The most memorable afternoon in Wichita for us was spent at Tanganyika Wildlife Park (which is technically not in Wichita, but close enough). Tanganyika is more than a zoo; it specializes encounters that create lasting connections for people to the animals they see.

Disclosure: Our fun adventure at Tanganyika was part of our Great Wichita Weekend. Our trip was hosted by Visit Wichita. I received complimentary admission to Tanganyika Wildlife Park so that I could tell you about it. All thoughts, opinions, and typos are my own.

There are traditional zoo-like exhibits of animals like otter and penguins, as well as 10 encounters on the map to seek out. Encounters meant interaction of some sort with an animal. On the day we visited, there were also pop-up opportunities to meet and learn about animals as varied as a Burmese python, ferret, and rat.

Tanganyika Wildlife Park is not a zoo; it’s a privately-run business. It helps knowing this so you’re not expecting an experience like a zoo (especially if you’re used to the Omaha zoo). No doubt the owners love animals and care deeply about educating people about them. The idea is that if people connect with these rare animals, they will make the effort to help ensure their survival.

Fun fact: Tanganyika was once an African country. The nation of Tanganyika joined with Zanzibar to form Tanzania in 1964.

Animal encounters at Tanganyika

When you purchase your admission pass, you can opt for one of three levels of animal encounters. The general admission pass gets you one animal encounter of your choice. The next level allows five encounters. Then there’s the all-access pass, which means 10 animal encounters.

There’s also the option of purchasing coins to use for more encounters.

I tell you this so you can plan ahead to see if you want do all or some of the encounters. Honestly, getting the band with five encounters would have worked for my family, but that’s because we lingered with bunnies for ages. The single encounter would not have cut it, though. The all-access would be great if you had kids that aren’t nervous about huge creatures.

When we arrived, all my daughter wanted to do was ride a camel. It may have been what she was looking forward to, but it didn’t turn out to be her favorite experience. It wasn’t a bad one, but it just couldn’t compete with some other unique opportunities.

By far, the most memorable encounter for me was the behind-the-scenes tour of the okapi area. The wildlife park just started these tours, and we were among the first. It was so so cool. The okapi keeper, Alexi, told us about the species plight in the wild and how they are quite rare to find in captivity in the United States due to some of their habitat requirements.

During our tour, we got to greet the friendly resident okapi, who didn’t mind nibbling on lettuce we fed him. He wasn’t so enthusiastic about us petting him, but he tolerated it for his reward of crispy lettuce. We got to ask questions, and learned a ton.

I enjoyed feeding other exotic wildlife, including a giraffe and some greedy little lemurs.

My kids felt the most comfortable feeding the less exotic rabbits and guinea pigs. There, they could crouch among the fuzzy creatures for as long as they wanted, petting them for as long as the animal tolerated.

The chance to pet animals ended up being what my kids enjoyed most. They were able to pet resting kangaroos, for instance. Unexpected was the opportunity to help one kangaroo paint. I wasn’t really interested in paying extra for the artwork but I think the kids will get a lot of mileage sharing that story with their friends back home.

The least successful encounter, for us, was feeding the tortoises, who are faster and pushier than you’d expect. The lorikeet feeding ended in tears for one of my kids, who got nipped by one of the birds.

Photo opportunities at the park

You’ll want to bring your camera on your visit. There’s a lot to see and so many cute photo opportunities.

There were two times that you couldn’t take your own pictures: The okapi encounter and the ring-tailed lemur feeding. The staff member at the encounter took those pictures.

If you had an all-access pass, one photo was included, so that was good. I definitely wanted photos to remember the experience. My quibbles about photo service though: I think the wildlife park could benefit from professional photographers on hand snapping the pictures and a better process in place when you go to pick up your pictures.

If you go

Tanganyika Wildlife Park

Where: 1000 S. Hawkins Lane, Goddard, Kan.

When: Park hours vary, but it’s open generally Mid-March to Mid-November. Check hours here.

Cost: For children (ages 3-11), expect to pay $14.99 for 1 encounter on up to the all-access pass (10 encounters) for $34.99. Children younger than 2 are admitted FREE. Adults pay between $19.99 and $39.99. This is also a senior discount.

Website

* * * * *

Want to start planning a Great Wichita Weekend?

Start with My Wichita Bucket List to get some inspiration, then dive into these for more fun ideas:

The Great Wichita Weekend recap

A Kid-Favorite Destination: Bonanica Wichita

Wichita’s Good Eats

Hampton Inn & Suites – A Wichita Hotel For Families

Visiting Exploration Place With Kids

For even more ideas for family fun in Wichita, check out my Pinterest Board.

https://www.pinterest.com/ohmyomaha/wichita-with-kids/

Liked this post?

