Welcome to Wichita, Kansas. We have an exciting, and hopefully not raining, adventure for you
today.
Before we get started on this adventure, time for some coffee.
Leslie's Coffee has been a staple in Wichita since 2018, and considering how gorgeous the
toast is and delicious the coffee is-
Oh, that is good.
... it's no shock as to why.
We've had a lot of coffee in the country. This is definitely one of my favorites. It
comes with goat cheese and jam. Oh, yeah. I don't know if goat cheese and jam is a thing
or not, but this is definitely the first time I've tried it. And I'm sorry this is the first
time I tried it, because I would definitely eat this more often. This is the jam.
I got avocado toast with mustard seeds, and they're so big, they look like caviar. I'm
pretty sure I've got a couple in my teeth.
Now we have a very exciting adventure to share with you all. We are headed to the zoo, with
a VIP experience planned, and it's about to get wild. We've got our unlimited encounter
passes, and we're ready to get started.
When we were researching cool local things to do in Wichita, Kansas, one of the first
things I found was Tanganyika Wildlife Park. It's basically a family-owned zoo, and they
even have a nursery for baby animals here. We're so excited to explore today.
Look at those penguins.
The
up-close and personal animal experiences they have here at Tanganyika Wildlife Park are
really unique. You can even book a date to swim and play with these adorable African
penguins, under the supervision of a trainer, of course. While that's not on our agenda
today, we will definitely come back and do that next time we're in Wichita.
Hello! What 'cha doing? It looks like we're going to get a little bit of rain. But a little
bit of water never ruined anybody's day.
Somebody's coming to visit. You guys are so These not so little guys are sulcata tortoises.
They're from Africa, and they can weigh up to 240 pounds.
Right here you've got two honey badgers. That is a whole lot of "I don't give a F". Because
if you know anything about honey badgers, you know that they don't care about nothing.
They will take on any animal with zero fear. Literally, zero fear is their life mantra.
And just like that, the sun is coming out. Yay.
It's starting to get hot out here. I'm sweating like a... One of these guys. Now, I know he's,
look at this, hungry.
One of the things that is so ridiculously cool about this place is it's all about an
interactive experience. So, unlike some of your normal zoos, where you just have to see
animals behind the cages, you get to see them up and close here. And you even get to pet
a kangaroo. Obviously, this place is super family friendly, but if you're an adult like
me, it's pretty amazing too. Hi guy. You're a big guy.
Tortoise crossing.
That's so amazing. His shell is, well, probably exactly like what you would think it would
feel like.
Somebody's pretty popular.
Hi. [inaudible 00:07:22]. You are soft.
Aw.
Just a couple of 'roos hanging out. This one's a much better hopper than myself, but I can
pretend.
On your mark, get set, go.
He's going to beat you. That was awesome.
You may have noticed there are way more baby animals here than the average zoo. That's
because Tanganyika Wildlife Park is a world leader in breeding rare and endangered species.
They have 37 successful breeding programs. As a visitor, obviously that's sheer joy,
because these babies are so cute. But these programs help in conservation efforts of these
sweet souls, too.
I think Polly wants a cracker. I just don't have one to give them. You want a cracker?
Yeah.
Yeah. I know, right? I knew it. Polly does want a cracker. Little did you know, I speak
bird.
Tanganyika Wildlife Park is owned by the Fouts family. In 1985, they bought five acres of
land in Goddard, Kansas, a short 30-minute drive from Wichita, with nothing more than
a love for animals and a big dream. Today, they've built one of the largest family-owned
zoos in the country, and have never taken government funds or grants to build it. But
now, it's time for up close and personal otter meet and greet. There you go.
Now that we've been monkeying around all day, time to go grab some lunch.
One of Daniel's favorite foods on the planet is ramen. So, when a local told us Yokohama
Ramen was an absolute can't-miss... cheers... we were pumped to check it out. Cheese-stuffed
peppers were an owner's favorite. And they're amazing. There's a reason why this place has
been featured on the Food Network.
With our bellies full, it's time to check out an iconic Wichita landmark. Welcome to
the Keeper of the Plains. This statue is iconic Wichita. And if you come to visit, you absolutely
can't miss it. It sits where the Big Kansas River and the Little Kansas River converge,
and this park is gorgeous.
Earlier this week, we came out here on a Thursday night, and they had live music, cocktails,
food trucks. It was a blast. It's a great place to come out and just relax for the afternoon.
This isn't the only art that Wichita is famous for, so we're going to show you that, too.
This is exactly what we mean by wandering local.
We were coming down to Douglas Street anyway to check out all of the amazing murals, and
apparently we kind of stumbled into something pretty awesome.
The streets are closed. RVs, cars, obviously you can hear in the background, a Batmobile,
so much going on here.
Does touring RVs ever get old? I mean, what do you think? Could you see us living in this
fifth wheel? Whoever leveled this thing was a little clueless, but they got a really solid
view.
Plenty of storage. Whoa. Sorry. It's not level. This behind me looks like a proper tow vehicle.
We've been walking for easily a quarter of a mile, and it just keeps going. There are
so many cars here, old, new.
What do you think? Should we trade in the Airstream? I could probably work right here.
We just found out that apparently this is a once-a-year event. We're just that lucky.
And it's called Automobilia, and it is huge.
I dropped the phone.
Right off of Douglas is Old Town. And we've spent a majority of our exploring time here
in Wichita down here. They have great restaurants and now, we're going to check out another
one.
We're basically Brussels sprout obsessed, but never heard of fried Brussels sprouts.
So, of course we had to try it.
I ordered a black bean burger and some fries.
I'm a sucker for pesto pasta, and this one's awesome. If we're being honest, we didn't
have high expectations for Wichita, Kansas. But after this experience, we've totally fallen
in love. From amazing local restaurants, a really cool art scene, super friendly people,
and adorable baby animal overload, we won't pass up an opportunity to come back and wander
local here again soon. After all, it's good for the soul.