Botanica Wichita
Botanica Wichita ranks among the top botanical gardens in the United States including appearing on USA Today’s list of 10Best Botanical Gardens. From couples to families, nature lovers to art aficionados, everyone will find a part of Botanica to appreciate no matter the season. Visitors of all ages will want to explore the creative year-round programming, special events and traveling exhibitions within the Wichita botanical gardens.
Gardens & Exhibits
The gardens are laid out across 30 themed areas and span 20 acres near the Arkansas River in Wichita’s Riverside neighborhood. You’ll encounter different gardens at every turn, along with unique sculptures, water features, interactive areas and more.
See more than 125,000 daffodils blooming from February to April, as well as blossoming trees, shrubs, perennials and tulips emerging in the spring. Botanica also boasts hundreds of summer-specific flowers and an expansive aquatic plant collection. In the fall, you can see chrysanthemums and pansies in full bloom. The garden’s seasonal centerpieces are always on view at the Margie Button Memorial Fountain and Garden — a multi-tier flower-shaped fountain surrounded by annual beds.
Kids and adults will fall in love with the 1-acre Downing Children’s Garden, where they can explore a treehouse, musical maze, bee house and more. Likewise, Koch Carousel Gardens offer whimsical and interactive features surrounding a historic carousel that you can ride.
Other popular sections include the large-scale model trains in the Gene E. Spear Railroad Garden, the Chinese Garden of Friendship and the Cox Butterfly House, open June through September.
Programming
Botanica Wichita offers weekly educational and entertaining programming for all ages, and they regularly host traveling exhibitions. Among their special events are the Tulip Festival, Symphony in the Gardens, Twilight Tunes on the Terrace and the holiday tradition Illuminations, when the gardens are bedazzled by more than 2 million Christmas lights!
Amenities
Garden Café serves light snacks and drinks, though visitors can also bring in their own picnic to enjoy among the plants and flowers. A small gift shop is stocked with nature-themed items.
Tickets, Parking & Hours
General admission ranges from $8 to $10 and parking is free. The gardens are open year-round 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday. From April through October, they are also open 1-5 p.m. Sunday and from April through September they have extended hours until 8 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday.
A full walkthrough of Botanica is a one-mile loop and visitors can see generally the entire gardens in about 90 minutes. Be sure to include a trip to Botanica and Wichita’s Museums on the River district on your next visit to the Heart of the Country.
