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Wichita Falls Texas? Everyone asked when I announced my weekend getaway. I admit that I chose this location because my youngest son attended his military technical school here. Looking on the map, it is in the middle of nowhere. There are so many charming small towns in Texas. And this little town did not disappoint!
Located equidistant from Dallas, Texas, and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, this town’s visitors consist of a few major groups. The largest group is that related to the military. Sheppard Air Force base is one of the major training campuses for the Air Force. The base hosts approximately 20,000 military members on any given day. Hosting additional students, the base houses approximately 60,000 troops each year. The influence of the military is seen throughout the town and this is a positive symbiotic relationship. Home to Midwestern State University, this town’s population is young. Wichita Falls is revitalizing the downtown area to cater to those driving through and attending special events.
So what to do in Wichita Falls Texas?
PRO TIP: Whenever visiting a small town, always check attraction hours in advance as it isn’t unusual for them to be closed on Sundays or if business is slow.
RIVER BEND NATURE CENTER
This little center in Wichita Falls Texas is more of a to-do with children but a nice place to spend some time. A lot of visitors come because of weddings and rehearsal dinners or family gatherings and it is perfect for that purpose. We visited on a day with snow flurries, so we only explored the indoor spaces. During our visit, a fifth-grade class on a field trip learned about geology. A docent accompanied visitors which turned out to be great as we learned all about each animal and tree. This furry little prairie dog loved being held and scratched. I even got to try a Texas mallow flower!
MUSEUM OF NORTH TEXAS HISTORY
Unfortunately, I didn’t get to visit this little museum. I was right by it on Saturday but was so tired that I planned on returning Sunday. To my disappointment, the museum is closed on Sundays and Mondays.
I enjoyed their “Jenny to Jet” exhibit at the airport and based on this, recommend a visit. The beauty of this small museum is the FREE admission. You can’t beat that!
WORLD’S LITTLEST SKYSCRAPER
The tourist signs piqued my curiosity about this place. Ripley’s Believe It Or Not titled it the “World’s Littlest Skyscraper” in 1920. The result of a swindle by a con man, a judge upheld the contract signed by investors who believed that a four-story building would provide extra office space in town. They didn’t realize that they wouldn’t be full stories. A consignment store now fills the space.
FALLS AT LUCY PARK
Curious where this town got its name? There used to be small falls here but they washed away during a flood in the 1800s. This man-made version built in 1987 in Lucy Park commemorates the town’s origin. The park itself is beautiful and encircled by a 1.7 mile concrete trail. The park is the western start of the City Wide Trail System (currently 18 miles of concrete trails and scheduled to become 24 miles). The falls are an easy one-mile walk from the entrance of the park or park near the highway for a shorter hike. Check out more gorgeous Texas waterfalls while you’re at it!
WEE CHI TAH
Wee Chi Tah translates to “waist-deep” in Comanche. This sculpture replicates a family testing the depth of the waters for the family to cross. The Mountain Bike Trail is popular among mountain bikers and hikers alike. This is likely the most Instagrammable spot in town!
KEMP CENTER FOR THE ARTS
Opening in 1918, this former Carnegie public library is listed as a Texas historical landmark. Transformed into a center for the arts in 2002, it now houses a small collection of art from local artists. The best part? The beautiful sculptured garden provides a serene escape from the rest of the town.
WICHITA FALLS BREWING
Opened in 2017, this brewery offers not only its own beers but other local brews as well as ciders too. The friendly bartenders helpfully suggested different beers to try. The majority of customers were either local or from the nearby area – adding to the neighborhood feel of this brewery. For those not drinking, soda and juice alternatives were plentiful. Want to take some beer home? Take a crowler of your favorite beer with you – mine was the Lifetime Dreamer Belgian Wit!
Wichita Falls Railroad Museum
Hard to find just using the tourist signs, this museum is located at 500 9th Street – on the train tracks. Open only on Saturdays from 11am to 3pm, time your visit right! The good news is that you can climb inside several types of trains and cabooses.
Where to eat in Wichita Falls Texas:
After visiting a few places, are you looking for somewhere to eat?
McBride Land & Cattle Co. Steaks
If you’re in Texas, the land of cattle, you’ve got to eat steak, right? If so, McBride Land & Cattle Co. Steaks is the local restaurant to try. This family-owned business has a strong local following. The restaurant’s decor is a little tired but I don’t care about that as long as my food is good. We enjoyed dinner here on a Sunday night and they had some fabulous specials. We ate as soon as the doors opened at 5pm but there was already a line waiting for the doors to open. My sirloin steak was really tender and included a baked potato and side salad for $14.75 – not bad at all! The TripAdvisor reviews were all over the place – but we were nicely surprised with our affordable and well-prepared steaks.
Gidget’s Sandwich Shack
Gidget’s was one of the places my Uber driver recommended. Their soups and sandwiches really hit the spot on our cold, dreary day. The fresh baked cookies served as a nice dessert. While we were the only ones eating there, we saw several customers come and pick up takeout orders. This is one of the most kitschy restaurants I’ve ever been to – the tables are random kitchen sets with random chairs. It was the perfect setting using the older buildings downtown.
