More than just a list of Wichita restaurants and movie theaters, our comprehensive guide offers 200+ ideas for every budget. Think you’ve run out of Wichita date night ideas? Think again!
Adventure Seekers
- Give rock climbing a try at Bliss Bouldering & Climbing, Genesis Health Club, Kansas Cliff Club, the YMCA, or Wichita State University
- Test your problem solving skills & see if you can break out of one of Wichita’s escape rooms
- Get SCUBA certified at Adventure Sports or Amber Waves Diving Company
- Channel your inner Katniss and take a class at Diamond Archery
- Hop on your bikes and find your new favorite paved path or off-road trail
- Visit the range for some target practice at Bullet Stop, Bullseye, or Thunderbird
- Jumpstart your adrenaline – go skydiving at Air Capital Drop Zone, Skydiving Wichita, Skydive Gypsy Moths, or Wichita Skydiving
- Train to do a 5k, 10k, half-marathon or mud run together
- Play modern treasure hunters and go geocaching
- Head to Wichita Sports Center for Bubble Soccer Open Play
- See if you can make it out alive! Visit one of Kansas’ many Haunted Houses (fall only)
Aviation Experts
- After a 6-year break, the McConnell Air Force Base air show will return in 2018
- Attend the Fly Kansas Air Tour
- Visit the Kansas Aviation Museum
- Check out the aircraft memorabilia at Hangar 1 Steakhouse & enjoy dinner and drinks while watching planes take off and land
- Drive 45 minutes northwest to the Airport Steakhouse and dine while smaller aircraft fly in & out
- Go to Exploration Place for a hands-on look at flight and design
- Head to Stearman Field in Benton for a fly in, or to enjoy dinner, drinks, and live music at the Stearman Field Bar & Grill
Animals Lovers
- Get up close and personal at Sedgwick County Zoo, Tanganyika Wildlife Park or the Kansas Wildlife Exhibit in Riverside Park
- Volunteer at the Kansas Humane Society
- Go horseback riding at C-Arrow Stables in Maize
- Spend a night at Hedrick’s Exocitc Animal Farm and Bed & Breakfast (or just take a tour!)
- Attend a fundraising event: Zoobilee or Woofstock, or Wags & Whiskers
Art Aficionados
- Put on some comfy shoes and support local artist at a Final Friday art crawl
- BYOB to Paint the Town or Pinot’s Palette and create your own masterpieces
- Attend Art Chatter at the Wichita Art Museum or have lunch at The Muse Cafe and enjoy free admission on a Saturday
- Take a photography, painting, drawing or pottery class together at Mark Arts
- Grab a coffee and head to the galleries at Ulrich Museum of Art, CityArts or Wichita Center for the Arts – all of which are FREE!
- Get out of town and visit Coutts Art Museum in El Dorado, Infinity Art Glass in Benton or Karg Art Glass in Kechi
- Take a walking tour of the Sculptures on Douglas in downtown Wichita
- Supports the arts in Wichita by joining The Murdock Society
Bookworms
- Enjoy the smell of REAL books (remember those?) while browsing Wichita’s best local book stores, such as Al’s Old & New Books, Book-A-Holic, Eighth Day Books and Watermark
- If your library card hasn’t seen the light of day in a decade or two, put it to good use at the Wichita Public Library
- Attend a production of Shakespeare in the Park
- Track down one of Wichita’s many Little Free Libraries and snag a new read (be sure to bring an old one to leave in its place!)
- Join (or start) a Book Club
- RSVP for a Literary Feast at Watermark
- Attend a reading and book signing by a visiting author
- Write your own autobiographical love story together and have it bound as a book (at a site like The Book Patch or Blurb) for your children and grandchildren to enjoy
- Participate in The Big Read Wichita, by reading this year’s book and attending events & discussions
Comedy Connoisseurs
- Laugh and sing yourself hoarse at Ernie Biggs Dueling Piano Bar (they offer limo service if you don’t feel like driving!)
