Summer Fun - A Weekend in Wichita, KS Part Three

 When we last talked, we had just finished lunch at River City Brewery and were setting off for our next stop on our Weekend in Wichita. Botanica, The Gardens of Wichita is a 17 acres garden that includes the Chinese Garden of Friendship, Downing Children’s Garden, the Gene E. Spear Railroad Garden, and so much more. 

We began our tour with the Chinese Garden and it was stunning. It’s a tribute to Wichita’s sister City, Kaifeng, and displays traditional Chinese gardening. The garden was designed in two different parts. The south side, the entrance, includes a courtyard and Rose Wind Pavillion. It’s considered the earthly world where people live, work and experience a daily life. The north side is considered the dream world, that showcases landscape, a pond, stream, and Thousand-Foot Bridge. It’s a place for peaceful reflection. For me, the most visually stunning piece was the Dragon Wall. It is made of over 200 pieces of glazed porcelain. The Treasure Dragon, holding a pearl inside its mouth, is the protector and keeper of the underground treasure. 

The Railroad Garden wasn’t working, a conductor was unavailable for the display, but that didn’t stop us from taking in this special spot. Nestled in the trees, this peaceful area features model passenger, freight, and work trains that typically run daily.  

The Downing Children’s Garden was joyful! Full of bright colors, exploration, music, and monsters, there was truly something around every corner. Begin the adventure by taking the yellow stream path along the Rainbow Trail. Your first stop along the path is to Grandma’s Farmhouse, a small scale farm that allows kids to live life on the farm. The Boeing Monster Woods are crafted tree structures that come to life in this wooded play area. Granny’s Treehouse is an elaborate play area that has twists and turns, and unexpected outcomes! Play music along Granddaddy’s Musical Maze, walk gingerly over the troll when crossing the bridge to play on the wavy hillside, and check out the Enchanted Glen that features metal sculptures of popular children’s stories. And lastly, take a ride on the newly restored Khicha Family Carousel. This 36 horse Joyland carousel was restored to its former glory and is the perfect way to end your time in the children’s portion of the gardens.

On display now through July 31st, make sure to find the Big Bugs that have invaded the gardens! In addition to finding these large species, check Botanica's website for daily activities! They are super cool and incredibly large!

We took a little breather, and freshened up a bit, before hitting the road again. Dinner time was calling and pizza was on the menu. Ziggy’s Pizza has got to be the coolest place I’ve dined in a long time! This open air restaurant, that hosts indoor seating as well, is located in Clifton Square. The vibe was just what this Saturday evening called for and I loved all the people watching that took place. The front patio features several different eating areas on upper wooden decks and cement patios. Large picnic tables, small two seaters, and round tables that seat four or more, all held families gathered after a dance recital, a date night, couples that brought their dogs to hangout with them, and guys getting together for pizza and beer. It was truly the main hub for just chilling out. What was so cool about Clifton Square is that it looks like an old “cul-de-sac” that the city turned into a spot for eating, shopping, and mingling. After ordering, I left the boys to check out local boutique, Clifton Collective. This chic spot features handcrafted goods from local makers ranging from apparel, to paper goods, and home items. I picked up a jar of Bee Harmony raw sunflower honey for my mom and a cute set of pens for McKinley. He loves nothing more than a pen and pad of paper. What’s even better is that you can shop Clifton Collective from your home! Check out their site here. As for the pizza, it was so good! We did a half and half, McKinley is strictly cheese, and after two pieces I was stuffed. But not enough to stop into Papa’s General Store for some ice cream. McKinley and I had a single scoop each. Plain chocolate for him and chocolate chip cookie dough for me! 

But our night didn’t end there! We definitely needed the sugar to fuel us a little bit longer. One of the biggest visual experiences within the city of Wichita is the nightly lighting of the Keeper of the Plains. This 44 foot Cor-Ten steel structure stands at the base of where the Big and Little Arkansas Rivers meet and is elevated by a 30 foot rock promontory. Artist Blackbear Bosin created this incredible piece and donated it to the city where it was installed in 1974 to commemorate the Bicentennial. It has become a symbol for the city and a tribute to the Native American tribes who gather at this sacred site. 

You can access the area from the two bow and arrow inspired cable stay bridges which span the two rivers. Fire drums at the base of the Keeper of the Plains light the night sky and are surrounded by sage, bottlebrush, medical herbs, prairie grasses, and cactus. We found a great viewing spot along the grassy side of the sidewalk that flanks the river. Bring blankets if possible. As we sat and waited for the lighting to begin, we took in the scenery around us. It was a gorgeous evening. Weather permitting, the lighting begins around 9:00 every evening and lasts around 15 minutes. And once lit, the view is stunning! A peaceful end to our day and lovely weekend in Wichita.

So now we rest. One more sleep and we are off to the Sedgwick County Zoo which rounds out our Summer Fun in Wichita. Come back soon where I’ll share all the sights this zoo has to offer!

XO,

Andrea

*This weekend was sponsored by The City of Wichita, but all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.