6 Must-See Wichita Attractions

 

Have you ever visited a city only to wish you had more time to see everything? For me, Wichita, Kansas, was one of those places. Though I’ve spent time there on many occasions seeing family or working, I never took in the sites like a proper tourist. 

Photo credit: Visit Wichita

That’s why when Visit Wichita recently offered to set up a stay so I could check out some of the places on their Attractions Tour 2021, I jumped at the chance! My just-turned-80 mom came along too.

Our home base for our three-day visit was Sonesta Simply Suites on the Northeast side of town. Mom and I had adjoining rooms. 

Both were furnished with a queen-sized bed, recliner, huge desk...

...plus a kitchen equipped with a coffee pot, toaster, stovetop, microwave, refrigerator, and dishwasher—plus plates and utensils. The free wi-fi was reasonably fast, and there were plenty of channels on the TV. 

While there was no complimentary breakfast, the hotel did have free coffee and snacks available, as well as a small grocery area to pick up a thing for two. The bed was comfortable, and I got a great night’s sleep while I was there. This hotel would be a great place to say for families trying to save money on meals or in need of a kitchen for specialty diets. Mom and I loved having our cold beverages and favorite snacks at the ready.

Thirteen area attractions are participating in this year’s tour. All you have to do is pick up a passport at your first stop, get it stamped by at least six of the thirteen places, and then mail it into Visit Wichita before September 6th. Then you’re in the drawing to win a 2022 annual pass for you and your family to ALL 12 ATTRACTIONS and a home Wind Surge ballgame for up to six people. 

Here are the six places I picked visit and highly recommend, in no particular order:

1. Tanganyika Wildlife Park is located just outside of Wichita in Goddard, Kansas. Both Mom and I are big fans of zoo television shows on Nat Geo Wild and Animal Planet, so this was a must-see for us. They had scooters available to rent, so we got one for Mom, which made her visit even more enjoyable on a steamy, hot summer day. 

Photo Credit: Tanganyika

The best part about this place was the numerous opportunities to interact with animals. I got to feed a ring-tailed lemur, an Indian rhino, and my favorite animal, a giraffe. We had Unlimited Encounter Passes, so there were many animal-feeding opportunities open to us—pygmy hippo, lorikeet, bunny, tortoise, and guinea pig, plus the ones I already mentioned. Plus, I got to pet a couple of kangaroos. Check out their website to see all of the animal encounters available.  

2. Kansas Aviation Museum I love flying and spent much of my childhood dreaming of being a flight attendant so that I could zoom around the world. Since Wichita is known as the Air Capital of the World due to the multiple airplane manufacturers in the city, I had to visit the Kansas Aviation Museum. 

Located in the original Wichita Municipal Airport Terminal, built in the 1930s, I explored exhibits on Cessna and Beechcraft, complete with full-sized airplanes. I was especially intrigued by the WWII exhibit and how Wichita was key to the U.S. war effort. And I adored the view from the air traffic control tower.  

3. The Kansas African American Museum was one of the more enlightening stops on my Wichita trip. I’d never heard of this place before, which is why I picked it. Located in the former Calvary Baptist Church in what once was a vibrant black community in Wichita, the museum tells the story of African Americans both from the city and state in a meaningful way to everyone. 

Currently, there is an outstanding exhibit called A Portrait of a Man. The displays highlight influential African American men in Kansas, both past and present, to illustrate the complex characteristics of this group, who are often seen as one-dimensional. As a KU Jayhawk basketball fan, I was fascinated by the display about John McLendon, Jr. He learned the game from James Naismith while attending the university but couldn’t play on the then-segregated team. Eventually, he became the first black basketball coach at a predominantly white university (Cleveland State) and coached in the pros. 

Being a former preschool teacher, I also fell in love with a lithograph titled “Boys” by Elizabeth Catlett. Give yourself plenty of time to explore and learn when you visit TKAAM. It will expand your knowledge and touch your heart. 

4. Old Cowtown Museum takes you back to the Wichita of 1865-1880. Mom and I got a golf-cart tour led by Anthony Horsch, director of education and interpretation. 

I felt like I’d stepped onto the set of an old Western movie. Of course, my favorite spots were food-related, such as the cheese counter in the Meat Market, as well as the General Store. 

My traveler’s heart also was drawn to the train depot. Be sure to spend most of the day at Cowtown. There is a lot to explore!  

5. Mid-America All-Indian Museum was another of my “I’ve-never-heard-of-it” picks. Not only did I discover some new-to-me facts on the Native American experience (they were not automatically U.S. citizens even though they were here first!), but I also enjoyed an excellent display on the work and life of artist Blackbear Bosin. He designed the iconic Keeper of the Plains statue located on the Arkansas River outside of the museum. 

Bosin also painted some beautiful pieces, such as one titled Prairie Fire, which was in National Geographic magazine. 

I also liked his humorous cartoon drawings. This museum isn’t large, so it doesn’t take long to make your way through the exhibits. 

