Tulips are blooming in Wichita, and 2 events this weekend invite visitors to admire them
Last year’s tulip season was sad and sort of scary.
The COVID-19 stay-at-home order had just been issued, and people weren’t getting out for anything but the necessities. The tulips bloomed anyway — and on several occasions, Botanica’s executive director Marty Miller gamely gave quarantined Wichitans virtual tours of the gardens’ blooming tulips on social media. But the season lacked its usual color and joy.
This year, though, Wichita will once again be invited to tiptoe through — or rather carefully around — the tulips. Two of the area’s top venues for viewing the colorful April flowers — Botanica and the the Bartlett Arboretum in nearby Belle Plaine — are welcoming people back in this year, and it all starts this weekend.
Botanica’s Tulip Festival will stretch over three Saturdays starting this weekend and will include a variety of activities. Bartlett Arboretum’s Art at the Arb, a staple of springtime that includes music, vendors and 40,000 blooming tulips, returns for a two-day run this weekend.
Here’s what you need to know about both events.:
Botanica’s Tulip Festival
The gardens at Botanica, 701 Amidon, are blooming with more than 66,000 tulips in 110 varieties, and visitors can enjoy several activities while admiring them. The festival will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 17 and April 24, and each week, visitors will have access to a mini petting zoo by Four Points Ranch and will be able to enjoy live music starting at 11 a.m. Food trucks Hot-2-Trot and Noble House will be there selling food, and Botanica will also be selling popcorn and sno-cones.
While at Botanica, visitors can also explore the bee house and take a $3 ride on the restored Joyland carousel. Botanica will also be selling tulip painting kits for $10 each that come with a blank canvas, easel, paints, brushes and a how-to-draw guide. They’ll be available while supplies last.
Botanica will be asking visitors to remain socially distanced and to wear masks in cases where they can’t. Tickets to the festival are $10 for adults and $8 for youth, seniors and members of the military. People who want a guided tour of the tulips can buy $20 tickets ($15 for members) that include admission, but advance registration is required. Book tickets and tours at botanica.org/tulip-fest.
Art at the Arb
Every spring, Bartlett Arboretum in Belle Plaine offers a weekend filled not only with tulips but also with live music, art vendors, food and more.
Art at the Arb didn’t happen last year because of the pandemic, but it’ll make its big return on Saturday and Sunday. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m on Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday, and visitors will be able to view 40,000 blooming tulip bulbs flaming with color under the arboretum’s tree canopy.
Both days, visitors will be able to buy lunch and snacks from on-site vendors including Neives’ Taco Truck, Luciano’s and Lyon’s Den BBQ. And both days, a variety of artists will be set up on the grounds selling their wares. Five different musical acts performing bluegrass, roots and even Irish music will play starting at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, and three will appear on Sunday. View the complete lineup at www.bartlettarboretum.com/events/art_at_the_arb.
Admission is a $10 donation at the gate.
This story was originally published April 8, 2021 at 5:01 AM.
.jpg)