After previously hosting first- and second-round games, Wichita is hosting the NCAA Women’s Division I Regional Rounds for the first time this month. Thousands of fans will travel to Wichita for the competition: two Sweet Sixteen games scheduled for the afternoon and early evening of Saturday, March 26 and one Elite Eight game on the night of Monday, March 28 at INTRUST Bank Arena.
What’s a basketball fan to do in the city between games? The opportunities are endless.
We’ve compiled this checklist of things every first-time visitor should do before they leave Wichita. Even if you’ve been to our city before, we bet there’s something on this list you’ve yet to do!
- Visit the iconic Keeper of the Plains monument and search for “the troll” after a trip through the Mid-America All-Indian Museum
- Learn why Wichita is known as “The Air Capital of the World” by exploring displays and aircraft at the Kansas Aviation Museum, visiting the interactive Design Build Fly exhibition at Exploration Place and exploring the B-29 Doc Hanger, Education and Visitors Center to learn about the restoration of one of only two airworthy Boeing B-29 Superfortress aircraft left in the world
- Enjoy the seventh-largest zoo in the country at Sedgwick County Zoo (pictured above) or get up-close-and-personal with animals at Tanganyika Wildlife Park
- Learn the history of Wichita by spending time exploring the Historic Delano District established during the days of the Chisholm Trail cattle drives, walking the historic brick-lined streets of Old Town, witnessing an 1870s version of Wichita at Old Cowtown Museum or walking through the original 1890 City Hall that now houses the Wichita-Sedgwick Co. Historical Museum
- Tour the Wichita Art Museum to see an incredible permanent collection of American art, plus the current blockbuster exhibition American Art Deco: Designing for the People, 1918-1939, co-organized by the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, Nebraska, and The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City
- Experience one of the most complete T. rex in the country at the Museum of World Treasures
- Stop and smell the flowers at the compact but spectacular grounds of Botanica Wichita
- Sample the local flavor at one of Wichita’s breweries and wineries, or visit three taprooms on a Brew Wagon bus tour
- Design your own mural tour and take in the other amazing public art experiences like Gallery Alley or the Martin H. Bush Outdoor Sculpture Collection on the campus of Wichita State University (pictured below)
- Tour the Frank Lloyd Wright Allen House Museum and Study Center, designed by the famous architect and completed in 1918. The home features more than 30 pieces of Wright-designed furniture, all of its original art glass and several new-for-their-time innovations
- Go home with Wichita flag swag, available at Bungalow 26, The Workroom, Generations Antiques, Urban Interiors, The Health Connection, The Spice Merchant, Wichita Screen Printing and most museum gift shops
Wichita has many other attractions and hotspots perfect for basketball fans. For more ideas, check out these related blog posts:
Where to park and how to get around in downtown Wichita
What to do inside INTRUST Bank Arena
Five outdoor activities near INTRUST Bank Arena
Six indoor activities near INTRUST Bank Arena
Where to eat when downtown at an INTRUST Bank Arena event
Where to shop when downtown at an INTRUST Bank Arena event
For a list of events happening during your stay in Wichita, head to our calendar of events page. To find answers to your NCAA questions, or to read more blogs about things to do while in downtown Wichita, check out our Fan Central guide.
