The year 2024 ushered in multiple attractions, restaurants and venues to Wichita and the new year promises even more exciting developments. Here are just a few new and upcoming amenities to look forward to when planning your next meeting in Wichita, the Heart of the Country.

The AC Marriott Downtown hotel is photographed from the street on a sunny dayThe Broadway Plaza AC Marriott 

Hotels in development

The Broadway Plaza AC Marriott is nearing completion at the corner of Douglas and Broadway in downtown Wichita. The 11-story hotel is being built in conjunction with the Kansas Health Science Center – Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine. It is expected to have 118 rooms, a bar and a covered entryway for valet parking. The hotel is conveniently located just blocks from the Century II Performing Arts and Convention Center, Wichita’s INTRUST Bank Arena and many restaurants and museums.

A dually branded Homewood Suites and Hilton Garden Inn near Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport is expected to open in early 2025. The 140-plus room hotel will boast an indoor pool, restaurant and bar, convention center and more.

People gather on the turf at the Wichita Foundation Amphitheater at Exploration Place in downtown WichitaThe Wichita Foundation Amphitheater at Exploration Place

New venues and attractions in the works

Wichita also welcomed a variety of new locations for gatherings and off-site activities including TapNPaddles, a 35,000-square-foot pickleball complex. The venue features 12 professional-level indoor courts, a full-service restaurant and bar a 1,000-square-foot event space, outdoor gathering space and more. Just west of Wichita in Goddard, The Sandbox opened a second location. The complex boasts sand volleyball, cornhole and outdoor pickleball courts. The venue is covered by a 65,000-square-foot dome allowing for gathering and teambuilding activities no matter what the season.

Wichita’s science center Exploration Place unveiled its 1,500-capacity, open-air, riverfront amphitheater in the fall, showcasing the nightly Keeper of the Plains fire pots experience. The Wichita Foundation Amphitheater will be available year-round for outdoor events and programming.

Tanganyika Wildlife Park will introduce its new admission packages in March 2025 that will feature unlimited animal feedings, unlimited food, additional interactive animal encounters and limited attendance to enhance the visitor experience. Tanganyika continues to be a fabulous choice for event gatherings and team-building fun.

Bring your groups to Sedgwick County Zoo in 2025 to see the first of five expected baby elephants, set to be born beginning in March and through the summer. The elephants are the first ever to be born in a Kansas zoo.

Open for business in the past year in Wichita’s Old Town District is Walker’s Jazz Lounge. The lounge’s elegant cocktails, a selection of beer and wine and small bites including charcuterie and hummus boards make it the ideal location for post-meeting networking events.

With all these exciting additions to the Wichita area, our team is eager to help you as you plan your next meeting in the state’s most exciting city. In the meantime, gather more meeting planning inspiration and assistance.