Once we arrived in Wichita, our amazement grew. We decided to do a driving tour since it had been a long day and we did not really have a lot of activities to choose from. One aspect that added to our stereotypical view of Wichita was the lack of activities to do once we arrived. I spent a few hours trying to figure out something fun for us to do. There were shows, but most were sold out or unappealing to us. We could have gone to the movies.
The most exciting activity for us to do was to see nature and visit the original Pizza Hut location that transformed into a museum. We waited until the last minute to double check their hours and both were closed by the time we wanted to adventure out.
Our first stop in Wichita, after checking into the hotel, was the Subaru dealership. We were due for an oil change and luckily, there was one around the corner from our hotel. While waiting for the car to be ready, Sam caught up on some reading and I caught up with my grandma. I was pleased that the dealership included a free car wash since the rural roads really make your car dirty.
Adventure Time in Wichita, KS
Frank Lloyd Wright Allen’s House
With a fresh car, we decided it was time to adventure around Wichita, KS. One of the locations that I had saved was the Frank Lloyd Wright’s Allen House. We put it into our GPS and drove off, with no expectations. I wish we were filming our reaction when we pulled up to the house. The neighborhood it is in is gorgeous. The houses are old and cute. The streets are lined with trees. We felt like we were in a different city. It was closed, but I managed to take a picture of the outside.
Fountains at WaterWalk
Our next stop was to see the Fountains at WaterWalk. Again, we did little to no research and showed up disappointed. The fountain shows are later in the evening, but driving there did help us find more areas we wanted to explore. We followed the signs to Old Town and admired the architecture. Next, we drove across the bridge to see the Keeper of the Plains statue.
Blaze Pizza
By this time, we started to get incredibly hungry. A lot of the options for good food in the area were expensive Steakhouses. I love Steak, but I was not prepared to pay the same amount that I would at an NYC restaurant in Wichita. This decision was easier to make after we met a restaurateur who said that Wichita was not a foodie town. After a lot of debate, we decided to get Blaze Pizza which is a chain, but would satisfy our pizza cravings.
On the drive to Blaze, we saw signs for the original Pizza Hut museum. I knew it was closed, but I still wanted to see the outside. I assumed there would be a sign. After we turned off the exit to go to the Pizza Hut museum, I saw the entrance to the Great Plains Nature Center.
Great Plains Nature Center
Although the main building was closed, there were several people in the parking lot. We decided to check it out. There were so many wildflowers.
A few minutes after we started walking on the trail, we came in close contact with a buck. His antlers were huge. It was the biggest deer I have ever seen in my life. Not knowing if it would charge us, we decided to turn back. We spent the next several minutes researching deer and their habits. There is definitely a chance it would have charged us.
Original Pizza Hut
Somehow, Sam and I keep finding ourselves out adventuring during sunsets. It is enhancing our photos and our experiences. With the sun starting to set, we headed, once again, towards the original Pizza Hut museum. It happens to be located on Wichita State’s college campus since two fraternity brothers started it back in the day. I do not think many people come to campus just to see the Pizza Hut museum and for that, I am shocked. I do not even eat Pizza Hut and I was excited.
We took our pictures and I left feeling satisfied that we “did” something in Wichita, KS. While the activities are limited, I enjoyed them both very much.
Challenge
Trust your gut. We almost did not go to the Pizza Hut museum because it was closed. I knew I’d be disappointed if we didn’t try and I was rewarded for trusting my gut.