Foam dart ‘battlefield,’ arcade opens this weekend in Wichita

Dart Quest, Wichita’s latest attraction for kids, came together quickly.

From conception to completion, the 5,000-square-foot venue at 2626 S. Rock Road took about six weeks to put together.

“It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing,” said Blake Phillips, founder of Dart Quest. The Wichita native said he’d been to several similar places in Los Angeles, where he now lives.

“I wanted something you can’t get anywhere else in Wichita,” he said.

Dart Quest features a Nerf-gun foam-dart battlefield, specifically catered to children 5-12 years old — in addition to an arcade. Adults are also welcome.

It’ll be similar to Wichita’s Laser Quest, for now.

A similar foam-dart battlefield exists in Wichita — Dart Warz at 6803 W. Taft — but it doesn’t have an arcade.

Guests pay $10 an hour to play at Dart Quest, and each individual game lasts between five and seven minutes. The admission fee covers rental of a basic dart blaster — though you can pay more to rent advanced models.

For now, Phillips said he’s planning on allowing people to bring in their own Nerf guns, but if it becomes an issue, he may require people to use Dart Quest’s models.

Everyone has to wear safety glasses and a Nerf gun vest for protection, Phillips said.

Dart Quest officially opens from 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday. Admission will be $5 this Saturday, and a portion of the proceeds from opening day will be donated to the Wesley Children’s Foundation.

It will be open only on weekends for now, he said. When the school year starts, he’ll likely add Thursday night hours as well, he said.

He plans on expanding in the strip center where Dart Quest is, across from McConnell Air Force Base on Rock Road.

In another 5,000 square feet, he plans to add a virtual-reality experience as well as a café and other activities for the grown-up set.

“I want to stay away from things already in the city and focus on things I can bring here,” Phillips said. “VR will be an absolute. The gears are already in motion on that.”

Phillips’ partner in the venture is DJ BearFoot, a popular local DJ. BearFoot will maintain the day-to-day operations at Dart Quest.

The facility will also be available for rentals and private parties.

“People wouldn’t necessarily want to get married in there — it’s very anime,” Phillips said. “But there’s a lot of different things you can do in there.”

Dart Quest is Phillips’ first attempt at starting a business in Wichita — in Los Angeles, he works as a music producer and said he has owned a production studio.

“This is more of just a passion project, if you will, for me to have more reason to come to my hometown,” he said.

For more information about Dart Quest, call 316-305-3908.

This story was originally published July 24, 2018 at 2:17 PM.