If you’re planning to attend an event at Hartman Arena – such as the 65th Annual NAIA Men’s Wrestling National Championships – and are staying in a Wichita area hotel, chances are you may be interested in finding things to do in the area. There are tons of great options!
We’ve put together some ideas to help plan your day, all within a short drive of the arena.
Discover Bradley Fair
Located in east Wichita, Bradley Fair is home to a variety of upscale shopping and dining options. From big name brands like Gap and Athleta to a plethora of local shops, you can shop for hours in Bradley Fair. The area also offers plenty of dining options like Redrock Canyon Grill, Bella Luna Café, Homegrown Wichita, Newport Grill, YaYa’s Eurobistro and more.
Shop
After you've visited the many shops at Bradley Fair, peruse goods at one of these unique local shops in the area:
- The Farris Wheel: a gourmet candy store
- The Popcorner: delicious selection of popcorn flavors to fudge, chocolate covered pretzels and more
- Twister City Harley-Davidson: motorcycles and motorcycle gear
- Kendra Scott: features a color bar where you can customize necklaces, bracelets, or rings in-store
- Kart Art Glass: glass, mosaics, pottery, jewelry, kaleidoscopes, metal and wood items created by more than 100 local and regional artists
- Infinity Art Glass: unique, handmade glass products
- Paramount East Antique Mall: antiques, vintage, furniture, glassware, primitives, industrial, farmhouse décor and more
Additional shopping options include Revolutsia, New Market Square and Towne East Square. Each are easily accessible by car from Hartman Arena.
Find Flavorful Food
While there are many dining options in Bradley Fair, northeast Wichita is also chock full of restaurants.
- Chicken N Pickle - play pickle ball, bocce ball, shuffleboard or table tennis while enjoy delicious chicken fare
- Dave & Buster’s - a family-friendly experience loaded with interactive play, virtual reality favorites and 200 of the biggest, newest and best arcade games
- The menu at Chester's Chophouse and Wine Bar includes wood-fired oven pizzas, oysters flown in daily and chophouse favorites such as Maple Mustard Salmon and Creekstone Farms USDA Prime Black Angus Beef steaks
- Cocoa Dolce Chocolates takes pride in its Sweet Lounge concept, featuring all things chocolate and a cozy atmosphere
- Find all of your Mexican favorites like enchiladas and fajitas at Carlos O’ Kelly’s Mexican Café
- Not only will you like the 23 big screen televisions, you’ll love the flavorful, fresh food at Deano’s Grill & Tapworks
- Enjoy small bites and a fun atmosphere at Dōma
- A great place to find coffees and teas, Fairmount Coffee Co. is also the perfect spot to find smoothies, sandwiches, soups, salads and more
- Find breakfast all day long and drinks made from old-fashion soda fountains at Jimmie’s Diner
- Enjoy food made from scratch and plenty of happy hour fun at Jax Restaurant & Bar
- Northeast Wichita’s Lola's Bistro offers upscale New American cuisine in a casual and relaxed atmosphere. Their ingredients and cooking techniques are influenced by French, Italian and Asian cuisines
- Meddy’s Northeast specializes in fresh, made-to-order, authentic Mediterranean options
- Georges French Bistro serves modern French cuisine in a classy, sophisticated spot in the heart of one of Wichita’s east side neighborhoods, College Hill
- If your group is all 21+, you’ll enjoy Headshots Bar & Grill and their more than 1,000 video games and 500 board games
- Find mouth-watering pizza, sandwiches, salads and sides at Ziggy’s Pizza
- Looking for barbecue while you’re in the heart of the country? Find it at Hog Wild Pit Bar-B-Q (east, northeast and north) or Two Brothers BBQ
- Saltgrass Steak House is famous for serving Certified Angus Beef steaks, fresh seafood and homemade sides
- Order wood-fired pizzas and hand-crafted beers at Wichita Brewing Co. & Pizzeria or delicious salads, pizzas, gourmet burgers and more at Bricktown Brewery
Relax
Helping cheer on your favorite athlete can be intense. Unwind at salons like Bohemia Healing Spa, which specializes in therapeutic massage, facials, waxing, indulgent health wraps and men’s services.
Play
From indoor rock climbing to hundreds of video games, there are a ton of fun activities to enjoy when you’re in between competitions at the arena.
- Get active with a day pass at the North YMCA or relax in the sauna or steam room
- Built with loose, sandy loam, Bar2Bar MX Park is Kansas' only American Motorcyclist Association(AMA)-sanctioned track
- Jeeps Motorcycle Club Inc. is the oldest, continuously active motorcycle-oriented association in our area and has 80 acres of riding fun on seven tracks
- Choose from a variety of classes and workshops at Mark Arts, including ceramics, culinary, dance, digital arts, drawing, jewelry/metalsmithing, painting and more
- Paint the Towne has everything you need for a fun guided painting experience. They also have to-go kits that you can take home to create your own masterpiece
- Wichita Sports Forum offers leagues, classes, camps and open play on indoor fields and courts across a variety of sports
- Experience awesome indoor arcades along with other indoor activities ranging from a rock-climbing wall to laser tag and billiards at All Star Adventures, The Alley Indoor Entertainment and Dave & Buster’s
- Get your heart pumping by playing pickleball on the indoor courts at Chicken N Pickle or catching some air at Aviate inside Wichita Sports Forum
- Go bowling at Northrock Lanes, West Acres Bowl and The Alley Indoor Entertainment
- Visit a shooting and training center: Range 54 has climate-controlled shooting bays with turning targets and Rainier Arms Firearms Academy is Wichita’s largest gun range with 27,000 square feet
- Scale a 38-foot top-rope and lead climbing wall or a 16-foot bouldering wall at Bliss Climbing & Fitness
Explore
Outdoor recreational spaces can be found within a short drive of the arena.
- Explore the indoor museum at Great Plains Nature Center to learn about Kansas wildlife and native habitats. Just outside the doors of the indoor museum is an easy trail to tackle at Chisholm Creek Park
- Find trails, playgrounds and more at city parks like Lincoln, McAdams and Fairmount
- Get in a round of golf at city courses or play disc golf at nearby Evergreen Park
- Near the Wichita State University campus you’ll find Wichita’s black history on display along the Redbud Trail. Three rest areas tell the story of the people who live in nearby neighborhoods with art and history-filled installations at 9th & Hillside, 13th & Roosevelt and 17th & Oliver
Museums and Attractions
The Wichita area is home to 20+ museums, many of which are located downtown, but you will also find several near Hartman Arena.
- Feed your curiosity about the origin of Pizza Hut at The Original Pizza Hut Museum on the Wichita State University campus
- While you’re on the WSU campus, stop by the Ulrich Museum of Art to see modern and contemporary artwork on display
- Tour one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpieces, the Frank Lloyd Wright's Allen House Museum and Study Center
- At the Sedgwick County Zoo, see 3,000 individual animals of nearly 400 species grouped geographically and in settings that duplicate their natural habitats
Visit our webpage on indoor family fun for more ideas of things to do while you are in Wichita. You’ll also find more than 1,200 eateries and a variety of breweries, taprooms and wineries.