We travel a lot & explore our  own backyard. Stay in the know – subscribe to the FREE bi-weekly e-newsletter sharing giveaways, new posts and updates to popular posts like this one! Subscribe here.

Exploration Place is a fun science center on the river in Wichita, Kan. We had a whirlwind visit to Wichita this spring, and since we were traveling with two kids, it made sense to plan a stop there.

How could we skip a three-story castle, an aviation room and the only place I’ve ever visited that had a dedicated game for poop (more on that in a second)?

Disclosure: My family received complimentary passes to the science center so I can tell you about it. Our whole weekend was hosted by Visit Wichita. Visit the Visit Wichita website to get some great ideas for a trip (or keep reading to find out more about the cool things we did there!).

What’s at Exploration Place

This science center is going to appeal more to grade schoolers and older kids (and adults), than really little ones, though there was plenty to do for my 5-year-old. There’s even a dedicated space for preschoolers.

There is a mix of permanent exhibits and traveling exhibits. We were there when the temporary exhibits involved dinosaurs in one space and Vietnam in another. One of the current traveling exhibits is called Hall of Heroes and a new one coming up in 2018 is called The Science of Saving.

The whole museum/science center is geared toward youth, but adults are not discouraged from trying things out too.

There are 13 permanent exhibits at Exploration Place! Some of the ones we found particularly memorable include Creator Space and Exploring Flight & Design. I particularly liked playing with a plane propeller, making a shimmering design in on a wall of shiny discs in the flight exhibit. My son liked the flight Wright Brothers’ flight simulator. I didn’t get a good shot of it (it’s not what’s pictured below).

The Explore Kansas room is newly renovated and such a neat space to visit. We liked playing with the fossil scanner.

Nearby, you’ll find that poop game I mentioned. You have to guess which animal pooped what. It’s gross.

Kids love it.

I can’t think of a room kids won’t like there. My daughter spent more than half our time playing in the castle space called Where Kids Rule. It’s an impressive and immersive space, and I don’t blame her for wanting to stay there. It’s a permanent exhibit, so you will get to check it out if you plan on visiting!

My son enjoyed building in the KEVA wooden plank space and stepping into a tornado in the new Explore Kansas exhibit.

I also recommend checking out the miniature train room – it’s crazy huge.

Timing your visit

– Check out the schedule of traveling exhibits to see what will be open when you visit.

– You can easily spend a couple hours here. I’d expect to spend about two hours here if you didn’t allow your child to linger in a spot for too long (good luck with that).

We were a little rushed trying to see it all before my kids got tired for a nap. We had to skip the mini golf area, which is included with admission.

If you go

Exploration Place

Where: 300 N. McLean Blvd., Wichita, Kan.

Cost: $9;50, adults; $8, seniors; $6, youth (3-11), and FREE for children younger than 2. You can pay a little bit more to “Do It All.”

Hours: Until Labor Day 2017: Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed Mondays in the winter), and  Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Check the times if you plan on visiting after Labor Day. The museum is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Website

* * * * *

Want to start planning a Great Wichita Weekend?

Start with My Wichita Bucket List to get some inspiration, then dive into these for more fun ideas:

The Great Wichita Weekend recap

A Kid-Favorite Destination: Bonanica Wichita

Wichita’s Good Eats

Hampton Inn & Suites – A Wichita Hotel For Families

Exploring Tangyika Wildlife Park

For even more ideas for family fun in Wichita, check out my Pinterest Board.

https://www.pinterest.com/ohmyomaha/wichita-with-kids/

Liked this post?

We travel a lot & explore our  own backyard. Stay in the know – subscribe to the FREE bi-weekly e-newsletter sharing giveaways, new posts and updates to popular posts like this one! Subscribe here.

I’ve been sharing a lot of great stories about my family’s fun adventure in Wichita lately, including some kid-approved restaurants in Wichita and the coolest children’s garden ever. What needs to be shared is where to stay in Wichita when you want to do all this stuff. Which Wichita hotel worked for our needs?

We needed a place to stay that was between the Wichita attractions I had wanted to visit, especially Tanganyika Wildlife Park (which is actually outside of Wichita pretty much near nothing else) and all the great stuff in downtown Wichita. So, with the smart thinking of the folks at Visit Wichita (who hosted this trip), we were set up at one of the newest hotels in the city, Hampton Inn & Suites Wichita Airport.

Where To Stay In Wichita

This Wichita Hampton Inn checks most things off my family travel checklist for hotels: Pool, free hot breakfast, comfy beds (plus, the obvious, unspoken requirements like safe, clean, up-to-date). All there.

Let’s talk about the rooms.

