I am down there 4 or 5 times a month. I go to Twist, a yarn shop for all my knitting. Shelly the owner is helpful, kind and sets everyone at ease. The other customers are all so friendly. It's like walking into a room of friends you have never met before.
Old Town Wichita is an interesting area with restaurants, shops, museums, theaters, shops and businesses. This area is quiet during the day but becomes lively at night especially on weekends. Museums and shops close around 5 but bars and restaurants are open at night. Fun for a few hours or a day visit.
I love going to Old Town for dinner and a movie and often a little shopping at the unique stores. The atmosphere is different than anywhere else in town. There has been an elevated crime rate in certain areas of Old Town but the police are making a good presence and crime seems primarily restricted to very late night. I enjoy going in the afternoons on a nice day and sitting outside at one of the many eateries, then taking in a show.
Old town was recommended to us by our hotel as a place to walk to for lunch and shopping. We went on a Saturday during the day and visited a fee of the shops and walked into an art gallery. I assume that it gets much busier during the weekend evenings as there were quite a few bars. The Warren theater seemed like a nice place to catch a movie.
You'll have a wide variety for your dinner choices and of drinking establishments. Many interesting shops, movie theaters and hotel are in the area too. Some of the busiest times that I've seen are: Wednesdays when the theater has their discounted movie prices and of course the weekends. In the spring, summer and fall months there's the farm and art market and outside concerts as well.
All depends on why you go, when you go and what you are looking for. Several places for different age group, desires, tastes. etc. Great place for food, a drink, and socializing. Several businesses are well done and well run. Late late night..... much more designed for the younger age groups and the things that go along with that.
There were a few nice shops and we found a very good place to eat. A couple were closed (noon on a Tuesday)? It was a good place to stop and get out of the car for awhile while passing through. For me, it would not be a destination location, but nice if you are in the area. Would I stop again? If I have the extra time, yes; but if I am crunched for time, no, not worth it.
We really enjoyed walking around and reading the railroad history of Wichita. We spent so much time just reading and looking that it became to late to go tour the museum. The man who had the vision to turn what was no longer used into the lofts, shops, restaurants, bars and hotel that are now there was a genius. I'm certain he nightlife here is excellent.
We went down to the old brick area in downtown Wichita, KS and it was a lot nicer than we expected. We went to a few breweries down there and had a great time. It was clean, and nice looking. I recommend stopping by if it is on your way.
Wichita did a smart thing. They turned old warehouses adjacent to Union Station into restaurants, shops, bars, and lofts. It makes life there more bearable as it is lively and there are actually pedestrians all over the area. Yea!