Beyond Blooms: The Wonders of Botanica, the Wichita Gardens

We’ve been to a lot of botanic gardens, in the Midwest and other parts of the U.S. So, when we say Botanica, the Wichita Gardens is at the top of our list of favorites, it means a lot. What makes it special? Read on (or watch the video) to find out.

If You’d Rather Just Listen…

If You’d Rather Read…

Botanica, the Wichita Gardens, incorporates more art, architecture, and water among the plants and flowers than any other botanic gardens we’ve visited. It includes an awesome children’s garden, too, which we’ll talk about in a minute. But let’s start at the beginning.

Chinese Garden of Friendship

Our first stop was the Chinese Garden of Friendship, a traditional Chinese Garden, from the architecture to the plants. Every element of the garden has some significant Chinese meaning. For instance, the dragon that runs atop the scallop-topped wall gives the effect of movement. The dragon holds a pearl in its mouth and is known as the Treasure Dragon, the protector and keeper of underground treasure.

The bright orange and yellow fish in the koi pond and stream add a pop of color to the garden—and entertained us, as well.

Garden Train

Our next stop was the Gene E. Spear Railroad Garden. Skip is a big rail fan, so I knew he’d enjoy it. The model train runs through a layout of miniature landscapes and towns and captured both our attentions for quite a while. The train operates from March through September and during the holiday Illuminations event, weather permitting.

Kaleidoscope

Just a few feet from the garden train, a kaleidoscope caught my eye. It was attached to a plant-filled bowl. Spin the bowl while looking through the kaleidoscope for the effect of colorful dimensional images. Such fun!

Butterflies…Lots of Butterflies

As we began strolling among the flowers, we noticed a lot of butterflies, many more than we’d usually see around flowers. It turns out it was monarch migration season. More than monarchs flitted around, though, and we stood mesmerized, watching them.

A little later we went into the Butterfly House and watched more of the colorful, fluttering insects. But honestly, because of the migration season, I think there were actually more butterflies around the outdoor flowers.

Fountains and Sculptures Throughout Botanica

As I mentioned, Botanica seems to have more fountains and sculptures than most botanic gardens, incorporated artistically among flowers and other plants. There is something about the sound and sight of water that relaxes me, especially moving water, whether the water sprays through a fountain or rushes down a stream.

Animated Dinosaurs: Temporary Exhibit

Speaking of sculptures, a temporary dinosaur exhibit took place while we were there in 2023. Scattered throughout the gardens, the dinosaur sculptures jumped to life as we neared them. So fun! The exhibit was only for last summer. The 2024 summer exhibit is Sean Kenney’s Nature Pop! The exhibit features animal sculptures made with more than 800,000 LEGO® bricks.

Children’s Garden

My very favorite section of Botanica, the Wichita Gardens, was the Children’s Garden. I was selfishly glad we were there on a weekday when school was in session, so I could play. I had fun playing the musical instruments in the Music Maze.

My inner child really came out in the Monster Woods. What a cool place! I especially liked the monster trees, the tree house…and even the spider web (only because I knew it was fake—real spider webs creep my out).

We also enjoyed the troll asleep under the bridge. The toddlers playing on bridge didn’t seem to even care that the troll lay right beneath them. Brave kids.

When I saw the carousel, I was tempted to ride it. It’s rare that I don’t ride a carousel when I see one, but the day was getting warm and we had a full schedule for the afternoon.

Illuminations: The