can also catch a glimpse from the Keeper of the Plains statue from here.

Exploration Place: 300 N McLean Blvd, Wichita, KS 67203

Riverfront Stadium

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Wichita Wind Surge (@windsurgeict)

Riverfront Stadium is the home of the Wichita Wind Surge, the Double A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, hosting games from April to September. With a kid’s play area, between-innings entertainment, and endless hot dogs, nothing is more family friendly than a minor league baseball game. Check the schedule on the team’s website for game dates, as well as information on parking and public transportation.

Riverfront Stadium: 275 S McLean Blvd, Wichita, KS 67213

For culture

Wichita Art Museum

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Wichita Art Museum (@wichitaartmuseum)

From powerful rotating exhibitions to a permanent collection featuring works by artists like Edward Hopper and Georgia O’Keeffe, this free museum is a must for anyone interested in American art. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays, the museum is open from 10 AM to 5 PM Wednesday through Sunday, with extended hours on Friday.

Wichita Art Museum: 1400 Museum Blvd, Wichita, KS 67203

Mid-America All-Indian Museum

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mid-America All-Indian Museum (@midamericallindianmuseum)

This small museum mostly features art and information on Blackbear Bosin who designed the iconic Keeper of the Plains statue. Bosin’s cartoons, murals, and paintings are featured here along with exhibits that rotate quarterly. The museum doubles as a space for tribes to gather today, providing pictures and information about recent events and festivals. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 AM to 4 PM. Admission is $7.

Mid-America All-Indian Museum: 650 N Seneca St, Wichita, KS 67203

Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum

The Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum takes visitors through Wichita history, from prairie wilderness to the Air Capital of the World statue. Walking through a replica of an 1890s house and mayor’s office is particularly delightful. I appreciated the dimes available to make a real phone call from a real phone booth on the first floor. If the prairie vibes of the museum strike your fancy, make your next stop the Old Cowtown Museum, an open-air living history museum. And if it’s Wichita’s aviation history that intrigues you, you can learn more at the Kansas Aviation Museum.

Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum: 204 S Main St, Wichita, KS 67202

Chester I. Lewis Reflection Square

A short walk from the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum is a little pocket park that tells the story of how Civil Rights leader Chester I. Lewis guided successful student sit-ins at the Dockum lunch counter in 1958. The square’s mosaic map, which shows the history of redlining in Wichita, is particularly poignant. To learn more about Black history in Wichita, add the Kansas African American Museum to your to-do list, too. (Note that it’s moving to a new location at 201 North Main in downtown Wichita.)

Chester I. Lewis Reflection Square: 205 E Douglas Ave, Wichita, KS 67202

For shopping

Douglas Design District

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Vault Collection (@thevaultcollection_)

Stretching along the east side of downtown, the shops on Douglas Avenue make up the Douglas Design District. Shop The Vault for mid-century modern or Art Deco pieces for your home, and peruse Watermark Books for your next read.

Heading west on Douglas Avenue, you’ll find something of an arts district. Visit The Workroom, a two-story store with curated gifts and home decor on the first floor and spaces for individual storefronts on the second floor. For fine art, check out Gallery 12, Wichita’s first cooperative gallery.

Douglas Design District: 1336 E Douglas Ave, Wichita, KS 67214

Revolutsia

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Revolutsia (@revolutsiaict)

If you prefer to do your shopping inside shipping containers, head to Revolutsia, where 36 shipping containers make up a shopping plaza. After loading up on romance novels from Blush Bookstore or new grips for your bike at Prairie.Bike, hang out around the community fire pit or head to Prost and enjoy kartoffelpuffer (German potato pancakes) or Jägerschnitzel (pork or veal cutlets) on one of the restaurant’s Oktoberfest-style benches. Most shops and Prost are closed Mondays.

Revolutsia: 2721 E Central Ave, Wichita, KS 67214

Where to eat and drink in Wichita

Wichita Brewing Company

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Wichita Brewing Company (@wichitabrewing)

The Wichita Brewing Company launched in 2011 when two home brewers decided to bring their beer to the good people of Wichita. They’ve since expanded into two restaurants, as well as a canning and distribution center. When I arrived and plunked myself down at the bar, an old guy sitting nearby assured me that I’d found the best beer in Wichita. He insisted I order the 5:02 Amber.

Never one to discount beer advice from old guys, I followed orders. We clicked our glasses, and I soon appreciated his recommendation. The light caramel beer went perfectly with my Cajun bacon ranch pizza. The old guy disapproved of my pizza choice, as the alfredo sauce was indicative of strange city folks, but I thought it was delicious. In March, you can run a marathon between the brewing company’s two locations, if you can stomach running 26.2 miles between slices and pints.