The beds in this Hampton Inn are incredibly comfortable. Hampton Inns are under the Hilton brand, and I’ve never stayed at a Hilton brand hotel that had terrible beds. Their beds are like pillowy clouds. After full days of activities, these beds were a welcomed sight.

The rest of the room is pretty hotel typical with a cool, modern look: Small fridge (very helpful for families), desk, large TV, and a nice bathroom with hotel toiletries included.

The view isn’t much, but I wasn’t expecting one being near an airport.

The hotel pool is a rectangle pool that isn’t too deep. While the kids played, I was able to watch comfortably from a pool chair. The seating in the pool area was surprisingly comfy.

The lobby is modern and stylish, and off to the side there is a small snack shop with drinks available for purchase. If you ask nicely, the front desk staff will give you a free bottle of water, so try that before purchasing one in the snack shop.

In the dining area, you can find free hot water for tea and coffee. If you plan on running around as much as I did, that free caffeine boost is handy in the afternoon.

The breakfast at the Hampton Inn is better than average when it comes to complimentary breakfasts. There are hot food options, fresh fruit, a waffle maker, and various pastries and breads to choose from.

Things To Do Near Hampton Inn 

To be honest, there isn’t a whole lot of must-see things super near this hotel. There is a complimentary shuttle that will drive you anywhere within 5 miles of the hotel, which includes places like:

Urban Air Trampoline Park (1 mile)

Sedgwick County Zoo (4.6 miles)

The downtown area is about 6 miles away, and that’s where most of Wichita’s best things to see with kids are located. I’ve been told most everything in Wichita is within a 10-mile drive, and I’ve found that to be true. Some of the places in downtown Wichita that may interest families include: Botanica Wichita, Exploration Place, Old Cowtown Museum, The Keeper of the Plains, Museum of World Treasures, and INTRUST Bank Arena.

Further afield, you can drive to Tanganyika Wildlife Park (9 miles) or the Kansas Aviation Museum (11 miles).

Could you find a Wichita hotel closer to these attractions? Of course, especially downtown.

Restaurants Near This Wichita Hotel

To be honest, the kind of restaurants I was looking for — locally-owned restaurants — were not by our hotel. That meant, a lot of our dining was in downtown Wichita. I recommend making that 10-mile drive for tasty eats. The closest restaurant we dined at to this hotel was Delano Barbeque Co., which is about 5 miles away.

See all the Wichita restaurants we visited here.

But, if you’re looking for nearby good eats, there are plenty of chains to choose from. Within about a mile of the hotel, you’ll find an Applebee’s, Outback Steakhouse, Denny’s, and an abundance of fast food options.

* * * * *

Want to start planning your own Great Wichita Weekend?

Start with My Wichita Bucket List to get some inspiration, then dive into these for more fun ideas:

The Great Wichita Weekend recap

A Kid-Favorite Destination: Bonanica Wichita

Wichita’s Good Eats

Visiting Exploration Place With Kids

Exploring Tangyika Wildlife Park

For even more ideas for family fun in Wichita, check out my Pinterest Board. 

https://www.pinterest.com/ohmyomaha/wichita-with-kids/

Liked this post?

We travel a lot & explore our  own backyard. Stay in the know – subscribe to the FREE bi-weekly e-newsletter sharing giveaways, new posts and updates to popular posts like this one! Subscribe here.

My family recently took an incredible weekend trip to Wichita, Kan. It was a lot of fun, and in between all our stops, we visited fantastic, kid-friendly Wichita restaurants. If you’re looking for a list of some of the best restaurants in Wichita, this is the list (it’s just a bonus that they’re good restaurants for families, too)!

Update: This post was first written in 2017 and was updated in October 2019.

Disclosure: Our visit was hosted by Visit Wichita, and they helped us select some great spots to try. All thoughts, opinions and typos are my own.

Where is Wichita, Kansas?

Wichita is located in south central Kansas and sits on the Arksansas River. Population-wise, it’s comparable to Omaha, with 389,255 people (in 2018).

Two well-known, fast-food chains started in Wichita: Pizza Hut and White Castle. Now, the city has more than 1,200 restaurants. How to choose which ones to visit?!

My plan for this trip was to visit Wichita restaurants that were locally-owned. The key was that they had to be kid-friendly, not kiddie… I wanted good food.

Best breakfast in Wichita

For breakfast to give your day a turbo charge of sugar, go to The Donut Whole. We were among several families there the morning we went.

You can go as vanilla or as rainbow as you want when choosing a donut here. The popular flavor is maple bacon, which you gotta try. All donuts are made from scratch daily.

There’s a wide assortment to choose from, and it is a tough choice. Cookie, candy, cereal…they’re all toppings here.