This area of Texas is gorgeous and there are lots of areas for hiking. Unfortunately, I visited just a month after having foot surgery so I couldn’t enjoy those but I highly recommend looking into that if you’re seeking more active adventures. Visiting San Antonio? Start planning your weekend itinerary here.
Happy travels!
Annick, The Common Traveler
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Raised as a third culture kid living in South America and Europe, Annick caught the travel bug early. As an empty-nester, Annick enjoys sharing her tips for traveling for those with champagne taste and beer budgets.
Now that is one cute little town! The story about the world’s littlest skyscraper is so funny, a four-storey building that didn’t have full stories? Haha. The Museum of North Texas history, The Railroad Museum and the brewery, all look like great places to visit. Such a small town and so much to do, how lovely!
I would love to visit a small town for a change. Just away from crowded spots and destinations. My son would enjoy the Jenny to Jet exhibit. We loves airplanes so much. Thank you for sharing about it. We hope to visit soon. Appreciate the tips.
I’ve never heard of Wichita Falls before reading this, but now feel as if I’ve been! Very interesting about the Comanche heritage behind the name, I’d never have known. You had me at the steak place! I always get a big juicy steak whenever in the US, and this place would do the trick!
I have take 40 from Amarillo to OKC and 35 from Dallas to OKC. I have never been on this section of 44 (only north from OKC to Tulsa and beyond. I love the wrestling museum. We live in Orlando right next to the glorious chaos that is I-drive. Here there are more tourist traps than you can shake an alligator head stick at. Still, we take out of town guests to the Hulk Hogan Surf Shop so they can check out all the wrestling paraphernalia. WWF was such an integral part of my childhood memories.
I am not from the US so my knowledge about such offbeat places is limited. But I love reading articles like these as it gives my ides for my next travels. Wichita, Texas doesn’t look like an obvious destination for a weekend getaway and that’s what makes it interesting for me. And, whenever I’ll visit i’ll make sure to check about the attractions opening timings.
For such a small town, there sure seems to be a lot of fun things to do! I would never guess there are 18 miles of trails leading out of here. I love laid back towns and this sure seems like one. I would love to visit someday. Thank you for letting me know about it 🙂
I haven’t heard of Wichita Falls before. It’s definitely an interesting day out when in Texas. Planes always keep me entertained and I have a love for history. This place is surely in my list when I will visit Texas.
It’s tiny but they’re creating some interesting spots to visit.
The moment I read about this cozy little town , it made me remind of chikita song from Abba..hahaha .. well such an interesting place to be I am sure .. I am yet to visit that part of the world .. But this place and your details definitely tempts me enought to pay a visit there once .
Visiting small towns even though it being offbeat and less touristy, comes with its own sets of problems, like is everything open or not. But yeah, there are a lot of quaint things that can be done in these small towns, only if you’ve done your research properly.
Small towns are amazing.
There is quite a lot to do in this little town! I love the statues of the family checking the water’s depth before crossing. Thanks for the recommendation of a place for good and reasonably priced steak-definitely a must eat in Texas! The old airplanes in the North Texas Museum look like something my children would love as well.
A great destination and one not so known about. If I was travelling around this area I would surely like to visit it. I have a keen interest in planes and history about it and with the airforce base and history museum makes it my perfect choice. The town looks chilled out and a great escape for a day from the other major cities. Thanks for sharing this.
I never knew about Wichita falls before reading your post and it seems to be perfect weekend getaway from Texas. I love such nature hikes or trails and also to see the military influence over here must be great. I would love to go for Wichita rail road museum as going up and down on several locomotives must be fun.
You are right that Wichita, Texas is not the obvious destination for a weekend getaway! But I enjoyed reading about what the town has to offer. I can imagine with such a large militaruy base and training facility that the military influence is a major aspect to Wichita, and makes sense to base the Museum of North Texas history there. I did giggle at the Littlest Skyscraper! That natural landscape and gardens appeal too and definitely the local brewery.
I wouldn’t guess there are so many cool things to do in such a small town! I didn’t even know Wichita Falls existed before this article. I’ll be visiting Texas on a business trip next month and I might give it a visit and check out the 18 miles of trails. That sounds exciting
I love these quaint little towns. So peaceful and simple. Loved your observation – ” littlest skyscraper” – haha. Wichita Falls will be on my list if i visit Texas or Dallas
I love laid back towns such as this one. They have their own local brewery, that’s pretty awesome! So many hiking trails make for a perfect weekend getaway with the family! I’ve never heard of Wichita Falls before but this post has been an informative read, thanks for sharing!
There’s a lot to do for such a small town! I love that there are 18 miles of trails leading out of here. And even though the waterfall isn’t the original, or natural, I’d still love to see it! I’m defintiely drawn in by all the nature — and the brewery!