The Best Adventure Awaits for your Family at Botanica Wichita

Are you considering whether Botanica is a good fit for your family? Although it is not huge, there is so much to do! Here is what we experienced and what we liked about it.

Beautiful and unique flowers

I have been to several Botanical gardens throughout different states and I truly have to say that I loved this one! Everywhere I turned there were unique flowers that I had never seen before. I loved the diversity and it was nice to be able to show my daughter all of these different kinds of plants and flowers. We visited in July and the gardens were blooming. There were so many different colors, shapes, and sizes to explore. Here are a few of my favorites…

Play area & Library

When you go inside the main entrance you may notice an area off to the side where you can get consessions. Right past this is a play area for children and it is full of toys and books! There were blocks, play structures, activity centers, and even a “tree house” to climb up into and play. We visited in the summer and this was a great place to hang out while we all cooled off a bit. I recommend planning some time into your day to allow your children to explore this space!

Koi fish

I don’t know about you, but anytime I have seen children around fish, it seems like they can watch them for hours. We found Koi fish in two different ponds throughout the gardens and enjoyed watching them as they swam and played. The smaller Chinese garden has the better viewpoint for young children and it also has a great spot to stop and watch them in a shaded area. The other spot we found them at was the Koi Pond pavilion in the main garden. Both are great spots to stop and watch them. 

Train garden

Near the entrance to the main gardens is the train garden. I did not realize this was here until we were on our way out. It is a great spot to watch miniature trains as they move about the area and also to enjoy how they have landscaped the area. I was impressed with how beautiful the area was made to look. The train runs from March through September weather permitting.

Fun exhibits in the park

At different times throughout the year, they have rotating exhibits that can be found throughout the gardens. While we were there, they had origami in the garden. Outside of viewing the flowers and plants, it was fun to walk the grounds and look for what creations we would find next. They did a great job with this exhibit and I would love to go back and see others that come to Botanica in the future.

Carousel 

While we did not have time to explore the carousel during our visit, I wish we had. In this area, they also have large lawn games such as checkers and Jenga. They also have a grand lawn where events are held and a sensory garden. They are supposed to have a future area with slides and play equipment for older children. I am sad we missed getting to check out this area.

Downing Children’s Garden

The best part of Botanica for kids is the children’s garden! I did not know what to expect when we visited, but it was a beautiful space with so many fun things to do! Here are a few of them!

Rainbow entrance and walkway

When you enter the Children’s garden you are greeted with a fun rainbow themed entryway. My daughter loved all the fun colors! It also starts out with a yellow path for kids to walk down that has two rainbow arches for them to pass under. Another feature at the front of the garden was a cute squirrel planter. I loved the fern they chose to put in it! So fun!

Water features

What kid does not love getting to play in water?! Not far from the entrance is a play fountain that mimics a sunflower. It has water that pools at the top and then falls down the side. It was a hot day so we all enjoyed getting to play in the water and feel it as it came down the side. 

They also had another area with water tables that you could play in. There were several different tables where you could pump water into and different items to play with in this area. 

Learning houses

Surrounding the water trough was a Bee House, a farmhouse, and a party barn where they host birthday parties and activities. The Bee house did not have a lot when we went in but it looked like it may be used for educational activities at different times. The farmhouse had a play kitchen and play food that was fun for my daughter to play with while there. 

Musical Garden

As we continued on the path, we found Grandaddy’s Musical Maze. This area was enjoyable to explore and try out all the different ways music can be made. We liked running from place to place and hearing the different sounds. 

Playgrounds

We found two different play structures in the garden and had a good time exploring them both. The first one we found is primarily for older kids but my 20 month old daughter was still able to enjoy this area. They had areas to climb up and down, spider web designed seats to hang out in, and fake tree trunks to crawl through. We spent a good amount of time here running around. I also loved that this area was well shaded! It also had several benches for adults to sit down on.

The second playground we found was made for younger children and was the perfect space for my daughter. It had a wall with all kinds of things to explore, a long green tunnel to climb through, a butterfly bench and cocoon to play with, and little stair steps to jump and climb on. 

While we were unable to explore everything in the children’s garden due to time, we had a great time with what we did explore and would love to go back! 

So, if you are in Wichita and wondering if Botanica is a good fit for your family, I would say yes! We loved it and the price was great at only $12 for adults and $10 for children with 2 and under getting in free. If you have been, let me know your thoughts in the comments! 

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