They once had a Breaking Bad donut with blue rock candy on top.

The coffee’s pretty good here, plus free refills. If you want a more substantial breakfast, you can get a breakfast sandwich (made with donuts).

Tip: If, for whatever reason, you’re up late, the drive-thru window is open 24 hours a day.

Doo Dah Diner is a dining hot spot in Wichita, and it has mastered the laid-back vibe. Everyone nods in approval if you tell them you plan to eat there. It’s good stuff.

We went on a Sunday, which turns out is buffet-only, which may or may not be great for your family. If you go Wednesday through Saturday for breakfast, expect a wait. But at least you get to have free monkey bread in line (while it lasts…which is about ’til noon).

I tried one of the buffet staples: Pork Belly and Grits, which got the thumbs up. You’ll also always find hashbrown casserole and smoked salmon on the buffet table every Sunday.

You can also get some food made-to-order, including some benedicts and omelets.

Going during the week? Timirie, co-owner of Doo Dah Diner, said the most popular things to order are Crab Cake Benedict, Chicken Fried Steak, Smothered Breakfast Burrito, Banana Bread French Toast (gluten free) and Corned Beef Hash.

Hungry, yet?

The exterior of the diner doesn’t really hint to the fun decor inside. Think lots of colors and a mishmash of art on the walls.

Wichita restaurants for lunch or dinner

For lunch, try The Kitchen. When we visited, the restaurant was still pretty new to the Wichita scene. The focus is on seasonal and clean food (so no nitrates in lunch meat and the burger is 100% beef).

That’s not to say it’s health food. We dug into straight up comfort food here. Try the disco fries, a New Jersey take on poutine.

The owner, Natasha, described it as New American, adding “We like to say you can be as good or naughty as you like.”

The menu is seasonally inspired, so I can’t quite guarantee what you’ll be able to order. I can tell you that Natasha’s crew serves up a mean panini.

For drinks, they keep some Kansas craft brews on tap. I opted for a raspberry ice tea, which was made just right (not too sweet, thankyouverymuch). It’s a great summer drink.

Moms and dads who like local beer with good food, go earlier in the day to The Anchor. They’re known for a good lineup of 50+ craft beers on tap and this amazing thing called The Haystack.

It’s a pub, no getting around it. But, they have a kid’s menu, so they won’t snub families. And not just any thrown-together kiddie menu, but a solid burger served with fries, a fruit cup, and a Rice Krispie Treat.

If you’re really hungry go to the historic Delano District for some barbecue at Delano Barbeque Co. It’s huge servings, even on the kid’s menu. And messy, because, well, barbecue.

It’s on the quirky side for its Christmas lights.

Tip: Delano Barbecue is closed on Sundays.

Where to get a snack or dessert in Wichita

For lunch spot or a great place for a treat, is Old Mill Tasty Shop in downtown Wichita. This is a Wichita institution, which opened in the 1930s (the current owners bought it in the 1980s).

Everyone – and I mean everyone – you ask will tell you to get the chicken salad, and I sampled it and it lives up to the hype. If you like chili, try the green chili there.

I went there and got a chocolate shake, made the old-fashioned way behind their old-fashioned soda fountain counter, and loved every drop…that my daughter hadn’t swiped from me while I wasn’t looking.

By the way, it’s right by Intrust Bank Arena, so if you have tickets to a show, it’s a great spot for before-show food. Old Mill is open for lunches during the week, and until 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Tip: Old Mill Tasty Shop is closed on Sundays.

Nifty Nut House is the snack place to end all snack places. It got its start in 1937, and over time, it’s evolved into a wholesaler of nuts, dried fruit, snack mixes, gourmet chocolate, sugar-free items, and homemade fudge.

But wait, there’s more.

You can find just about any candy brand you can dream of there, too.

It’s a huge store, and one my food hero, Alton Brown, called “a national treasure.”

Tip: Nifty Nut House is also closed on Sundays.

* * * * *

Want to start planning your own Great Wichita Weekend?

Start with My Wichita Bucket List to get some inspiration, then dive into these for more fun ideas:

The Great Wichita Weekend recap

A Kid-Favorite Destination: Bonanica Wichita

Wichita Home Base: Hampton Inn & Suites

Visiting Exploration Place With Kids

Exploring Tangyika Wildlife Park

For even more ideas for family fun in Wichita, check out my Pinterest Board.

https://www.pinterest.com/ohmyomaha/wichita-with-kids

Liked this post?

We travel a lot & explore our  own backyard. Stay in the know – subscribe to the FREE bi-weekly e-newsletter sharing giveaways, new posts and updates to popular posts like this one! Subscribe here.