Spectator sports and recreational opportunities are abundantly available to groups convening throughout Kansas.
From kicking back with hot dogs at a minor-league baseball game or college basketball game to hitting the links or participating in waterborne pursuits, there are many ways to keep sports fans entertained and active attendees stretching their muscles after the meeting.
Wichita
“If you want to be in a community full of fans, Wichita is a top sports city,” says James Williams, spokesman for Go Wichita CVB. “Attendees can enjoy a baseball game at the NBC World Series or cheer on the hometown professional Wichita Thunder hockey team or Wichita Wild football team.”
Williams adds that ESPN recently called Wichita State’s arena a “top 10 home court advantage” that helped propel the Wichita State Shockers men’s basketball team to the Final Four in 2013.
“Get ready for March Madness,” Williams says, explaining that groups can join fans in the team’s efforts toward a national championship in 2014.
Meanwhile, the INTRUST Bank Arena, which was built in 2010 and hosts Wichita Thunder hockey games, concerts and national comedy acts, is well-suited for large conventions, assemblies and trade shows that call for up to 15,000 seats.
Lawrence
Lawrence has many great recreational opportunities, including some of the state’s best hiking and mountain biking trails, boating and fishing at Clinton Lake and two acclaimed 18-hole public golf courses, Alvamar Country Club and Eagle Bend, according to Christine Metz Howard, spokeswoman for the Lawrence CVB.
“The worldwide sport of basketball came of age in Lawrence,” Metz Howard says. “It’s the final resting place of Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of the game.”
In 2015, the University of Kansas, home to the iconic Allen Fieldhouse, which was named one of the best venues in the country for watching college basketball, will open a permanent interactive exhibit that will display Naismith’s 13 Original Rules of Basketball.
Nearly every weekend, Lawrence hosts a race that will lead runners in the group through the city’s lovely streets and scenic nature trails.
“The Color Run has drawn the biggest crowds,” Metz Howard says. “Dubbed the ‘Happiest 5K on the Planet,’ the fall event truly is bursting with color and excitement as participants run, walk and even dance their way through color stations where they are doused with shades of pink, blue, yellow and orange.”PageBreak
Kansas City, Kan.
In Kansas City, groups will get a kick out of a bowling party at Ranch Bowl West and an outing in season to a Kansas City T-Bones minor-league baseball game.
Several area parks provide great backdrops for group or solitary outings for attendees to recharge after the meeting.
Brown Memorial Park has a walking path, tennis courts and picnic tables, and at Lucyann C. Vavra Memorial Park, groups can hike, enjoy a picnic and check out the nearby Merriam Aquatic Center.
And at Shawnee Mission Beach Volleyball, home to 18 lighted courts, a full-service bar and grill, and a two-tier courtside deck, there is plenty of space for private group outings and fun tournaments.
Overland Park
The big news in Overland Park is the opening this spring of Prairiefire, which is expected to become a haven for group gatherings, banquets and recreational activities, and will feature the $25 million Museum of Prairiefire, the first venue outside of New York to continually host American Museum of Natural History traveling exhibits.
According to Liron BenDor, spokeswoman for the Overland Park CVB, Prairiefire will be located just four miles from the Overland Park Convention Center and area hotels, and will feature a variety of unique event spaces for groups of two to 5,000 people.
“The entire Prairiefire attraction is situated along a native wetlands trail that allows for guided group tours through a beautiful and engaging habitat,” she adds.
Prairiefire is also home to Pinstripes, an entertainment and dining venue where groups will find 18 bowling lanes, six bocce courts, an outdoor patio and private party rooms.
“Opportunities abound at Pinstripes for tournaments and team-building competitions, which are complemented by an exceptional Italian-American bistro and extensive wine cellar,” BenDor says, adding that REI at Prairiefire runs classes in-store and is also available for customized team-building trail rides and activities focused on camping and biking.PageBreak
Topeka
In Topeka, according to Jeff Alderman, vice president of sales at Visit Topeka, Prairie Band Casino and Resort has the best of entertainment and dining, and plenty of function space for group events.
In addition to an excellent array of gaming options, Alderman says Prairie Band is home to the Firekeeper Golf Course, the first signature course designed by PGA Tour winner Notah Begay III and named the No. 1 Best Course to Play in Kansas by Golfweek magazine.
Also in Topeka are Ravenwood Lodge, where groups can arrange a guided field hunt or a sporting clay competition, as well as Kansas Expocentre, where spectator sporting events ranging from rodeo to Topeka RoadRunners hockey games and Kansas Koyotes football games fill the calendar year-round.
Manhattan
“When you think Kansas, hills probably aren’t top of mind,” says Karen Hibbard, vice president of the Manhattan CVB, explaining that the Flint Hills of Kansas, popular for hiking and biking enthusiasts, cover many counties in the state and stretch from the Nebraska border into Oklahoma. “The last stand of the Tallgrass Prairie begins in Manhattan.”
At Konza Prairie, Hibbard adds, groups can enjoy a hike along a scenic nature trail, or they might like a kayaking or canoeing outing in the Kansas River, and at Colbert Hills Golf Course, a PGA-sanctioned public course, a team-bonding golf tournament and group gatherings can be arranged.
“Colbert Hills Club House offers breathtaking views of the Flint Hills, great dining as well as a boardroom for a private meeting or dining for your group,” Hibbard says.
Geary County/Junction City
Located in the heart of the Flint Hills is Junction City, where popular outings include fishing or boating at Milford Lake, and canoeing or kayaking on the Kansas River.
Guided tours are available at Milford Nature Center and Heritage Park, which features several war memorials.
Dodge City
The Dodge City Law (DCL) is the newest Arena Football League team in the Midwest, and groups are welcome to get in on the action during the inaugural season beginning in March at United Wireless Arena (UWA), which has private suites and an outdoor event space for small groups.
According to Sandie Masden, spokeswoman for the Dodge City CVB, groups can invite the DCL’s Gunpowder Girls Dancers to perform at a social event.
“You won’t be disappointed,” she says, adding that from late September through February, group ice skating and hockey exhibitions could be arranged at UWA.
At the Western State Bank Expo Center facility, there are event coordinators to assist planners in facilitating mini rodeos for groups in the indoor equestrian facility.
“Your group will have an opportunity to mingle with livestock and do ‘mock’ barrel race activities, roping lessons, horseshoe pitching and more,” Masden says. “They can have a good old-fashioned Western event in Dodge City, the ‘Queen of the Cowtowns.’”
Greater Hutchinson
Among the recreational options in Greater Hutchinson are waterborne pursuits at Cheney State Park, including boating and fishing, and playing a round at Prairie Dunes or other area golf courses.
A fun option for fit groups convening in Hutchinson during the warmer months is an outing to the Salt City Splash Aquatic Center, which accommodates private parties for interested groups. Here, attendees can swim and enjoy tube rides, water slides and other activities.