Photo credit: Jessica Sawatski

6. Wichita Wind Surge ballgame was the only attraction on my schedule that I didn’t experience, thanks to the weather. No, the game wasn’t a rain-out—just the opposite. The temperature was more than 100 degrees! Not ideal for a visit to the ballpark. However, I did see the beautiful Riverfront Stadium. This is the first season in the city for the Wind Surge, a Minor League affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. While I was disappointed to miss the game, I will try again soon. 

For information on all 13 Attractions Tour locations and lodging and dining info, check out the Visit Wichita website. I’m already dreaming about my next trip to this friendly, fun city.

Disclaimer: While Visit Wichita covered the cost of my hotel, food, and attractions, all of the opinions expressed are my own. All photos are mine except where noted. 

Summer Fun in Wichita

Photo credit: Visit Wichita

It seems a lot of us are anxious to hit the road this summer. I don't know about you, but I want to spend time exploring any place that is not my house! LOL! Best of all, you don't have to plan a big, expensive vacation when the fun is right down the road. In my case, it's just a couple of hours down the Kansas Turnpike to Wichita.

Starting Memorial Day weekend, Visit Wichita will launch two tours that not only allow visitors to explore the city's many sites but also some of its best brews. 

The all-new Wichita Attractions Tour allows visitors to discover the many world-class attractions and museums in the city and get entered into a drawing to win a 2022 family season pass or membership to all 12 participating attractions, as well as one Wichita Wind Surge home baseball game of your choosing. The participating attractions include Botanica Wichita, Exploration Place, Field Station: Dinosaurs, Kansas Aviation Museum, Mid-America All-Indian Museum, Museum of World Treasures, Old Cowtown Museum, Sedgwick County Zoo, Tanganyika Wildlife Park, The Kansas African American Museum, Wichita Art Museum, and Wichita-Sedgwick Co. Historical Museum.

Old Cowtown Museum
Photo Credit: Visit Wichita

To participate, you can pick up a passport at Visit Wichita's visitor's center or any of the participating attractions and museums and begin exploring from May 28 to Labor Day, September 6. Once you visit at least six participating locations, turn in your passport to Visit Wichita (in person or by mail, 515 S. Main St., Ste. 115) by September 13 to be entered into the drawing. A winner will be drawn on September 17, 2021. You can find complete details and contest rules a www.visitwichita.com/attractions-tour. 

For us beer and coffee lovers, the other tour is the return of the Wicked Brew Tour, featuring some of the city's top breweries and coffee shops. This tour started in 2016 but had to skip last year due to…well, you know why. We all know why!

You pick up a passport at any participating coffee shop or brewery and then collect at least ten stamps to complete the challenge and win a t-shirt (available on a first-come, first-served basis). 

Photo credit: Visit Wichita

Participating breweries include Augustino Brewing Company, Central Standard Brewing, Hopping Gnome Brewing Company, Nortons Brewing Co., PourHouse by Walnut River Brewing, River City Brewing Co., Sweet Allie B's Limestone Beer Co., Third Place Brewing, and Wichita Brewing Co. & Pizzeria (West & East).

The participating coffee shops are Churn & Burn (Northeast & Southeast), Cocoa Dolce Chocolates (East, West & Downtown), Fairmount Coffee Co., Il Primo Espresso (East & Downtown), Kookaburra Coffee, Leslie Coffee Co., Placeholder Coffee, Reverie Coffee Roasters, Sunflower Espresso & Food Truck, and The Donut Whole.

You turn in the completed passport and pick up a t-shirt at the Visit Wichita visitor's center Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you can't make it there before you head home, just mail your completed passport and contact information to the visitor's center to have a shirt sent to you. 

The complete details and contest rules can be found at www.visitwichita.com/restaurants/local-flavor/wicked-brew-tour. 

Photo credit: Visit Wichita

Growing up, I visited my great-aunt and great-uncle in Wichita a few times. I remember their red-brick bungalow house with its big front porch, complete with a swing, and the cherry trees in the backyard. However, we never did any of the tourist-type activities.

I'm looking forward to exploring the city and sharing what I find with you. 

Stay tuned!

Twenty-four Hours in Memphis Part 1

Riverfront and Skyline: Andrea Zucker / Copyright © Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau 2011 All Rights Reserved. Used with perission.

I’m not a morning person, as you know.

When my traveling companion, The Captain, and I planned our drive to New Orleans for a Carnival Cruise, leaving a couple of days early to stop in Memphis on the way seemed like a good idea.

However, when my alarm went off at 5-o’dark am, I had second thoughts. But I knew we would only have about 24 hours in Memphis before heading to NOLA. Somewhat on autopilot, I rolled out of bed, threw on the clothes I laid out the night before, and fired up the Krueg to fill my travel mug. By 6-o’dark, we were on our way.

Number one on both our bucket lists for this trip was a visit to Graceland, which we planned for the next day. However, we are both history buffs, so our goal was to get to Memphis in time for a visit to The National Civil Rights Museum.

Though it is located at the former Lorraine Motel, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, this museum’s scope reaches way beyond his life and mission. Our visit started with the A Culture of Resistance: Slavery in American exhibit. As I read about the almost 400,000 slaves brought to the United States and saw drawings and replica of the conditions aboard slave ships, I started to cry. Add to that the statue in the middle of the room showing a woman and baby being auctioned as if they were livestock, and my heart broke.  I kept thinking, “How did we ever come to think slavery was okay?”

