Two Prize-Driven Summer Tours to Launch Memorial Day Weekend in Wichita
After a year of halted traveling and way too many Zoom calls, Visit Wichita is excited to reignite the region's passion for exploring and traveling through two new tours, which will kick off in the city this summer: the Wicked Brew Tour and the all-new Wichita Attractions Tour. Both tours will begin on Friday, May 28.
“We are thrilled to introduce our first-ever Wichita Attractions Tour this summer, and to bring back our wildly popular Wicked Brew Tour,” said Susie Santo, president & CEO of Visit Wichita. “After a trying year for the tourism and hospitality industry – and for those who love to travel – we’re excited to provide a new, fun way for visitors and locals to explore the many amazing museums, attractions, eateries, breweries and coffee shops in our city.”
Wichita Attractions Tour
This all-new tour created by Visit Wichita is an opportunity for locals and visitors to discover the many world-class attractions and museums in Wichita – and get entered into a drawing to win a 2022 family season pass or membership to all 12 participating attractions and one Wichita Wind Surge home game of their choosing.
Area attractions and museums are looking forward to the new tour and the potential for more people to experience their unique offerings this summer. “We are very excited about the Wichita Attractions Tour,” said Jacky Goerzen, executive director at Old Cowtown Museum. “Wichita is home to so many amazing attractions and has so much to offer, and this will encourage people to experience all of that. Cowtown is participating in the hopes that we can help people discover, appreciate and experience the history of Wichita.”
Participating Attractions & Museums: 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, Wichita-Sedgwick Co. Historical Museum and the Wichita Wind Surge
It begins May 28 and wraps up on Labor Day, Sept. 6. To participate, people can pick up a passport at Visit Wichita’s visitor’s center or any of the participating attractions and museums and begin exploring. Once a guest has visited at least six participating locations, they will turn in their passport to Visit Wichita to be entered into the drawing. A winner will be drawn on Sept. 17, 2021.
Completed passports must be turned in to Visit Wichita by Sept. 13, 2021. Wichita-area residents can drop their passports off at the Visit Wichita offices, 515 S. Main St., Ste. 115, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Out of town participants can mail their completed passports and contact information to the visitor’s center.
Complete details and contest rules can be found at www.visitwichita.com/attractions-tour.
Wicked Brew Tour
The first Wicked Brew Tour kicked off in 2016 and has been wildly popular amongst locals and visitors. So far, the tour has attracted visitors from 21 states and as far away as Germany. This will be the fifth year of this popular event, as it was not held in 2020.
“The Wicked Brew Tour is awesome, and we certainly missed having it last year,” said Chris Arnold, owner of River City Brewing Co. “It’s affordable, fun and provides just one more reason to visit local businesses – and who doesn’t love a cool t-shirt? Not only does it bring people in that we already see regularly, but it also draws in new faces that have never been here or haven’t been in a while.”
Daniel Mariotti, owner of Il Primo Espresso Caffe, added, “We are thrilled to be a part of such a fun event with Visit Wichita after such an exhausting year. Showing off all the unique brews and specialty drinks is a highlight for our staff! Il Primo, Wichita’s Oldest Coffee Shop, has many new and unique things to share with those who participate in this year’s tour.”
The Wicked Brew Tour has seen success in not only getting Wichitans out to drink local, but also has been a great way to showcase the best craft beers and specialty coffee drinks in Wichita to visitors.
Regular participant Jenni Birdsall says she loves the tour because it allows her to check out Wichita businesses she normally doesn’t visit. “I get to experience and learn more about Wichita through trying different breweries and coffee shops. I look forward to participating every year because I genuinely love coffee and getting to try new places on the tour.”
Participating Breweries: 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)
Participating Coffee Shops: Churn & Burn, Cocoa Dolce Chocolates (East, West & Downtown), Fairmount Coffee Co., Il Primo Espresso – (East & Downtown), Kookaburra Coffee, Leslie Coffee Co., Reverie Coffee Roasters, Sunflower Espresso & Food Truck and The Donut Whole
Participants can pick up a passport at any participating coffee shop or brewery and then collect at least 10 stamps (of their choice) to complete the challenge and win a t-shirt (available on a first-come, first-served basis).
Locals can turn in their completed passports and pick up their t-shirt at the Visit Wichita visitor’s center at 515 S. Main St., Ste. 115, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Out of town participants can mail their completed passports and contact information to the visitor’s center to have their shirt mailed to them.
Complete details and contest rules can be found at www.visitwichita.com/restaurants/local-flavor/wicked-brew-tour.
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About Visit Wichita
Visit Wichita markets the greater Wichita area as a major convention and tourism destination, thereby enhancing the economic development of the city, county, region and state. Visit Wichita is led by president and CEO Susie Santo, and in 2019 travel and tourism contributed more than $1.1 billion in economic impact to the greater Wichita area.