- Hit up Wichita’s oldest comedy club, The Looney Bin
- Enjoy stand-up in the comfort of your own living room via Netflix
- Boo and hiss your way through a rousing production at Mosely Street Melodrama
- Track down Wichita’s best local comedians for a comedy show or open mic night
- Have an 80s goofball movie marathon at home
Club Hoppers
Enjoy drinks and live music at Wichita’s favorite bars or night clubs!
- Brickyard
- Blu Nightclub
- Club Rodeo
- Barlycorn’s
- Industry Old Town
- Lucky’s Every Day
- Pandora Night Club
- Rock Island Live
Do-It-Yourself-ers
- Get a sitter, some cold drinks, and tackle a DIY home project you’ve been putting off (maybe paint your master bedroom or stain the deck?)
- Spruce up your landscaping
- Make “state string art” outlining your state and using a heart for the city where you live, got married, etc.
- Take an upholstery class and give your old furniture a fresh look
- Attend a free DIY workshop at Home Depot
- Enroll in a fun, homework-free WSU Community Education class
Double Daters
- Host your own mini golf classic at All Star, Exploration Place or Glow Golf
- Enjoy dinner, drinks, and trivia at one of these Wichita restaurants offering Buzztime games
- Put on your sleuthing cap and attend a Murder Mystery at Prairie Pines (dinner included)
- Fill your tank and enjoy one of WMB’s Small Town Spotlight Day Trips
- Have a Battle of the Sexes Bowling Tourney at The Alley
- Leave your pride at home and hit up Magoo’s for karaoke
Festival Fans
Mark your calendars and plan to attend one of Wichita’s fantastic annual festivals:
- Asian Festival
- Automobilia Car Show & Street Dance
- ICT Fest
- Midwest Beer Fest
- Great Plains Renaissance Festival
- Grub & Groove Festival
- River Festival
- Tallgrass Film Festival
- Warrior’s Annual Powwow at Mid-American All-Indian Center
- Wichita Jazz Festival
Foodies
- Book EARLY for a Farm-to-Table Meal @ Elderslie (they sell out quickly!)
- Sign up for a little walking and a LOT of fun with Wichita Food Tours
- Wake up early and visit a Farmer’s Market for fresh, local food
- Enjoy all the best flavors Wichita’s food trucks offer in one easy location: attend Food Trucks at the Fountain
- Grab a brew at Midwest Beerfest or a glass of vino at Midwest Wine Fest
- Enter your own team in the Wichita Wagon Master’s Chili Cook-Off – or just attend the public tasting!
- Get your philanthropy on and attend Zoobilee or the Cowtown Wine Mosey
- If the weather is nice, find one of Wichita’s best patios
- Visit one of Wichita’s local breweries
- Attend Newman University’s Oktoberfest
- Attend an Adults-Only event at the Sedgwick County Zoo (Coffee Connections, Wild Wines, Beastly Beers, Cocktails with the Creatures, etc.)
- Enroll in a fun, homework-free WSU Community Education cooking class
- Check out our post on which restaurants ICT foodies love!
Homebodies
- Pitch a tent and have your own backyard camp-out
- Put the kids to bed and cook fancy dinner just for the two of you
- Have a picnic by the fireplace
- Play video games
- Plan an 80s/90s movie marathon
- Create a dessert buffet and skip dinner altogether
- Outside-In Dinner & A Movie :: Grab your favorite takeout and a rental from Redbox
- Have a TED Talk Marathon
History Buffs
Check off all the museums & attractions on our Wichita (& more!) History Bucket List:
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s Allen-Lambe House
- Great Plains Transportation Museum
- Lowell D. Holmes Museum of Anthropology at WSU
- Kansas African American Museum
- Kansas Aviation Museum
- Kansas Firefighters Museum
- Kansas Oil Museum in El Dorado
- Kansas Sports Hall of Fame
- Keeper of the Plains
- Mid-America All-Indian Center
- Museum of World Treasures
- Old Cowtown Museum
- Old Town
- Great Plains Renaissance Festival
- Douglas Avenue Sculptures
- Find all 16 memorials at Veterans Memorial Park on the river
- Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum
Hopeless Romantics
- Get a couples massage at Healing Waters
- Read the Bard’s sonnets while sitting in Botanica’s Shakespeare Garden
- Write your own autobiographical love story together and have it bound as a book (at a site like The Book Patch or Blurb) for your children & grandchildren to enjoy
- Attend a production of Shakespeare in the Park
- Take a private ballroom dancing class together
- Catch fireflies & go stargazing
- Rent a limo for a night and tour the city
- Re-create your first date (and take photos this time!)