I guess once you dehumanize a race of people, it becomes easy.

  

As I continued through the museum, there was an entire section dedicated to the Brown versus The Board of Education, which made this Topeka, Kansas resident proud. 

And there was a great exhibit on the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955, with an actual bus and a figure of Rosa Parks.

And yes, there was plenty to see about Dr. King. The museum featured his work throughout the civil rights movement, ending with a viewing of the room where he stayed before his death. Across the street is the Legacy Building inside the boarding house where James Earl Ray was staying and fired the fatal shot. Exhibits also show the legal case against Ray and a number of conspiracy theories so visitors can decide for themselves what might have actually happened.

Elvis Presley may have drawn us to Memphis, but this museum is a gem and shouldn’t be missed.

After our museum visit, it was time to find a place for dinner. Of course, when you think of Memphis, you automatically think of barbecue. However, since I live in the heart of Kansas City-style smoked goodness, I wanted something different. After a Google search, we wound up at Uncle Lou’s Fried Chicken.

This restaurant was featured on Guy Fieri’s "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" on the Food Network, primarily because of Uncle Lou’s Sweet Spicy Love sauce. Uncle Lou was right there to make us feel welcome.

We ordered our chicken homestyle because The Captain didn’t want any sauce, but I got a container of it on the side to try. While the chicken was fried perfectly, the sauce makes all the difference. If you go there, order your chicken with the sauce. Trust me!

Check out this short clip of Guy's visit to Uncle Lou's.

After dinner, we settled in at our hotel to rest up for the next day’s main event—Graceland!

Stay tuned…

Hernando DeSoto Bridge at Dusk: Justin Fox Burks / Copyright © Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau 2011 All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.

Why You Should Visit the Woodstock Inn--Now!

When I stayed at the Woodstock Inn and Resort in Vermont this past April, I remember thinking what a great place this would be to visit in the summer—a pool, tennis courts, golf course, hiking, biking, fly fishing...

l 

or, of course, autumn would be terrific, with most of those same activities surrounded by iconic Vermont fall foliage…

or winter, with skiing, x-country, snowboarding, fat biking, snowshoeing...

but spring was great, too—cool enough to keep the fireplaces going—the spa with all its relaxing amenities, including a hot tub and sauna—the game room with all the classic board games and the basement rec room, complete with pinball machines.

Okay, the Inn is a great place to stay any time of the year!

When I first walked in, the Inn felt like home. This was my first time back since moving to Kansas eight years ago, and the traditional décor style felt very familiar to me. Plus, I was overwhelmed by the huge fireplace in the lobby. I could almost stand up inside it!

My room was perfect. I loved the cozy king-sized bed, comfortable chair for reading, and desk for keeping up with some writing obligations.

Oh, and the huge marble bathroom!

But it was the fireplace I enjoyed most—lying in bed watching the flames dance and listening to the logs crackle and pop. It did make the room smell smoky, which I didn’t find bothersome, but some of you might.

I was very excited by Red Barns at Kelly Way Gardens. This is a gardener’s and/or food lover’s dream location. This spring, the Inn introduced the new culinary and garden studios, where you can take part in tasty food events and up your skills with cooking and gardening classes. Or you can just wander through the gardens, which are a part of the farm-to-table program for the Inn. The staff grows more than 200 varieties of vegetables, 50 varieties of herbs and edible flowers, 75 varieties of berries and orchard plantings, a mushroom glen and 200 varieties of cut flowers.

Speaking of food, the Inn uses all of that lovely produce from the gardens in their two restaurants, both of which serve scrumptious dishes. Guests and locals enjoy breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the Red Rooster or a cozy dinner at the Richardson’s Tavern.

Breakfast in the Red Rooster was a great way to start the day. I had a glass of the citrus power juice mixture, followed by some tasty blueberry griddle cakes. On my last evening there, I stopped in for a late-evening dessert. It was a triple honey treat of cremeux, mousse, and coulis all made with Kelly Way Gardens honey! Mmmmm!

The food was wonderful in both restaurants, but for atmosphere, I loved the cozy tavern with its blazing fireplace and casual seating. I enjoyed a lovely potato-leek soup to start, and then the ale-battered Atlantic cod served with Old Bay seasoned fries.

Woodstock is a walking village, and the Inn is right in the center on the Village Green. You can spend the day checking out some fun shops and restaurants along main streets through town.

By the way, you can spend an entire day just enjoying the Inn’s spa! I got a wonderful massage while I was there. You can read my write-up about the spa on Woodstock Magazine’s blog.

Since my visit, I’ve had dreams of returning to the Inn for a much longer visit this time. There are so many things to do and see I missed out on! Don’t you miss out!

Disclaimer: The Woodstock Inn and Resort hosted me for one night of my stay. The rest was paid for by Buick/GMC. I paid for my spa treatment and some of my meals. The opinions in this blog post are entirely my own, and the Inn is not paying me to make this post.