Wichita Brewing Company: 8815 W 13th St N, Suite 100, Wichita, KS 67212 & 535 N Woodlawn St, Wichita, KS 67208

Mort’s Cigar and Whisky Bar

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mort's Martini Bar (@mortsmartinibar)

After a busy weekend, Old Town Wichita is typically quiet on Mondays. But if people are out, they’re probably at Mort’s Cigar and Whisky Bar for the half-priced Martini Mondays. Follow the sound of restaurant chatter, and you’ll end up at a little building with a big porch. One hundred years ago it was a gas station, and 30 years ago it became Mort’s. Signs indicate that tables are for sharing, but feeling shy, I squeezed onto a barstool, ordered a pink martini, and lamented my dislike of cigars. Inside is full of TV screens and black-and-white photos of famous patrons. Outside is a year-round patio, often with live music. Note that there’s a $2 cover charge.

Mort’s Cigar and Whisky Bar: 923 E 1st St N, Wichita, KS 67202

HomeGrown

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by HomeGrown Wichita (@homegrownwichita)

The next day, I enjoyed an avocado-toasted brunch at HomeGrown, a daytime eatery with locally sourced ingredients right on Naftzger Park. (The restaurant also has West Wichita and Bradley Fair locations.) HomeGrown is open for breakfast, brunch, and lunch, with a long list of sweet and savory options for your first meal of the day, as well as sandwiches, soups, and salads. Beverages range from caffeinated or boozy to juicy and refreshing. Be sure to check out the seasonal offerings to see what specialty dishes HomeGrown has in store when you visit.

HomeGrown at Naftzger Park: 645 E. Douglas, Suite 102 Wichita, KS 67202

Public at the Brickyard

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Public (@publicoldtown)

Public at the Brickyard has a tucked-away feel. You go down a set of steps before choosing your path: left towards the restaurant or right to The Brickyard, a small outdoor music venue with a stage rising above the red-brick courtyard that’s full of tables. The restaurant is a bit of a treasure hunt, featuring historical Wichita details and concert posters. Don’t miss the homemade pickle board or the pork bao appetizers. Public is closed Mondays and only open for special events on Sundays.

Public at the Brickyard: 129 N Rock Island Ave, Wichita, KS 67202

Dockum

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Dockum (@dockumwichita)

For after-dinner drinks, I headed half a mile west from Wichita’s Old Town to Dockum, a speakeasy-style cocktail bar. After finding the Siena Tuscan Steakhouse and taking the elevator down, I ignored the “Closed: Violation of National Prohibition Act” sign and knocked on the door to my left.

Even though prohibition is long gone, it was still a relief to be let in. The dark bar has an extensive drink list. I had a refreshing Cucumber Cure. The steakhouse is the former site of a Dockum Drugstore, where Chester I. Lewis inspired students to stage a sit-in during the summer of 1958 to protest segregation. The three-week sit-in was successful, and Lewis arranged for the students to meet with NAACP leaders across the South. Sit-ins spread following the Wichita success at Dockum.

Dockum: 104 S Broadway, Wichita, KS 67202

Where to stay in Wichita

Hotel at Old Town

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Hotel at Old Town (@hotelatoldtownwichita)

The recently renovated Hotel at Old Town was once a warehouse that morphed into a hotel in 1999. The lobby features a brick facade and fountains that give it an expansive outdoor feel. The rotary phones, exposed brick walls, and historic memorabilia extend the feeling that you’re stepping into another era, particularly on Friday and Saturday nights when live jazz music plays from the 1906 Bar & Lounge.

The hotel’s name is a nod to the building, which opened in 1906 as a four-story warehouse facility for Keen Kutter, a tool and hardware company. Many of those tools have been tracked down and are now featured in historic displays around the hotel. Wichita’s history as the Air Capital of the World is also celebrated on the hotel’s Aviation Floor, where the hallways are filled with artifacts and photographs from the Kansas Aviation Museum.

Hotel at Old Town: 830 E 1st St N, Wichita, KS 67202

How to get to and around Wichita

The Wichita Airport (ICH) hosts direct flights from 16 different cities, including LA, Seattle, Washington, DC, and Chicago. Rental cars can be easily picked up at the airport, and the drive to downtown is less than 10 minutes.

Once you’re in Wichita, it would be helpful to have a rental car. While the Old Town is walkable, and public transportation routes can get you downtown, sites like the Tanganyika Wildlife Preserve and Douglas Design District are best accessed by car. Parking is ample and free, and the streets are easy to navigate.