South Central

Being natives of Kansas City, we believe we know a little about barbeque. The opportunity to add Delano Barbeque Company to our itinerary meant a chance to sample one of our favorite cuisines. This restaurant has only been around for a little over a decade, but it has certainly established itself as a Wichita staple in that short time. We want to thank the Visit Wichita for their hospitality. Rest assured that all opinions are our own. Historic Delano We had scheduled our visit to Delano BBQ for a Friday lunch period. Susan, from Visit Wichita, had asked to join us. Earlier in the week we had [...]

One of our main goals is to uncover those almost hidden places like Public. The hunt can be tantalizing, and the rewards are often far above our expectations. Many times it is the background story that adds an extra layer of mystique to one of our destinations. We want to thank Public for their hospitality. Rest assured that all opinions are our own. Underground Dining Our visit to Public was a great compliment to our itinerary. We had spent our first two nights being the guests of the Hotel at Old Town. It made a good home base for many of our excursions, and even [...]

One of our first stops in Wichita, was the Sedgwick Historical Museum. We know that a good way to get a quick understanding of a city you are visiting, is by making a trip to the local historical museum. Our arrival was on a bad weather day, so it made for a perfect indoor treat. Palace of the Plains The Sedgwick Historical Museum is housed in a magnificent City Building, which was constructed in 1892. Formerly the old City Hall, the building had a questionable future when the new City Hall was opened in 1975.  After major renovations, the museum opened in its newly refurbished  location [...]

Our last morning in Wichita brought us to Jimmie's Diner for breakfast. The owners of the restaurant happened to be there that morning, and we had the pleasure of visiting with them for a while. They made us feel like a couple of the locals, and filled us in on the interesting history of this unique restaurant chain. We want to thank the Jimmie's Diner for their hospitality. Rest assured that all opinions are our own. The Early Days Jimmie's is named after A.J. "Jimmie" King, who had a long history with Wichita restaurants. He began by working for Walt Anderson, who created the [...]

Visits to places like Cocoa Dolce can be very hard on us. Being travel bloggers means that we spend lots of time testing a wide variety of foods. When it comes to sweets, we try to locate the really good ones, so a small portion will suffice. Of course, If it's really good chocolate who can stop at just a small portion? We want to thank the Cocoa Dolce for their hospitality. Rest assured that all opinions are our own. Cocoa Dolce's Lounge Our research of Wichita uncovered something we had never heard of before. The idea of a chocolate lounge was intriguing, so we [...]

The Sedgwick County Zoo has a history of continuous improvements. Since it's early days in 1971, this Midwestern zoo has had big dreams, which it strives to fulfill. With almost 300 species, this zoological park has blossomed into a major attraction. We want to thank the Sedgwick County Zoo for their hospitality. Rest assured that all opinions are our own. A Chilly Start The morning we visited the Sedgwick Zoo was unseasonably cool. The previous day had actually seen snow in the forecast, which was certainly not what we wanted in May. Of course, we are in Kansas, so drastic weather changes are too often [...]

Our choice of Monarch for dinner one evening was made based on a single menu item. When I saw they served up a Cuban sandwich, it sealed the deal. The only thing left was to hope it was a good one. Eclectic Decor The restaurant sits on the edge of a roundabout in the Delano section of Wichita. We heard many stories about the West vs. East sides of this city. The basics of the stories were that at one time the West side was where the cowboys hung out. The East side was for the more dignified citizens. So the gist of it [...]

Aero Plains Brewing was not originally on our itinerary. During one of our visits with Susan, from Visit Wichita, she told us about this new enterprise in the Delano area of town. Fortunately, we were able to squeeze a visit into our schedule. History and Innovation Intersect Aero Plains is the brainchild of three men who have a passion for creating craft beers. They saw a vacancy in the Wichita market, and decided to do something about it. We caught up with Lance, who is one of the owners. He offered us a tour of the production facility. The unique name comes from [...]

Although we usually shy away from showcasing chains, Il Vicino Wood Fired Pizza is one of those exceptions. While the idea of wood fired pizza is no longer a rare occurrence, toss in that the recipes are all determined by a gourmet chef, and now that's something special. We visited their Bradley Fair location in Wichita, Kansas to sample their goods. We want to thank the Il Vicino Wood Fired Pizza for their hospitality. Rest assured that all opinions are our own. What is Il Vicino? The story of Il Vicino starts with three guys who grew up working in the restaurant business. During part of [...]