Waking up this morning a song was in my head. A song from my youth. A song that makes me feel like skipping, like Dorothy on the yellow brick road, like my grandson or any other child does when they are happy. I am a little too frumpy to skip but I still can feel that happiness, the joy, the heart of the child. The song won an academy award for best original song way back before I was born from a movie in 1946. “Zip-a-dee-doo-dah zip-a-dee-a, my oh my what a wonderful day, plenty of sunshine heading my way, zip-a-dee-doo-dah zip-a-dee-a” going over and over in my mind, taking me to “Doo-Dah” a happy place, an exciting place. Before arriving in Doo-Dah, the nickname given to Wichita, Kansas, I had no idea, no preconceived notion what it would be like. It is in Kansas, the Midwest, the heartland of our country.
Oh, I had no idea this would be my skipping place, my happy place.
In enquiring in a Facebook post to author Vanessa Whiteside of her most recent book published by Reedy Press , Secret Wichita: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure; where the nickname “Doo-Dah” originated from. She stated, “It’s a nickname that has circulated around for years. I haven’t found an exact origin story or person who created the saying. It’s always been a part of our local culture to use it. I remember news anchors using it when I watched TV as a kid.”
The mystery of the origin must have been on my mind as I fell asleep last night. Then the song, the feeling of being in doo-dah came to me in my dreams. Yes this is a happy place, a laid back place, a whimsical place.
Once I was told I shouldn’t be so happy at work as I was unloading a semi-truck of packages, while I was singing, whistling the doo-dah song. I still do not know officially why Wichita is called doo-dah but in my experience it is a happy place for me.
The places Jessica of Visit Wichita lined up for our Midwest Traveler Network Writing Workshop (bootcamp) gave me the happy place, the fun experience!
Running through Wichita, Ks is the Arkansas River. The river has walking trails and recreation. It is home to many places you may want to visit. While attending the Midwest Traveler Network Writing Workshop (bootcamp, as I called it because it was intense and packed with information) one of the venues we met at to learn from Theresa L. Goodrich an Emmy-winning author , content creator great storyteller with a keen eye. She’s the founder and publisher of The Local Tourist and Your Chicago Guide and author of the Two Lane Gems book series, Living Landmarks of Chicago, and contributor to Midwest Road Trip Adventures was
Exploration Place
The Exploration Place is located along the Arkansas River at 300 N. McLean Blvd. Wichita, Kansas 67203 in Wichita, Kansas. Open everyday except Christmas Day. Suzy had so much fun here and can’t wait to bring her family for a visit. There is interactive displays, special exhibits, the dome and events.
Here are some more of the AMAZING Doo-Dah places that will have you skipping along side children and those who are a big kid at heart, I guess like me.
Botanica The Wichita Gardens
Any place that has bees is a place Suzy is going to love. There is the beautiful Khicha Carousel in the Koch Carousel Gardens home to the Zerbe Family Sleeping Troll Hill and the Unicorn Topiary. Our writing workshop for the day was held in this area in the Spirit Education & Gathering Room which had a beautiful mural of carousel animals painted on the wall.
These 17 acres of land are magical. The park has a Children’s Garden, of course Suzy’s favorite, the Chinese Garden of Friendship, the Woodland Bird Garden, the Butterfly garden, a Butterfly house, Koi Pond Pavillions, Shakespeare Garden, Beverly Blue Garden, Wildflower Woodland, the Gene Spear Railroad Garden, Woodland Walk, John Firsching Pinetum & Evergreen Collection, Linda Stewart Evaluation Garden, Cissy Wise Wildflower Meadow, Murduck Street Entrance Garden, Sally Stone Sensory Garden, Schnizler Juniper Collection, Jessie Wooldridge Brosius Rose Garden, Xeriscape Demonstration Garden, Four Season Perennial Border, the Garden on the Rocks, the Greenhouse, Water Well Education Garden, Tulips, Jayne Milburn Aquatic Collection.
When we were there, they were preparing the grounds for the Jack o Lantern Spectacular. November 24 to December 30 they the Illuminations, voted one of the Top Ten Best Light Show in the country! A 62-foot Christmas tree programed with holiday images set to holiday music along with other lighted displays. Tickets must be purchased online.
Mid-America All-Indian Museum
This museum has many interactive areas for children and adults to learn about Native American culture and traditions. Suzy found art work depicting a tribe in North Dakota her homeplace, Mandan. She purchased the book on fry bread. Will share the recipe soon and Suzy’s recipe, we use them in Indian tacos. In Minnesota they call them Uffda tacos because they are sooooo good! Great…now I want an Indian taco!
Tanganyika Wildlife Park
Tanganyika is about a 20 minute drive from Wichita. It is the only wildlife park with 10 interactive encounters where you can touch, feed, and even swim with the wildlife. The park was named the most interactive wildlife park in the Midwest. The penguqins were the first interactive encounter Suzy experienced with the penguins. You can also choose to swim with the penguins. Suzy also feed the lemurs, those guys are wild! The Japanese otters were adorable, the sloth was like no other animal encounter Suzy had experienced. During the summer besides all the animals there is a water park.
Museum of World of Treasures
Wow! this museum is filled with artifacts from around the world. A word of warning there is actual human remains on display and is signed as such; mummies, shrunken heads and skulls. Two floors of everything from fossils and minerals to weapons, uniforms used in war. Hours could be spent here. I arrived a little over an hour before closing and a couple hours from having to get to ICT (abbreviation for the Wichita airport). Definitely need more time to soak it all in.
Vanessa Whiteside’s books are available through our Amazon affliate links below
100 things to do in Wichita Secret Wichita
