Things to do in Wichita Falls
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Wichita Falls
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months, warm without extreme heat, and the best trail and golf weather.
Spring is green and event rich but storm prone, with May close to the best if storms cooperate.
Extreme heat, with August highs in the high 90s and above, plus the Hotter'N Hell festival weekend.
Comfortable fall weather and the Christmas Magic market.
Cold wind and dormant winter gardens make this the weakest season, apart from late winter Arts Alive.
What's on
- Red River Wine and Beer Festival March
The largest wine and beer tasting event in the Wichita Falls area, raising funds for local charities.
- St. Patrick's Day Festival March
A downtown street festival and one of the liveliest nights in Depot Square.
- Arts Alive Home and Garden Festival Late winter
A home and garden festival at the MPEC, a late winter reason to visit.
- Hotter'N Hell Hundred 27 to 30 August
One of the largest century rides in the United States, with routes from 10K to 100 miles and a festival weekend.
- Christmas Magic November
A large Junior League holiday market that fills the MPEC in November.
Best things to do in Wichita Falls
River Bend Nature Center
A small nature center with a butterfly house, live animals and docents who make it the best attraction in town.
The Wichita Theatre
A restored 1908 theatre with Art Deco styling, staging full musicals that anchor the best night out downtown.
Backdoor Theatre
An intimate community theatre loved for comedies and dinner theatre, with a volunteer company close to the audience.
Museum of North Texas History
The city history museum covering ranching, oil, railroads and the 1979 tornado, best with a docent.
Kemp Center for the Arts
Free downtown galleries and a sculpture garden in a historic arts building, easy to fit into any day.
The Falls in Lucy Park
The reconstructed 54 foot waterfall in a river park, lovely as a short walk and oversold as a headline sight.
The World's Littlest Skyscraper
A four story 1919 oil boom tower with a famous blueprint story, worth ten free minutes and a photograph.
Castaway Cove Waterpark
A 15 acre waterpark with tall slides, a lazy river and a wave pool that makes a family summer day work.
Where to stay in Wichita Falls
Downtown
theatre, galleries, markets and event nights
Walk to the Wichita Theatre, Kemp Center, farmers market and the events center from the Delta.
Southwest Corridor
families, groups, university and golf trips
The widest hotel and restaurant choice around Plaza Parkway and Kemp Boulevard, with easy parking.
Central Freeway corridor
one night road stops on a budget
Functional freeway access and the lowest well reviewed rates, with no neighborhood life to walk to.
Think twice about
- Freeway strips east of downtown
Motel strips with no walkable life and the weakest review signals. Use them for a road stop only, not as a trip base.
- Lucy Park and the Falls after dark
Unlit and empty after dark with no activity around. Visit in daylight or at dusk and do not plan a night walk there.
Best restaurants in Wichita Falls
McBride's Steakhouse
The legendary old time Texas steakhouse locals take visitors to, traditional in room, menu and cooking.
Progress and Provisions Craft Kitchen
The most contemporary kitchen in the city, a downtown craft kitchen to pair with a theatre night.
Back Porch Draft House
A lively brewpub with a broad tap list and group friendly American food, the most energetic dinner in town.
Hibiscus Cafe
A family run Mediterranean and Greek cafe whose freshness stands out in a steak and Tex Mex town.
The Branding Iron Restaurant and Catering
The long running barbecue institution near downtown, built for group lunches and family style plates.
Luigi's Pizza
Pizza, pasta and sandwiches in a laid back room, with one of the strongest ratings of any restaurant here.
Samurai of Tokyo
The hibachi celebration dinner, where chefs cook at the table and the show is part of the meal.
Gidget's Sandwich Shack
The cheap eats champion, a small sandwich shop with the highest restaurant rating at triple digit volume.
Outdoor things to do in Wichita Falls
Wee-Chi-Tah Trail
About 12 miles of volunteer built singletrack with wooden bridges and features along the Wichita River.
Wichita Falls Circle Trail
The paved city trail linking Lucy Park, the bluffs and Lake Wichita, best ridden in its scenic segments.
Wichita Bluff Nature Area
A peaceful paved bluff trail with countryside overlooks, a pavilion and a link onward to Lucy Park.
Lake Wichita Park
A 234 acre lake park with trails, disc golf, a boardwalk, fishing and paddling, but not swimming.
The Champions Course at Weeks Park
The flagship public golf course, 18 holes and 7277 yards in Weeks Park along Holliday Creek.
Lake Arrowhead State Park
A state park lake for swimming, boating, fishing and horseback riding, 25 minutes southeast of the city.
Copper Breaks State Park
A Dark Sky Park of red rock and a small lake near Quanah, with longhorns and the best stars in the region.
Wichita Falls Country Club
The private 18 hole club course, open only to members and their guests, and the top golf tier in town.
Best hotels in Wichita Falls
Delta Hotels by Marriott Wichita Falls Convention Center
The new full service downtown hotel by the events center, with a steakhouse, pool and the best service in town.
Homewood Suites by Hilton Wichita Falls
All suite stays with kitchens and breakfast included, the best supported family and long stay base in the city.
Courtyard by Marriott Wichita Falls
A clean, predictable Marriott near the mall and university, with an indoor pool and easy parking.
Baymont by Wyndham Wichita Falls
The best reviewed budget stay, with breakfast and a hot tub at the lowest well supported rate in town.
Is Wichita Falls expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | $55 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | $110 a person |
| Splurge | $210 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- The Wichita Theatre: a few days ahead
- Backdoor Theatre: a few days ahead
- Castaway Cove Waterpark: a few days ahead
- Kay Yeager Coliseum: weeks ahead
- Memorial Auditorium: weeks ahead
- The Champions Course at Weeks Park: a few days ahead
- Lake Arrowhead State Park: a few days ahead
- Copper Breaks State Park: a few days ahead
- Book downtown and suite hotels early for Hotter'N Hell and graduation weekends.
- Reserve McBride's at weekends, Samurai for groups, and theatre seats for opening weekends.
- Pre purchase a Lake Arrowhead day pass for fine weekends and check the moon for Copper Breaks.
- Confirm the history museum days, Thursday to Saturday only, before planning around it.
Is Wichita Falls safe?
- Property crime is the main risk, so leave nothing visible in the car and park lit and close.
- Downtown is empty outside market, Artwalk and event nights, so plan evening bases around events.
- Carry water on every trail, because Wichita Bluff has no fountains and summer heat is extreme.
- Check severe storm forecasts in spring before lake and day trip plans.
Wichita Falls travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- The Falls alone is oversold as a headline attraction and best as a free short walk.
- Guides listing Karat, Salt and Pepper or the Highlander are out of date, as all have closed.
- Do not pay for a tour built around the Littlest Skyscraper, because the story is free downtown.
- Mall and freeway chains are convenient, not a food scene.
Getting around Wichita Falls: public transport and more
- Rent a car, because distances are short by car and public transport is limited.
- Falls Ride buses run weekdays and Saturday daytime only, with no useful late evening service.
- Downtown around Depot Square is the one genuinely walkable pocket.
- Dallas Fort Worth is about two hours southeast by highway.
Who Wichita Falls suits
| Solo travellers | OK |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Wichita Falls your trip
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