- Draft a joint Bucket List to tackle as a couple
Kids at Heart
- Mark your calendars for Air Capital ComicCon – Wichita’s Premiere Comic Book Convention
- Visit the exhibits at Exploration Place and finish off the date with a game of mini golf on the Arkansas River
- Hit the laser maze or go cosmic bowling at The Alley
- Visit LaserQuest for a game of laser tag or try to break out of a Key Quest Escape Room
- Grab your suit and towel and make the short drive to Rock River Rapids in Derby
- Get high at one of Wichita’s indoor trampoline/inflatable parks (Get Air or Urban Air)
- Visit the Wichita Toy Train Club & Museum
- Go ice skating year round at Wichita Ice Center
- Get up close and personal with the wildlife at Sedgwick County Zoo or Tanganyika Wildlife Park
- Ruin your dinner with all-you-can-eat candy at Cero’s, Farris Wheel or Nifty Nut House
Lifelong Learners
- Take a private ballroom dancing class together
- Take a parenting class
- Attend a free DIY workshop at Home Depot
- Take a photography class so you both know how to use your DSLR
- Sign up for tennis lessons
- Get SCUBA certified at Adventure Sports or Amber Waves Diving Company
- Take a self defense class
- Enroll in a fun, homework-free WSU Community Education class
Movie Fanatics
- Buy tickets to see a classic at The Orpheum
- Visit the Regal Cinemas Warren Theaters: east, west (IMAX), or in Old Town for state-of-the-art viewing of new releases
- Enjoy a double or triple feature at the Starlight Drive-In
- Have a movie marathon at home (80s comedies, childhood faves, films based on your favorite books, etc.)
- Hit up the Palace for cheap tickets on last-run shows
- Mark your calendar for the Tallgrass Film Festival
- See a free movie under the stars at New Market Square (summer only)
Music Devotees
- Attend one of the Wichita Symphony Orchestra’s fantastic concerts – Gershwin, Tchaikovsky, even Disney!
- Take in a concert and dinner at Chamber Music at the Barn
- Sing yourself hoarse at Ernie Biggs Dueling Piano Bar (they offer limo service if you don’t feel like driving!)
- Visit Prairie Rose for an all-you-can-eat Chuckwagon dinner, stage show, wagon rides, movies and MORE!
- Mark your calendar for the Wichita Jazz Festival
- Buy tickets for a show at INTRUST Arena
- Attend one (or all 6!) of the shows in the KEYN Summer Concert Series at Water Walk Place
- Catch a show at The Cotillion
- Attend a concert at The Orpheum
- Check out Wichita’s local student talent!
Nature Lovers
- Check the calendar at Great Plains Nature Center and enjoy a Full Moon Walk
- Join the Wichita Audubon Society and attend local meetings/events
- Stroll through the gardens at Botanica
- Attend an awesome Adults-Only event at the Sedgwick County Zoo (Coffee Connections, Wild Wines, Beastly Beers, Cocktails with the Creatures, etc.)
- Go apple, peach or berry picking at a local orchard or farm (WMB’s top choices: Elderslie, Entz Orchardand Beck’s Farm)
- Give geocaching a try
- Go stargazing
- Grab your binoculars & field guide and go birding
- Go fishing
- Take a short drive to Elk City State Park and enjoy camping, hiking, fishing, and more
Oenophiles
- Take a vineyard tour and enjoy a wine tasting at Grace Hill Winery in Whitewater – or sign up to help harvest!
- Visit Wyldewood Cellars in Peck, KS
- Mark your calendar for Wild Wines (tasting & lecture) at Sedgwick County Zoo
- Enjoy a bottle at The Wine Dive
- Host a wine tasting night with friends – have everyone bring their favorite!
