So here’s the thing: if you’re a free spirit traveler, you’re probably not looking for an itinerary on the website of a Convention and Visitors Bureau to tell you what to see and where to go while you’re in Wichita.
Free spirit travelers tend to believe too much planning curbs their ability to engage authentically with people, places and things through spontaneous encounters. If you’re new to Wichita, though, you can benefit with our gentle nudges meant to help you make the most of your visit to the largest city in Kansas.
Ease your FOMO
Even spontaneous travelers can have a fear of missing out, so whenever you’re in Wichita, be sure to check out our comprehensive event calendar. You can search by date, category or keyword to see what’s happening in Wichita during your visit. You can visit the calendar from any computer or mobile device, but you’ll be best served to download the free Visit Wichita app. In addition to access to the calendar, the app allows you to find points of interest near your location while you’re in Wichita or see a real-time map of the free Q-Line trolley for rides to restaurants, bars, hotels and performance venues throughout downtown.
Take a ride with no destination in mind
We encourage riders to jump aboard the free Q-Line trolley with an open mind! Pull the cord to request a stop whenever you see something interesting. Get off and explore awhile, then catch the next trolley for another adventure. Four routes run through the heart of downtown, Old Town District, Historic Delano District and Douglas Design District.
Meet other free spirits
We think you’ll meet plenty of other free spirits living in and visiting Wichita, at our restaurants, bars, hotels, museums and entertainment venues. A couple of gathering spots you won’t want to miss: the plaza and bridges around the 44-foot-tall Keeper of the Plains sculpture at the confluence of the Big and Little Arkansas rivers draws a crowd for the nightly fire pot lighting; Final Friday Art Crawl attracts artists and art-lovers to Wichita’s galleries, studios, museums as well as non-traditional venues; folks congregate at downtown’s Pop-Up Park and Gallery Alley for art, games and food trucks.
Wichita can be a free spirit traveler’s paradise. Don’t just take our word for it, though. Last summer Hawaii-based writer Will McGough chose Wichita as his destination to meet up with a friend who lived on the East Coast. He describes his authentic experience in Wichita in this Afar magazine article, including this paragraph:
“In a city like Wichita, where hospitality is more important than the daily hustle, you’re not a tourist. You’re a visitor, and there’s an important difference between the two. In a metropolis, an out-of-towner is one of millions; a large percentage of a city’s residents come from somewhere else, too. But in tight-knit small towns and still-budding cities, introductions to the owners of the local restaurants, bars, shops, and music venues result in personal, genuine connections that begin to snowball.”
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.