- Attend Midwest WineFest or the Cowtown Wine Mosey
- Drive south to Udall for a tasting and tour of Windswept Winery
- BYOB to Paint the Town, Pinot’s Palette or Leonardo di Vino and create your own masterpieces
- Stop in What’s Brewin’ for supplies and make your own wine at home
- Enroll in a fun, homework-free WSU Community Education wine tasting class
Overnighters
Book a night at one of these Wichita favorites for a mini-staycation:
Hotels:
Bed & Breakfasts:
Penny Pinchers
- Take a stroll along the river and watch the “Ring of Fire” at the Keeper of the Plains
- Rent a movie from Redbox ($1.50 for DVD; $2 for Bluray)
- Pick up coffee to go at Verita or Reverie & enjoy a long walk
- See a movie for $5 on Warren Wednesdays (Old Town) or $1.50 on Time Warp Tuesdays (The Palace)
- Visit the FREE the galleries at Ulrich Museum of Art, CityArts, Wichita Center for the Arts or Wichita Art Museum (only free on Saturdays)
- See a free movie under the stars at New Market Square (summer)
- Give geocaching a try
- Go stargazing
- Check the calendar at Great Plains Nature Center and enjoy a Full Moon Walk
- Attend a production of Shakespeare in the Park
- Check Ballet Wichita’s calendar for upcoming Ballet in the Park performances
- Wake up early and visit a Farmer’s Market for fresh, local food
- Build a family time capsule
- Bust out the board games
- Get gelato at Allegro Cafe and take a walk around Old Town
- Pitch a tent for a backyard campout or make S’mores in the fireplace
Philanthropists
Volunteer as a couple:
- Join BBBS Positive Pathways
- Organize a Together We Rise event
- Volunteer at Wichita Art Museum, Cowtown, or Botanica and help keep our museums in tip-top shape!
- Be Jester Judges or join The Music Theatre Wichita Guild to volunteer behind the scenes
- Volunteer as man power at a fundraiser for your favorite charity
- Check United Way of the Plains for specific volunteeropportunities in our area
Put your money where your mouth is! Click here for a large, detailed calendar of fundraising events for Wichita-are non-profits!
Science Geeks
- Attend a Science Cafe event at the Donut Whole – enjoy face-to-face conversations with scientists on current topics in their fields
- Visit the Science Education Center and browse their incredible selection of telescopes, microscopes, chemistry sets and more!
- Volunteer with one of these great agencies to pass your STEM knowledge on to future scientists
- Spend an afternoon at Exploration Place
- Blast off to the Kansas Cosmosphere or Strataca Salt Museum in Hutchinson (and check out our guide to Hutch for more to do while you’re there!)
Sports Nuts
- Cheer on the team at a high school or college game
- Visit the Kansas Sports Halls of Fame
- Go to a Thunder hockey game
- Take in America’s favorite pastime at a Wingnuts game
- Cheer on the B-52s – Wichita’s indoor soccer team
- Catch Wichita Force football game
- Enjoy a good walk spoiled at one of Wichita’s public golf courses
- Get a sitter and host a kid-free tailgate
- Join the Wichita/Derby Ultimate Frisbee League
- Grab dinner and a game at your favorite sports bar
Sugar Addicts
Skip dinner and go out for dessert! Here are our top picks for the following:
- Cupcakes
- Small Cakes
- Brown Box Bakery (a cupcake truck!)
- Candy
- Decadent Desserts
- Gelato
- Ice Cream
- Pie
Theater Enthusiasts
Attend a local profession production offered by one of these fantastic organizations:
- Ballet Wichita
- Crown Uptown Theatre
- Forum Theatre
- Kechi Playhouse
- Music Theatre Wichita
- Mosely Street Melodrama
- Roxy’s Downtown
- Theatre League Wichita
- Wichita Community Theatre
- Wichita Grand Opera
Attend a local university drama department’s play or musical:
Attend a local high school musical or play (or see a show at Christian Youth Theater, Music Theatre for Young People or Laughing Feet)
[…] Wichita Date Night Ideas […]
[…] Wichita Date Night Ideas […]