Thanksgiving is over, and now, we can all concentrate on dining our way toward Christmas. One of the more popular ways to do that in Wichita is to patronize the many holiday pop-up bars set up at local bars and restaurants. This year, even more Wichita businesses are participating in the trend by filling their spaces with lights and decor galore and serving special holiday cocktails. I have a guide to holiday pop-up bars on Dining with Denise on Facebook.
One other fun holiday trend in Wichita: outdoor igloos. The little structures are shaped like igloos and have clear plastic coverings on the outside and heaters, bluetooth speakers and cozy furniture inside. My friends rented one at Ziggy’s for my birthday over the weekend and we enjoyed pizza, wine, Cards Against Humanity and lots of laughs. You’ll find igloos at all four Ziggy’s pizza locations plus at Nortons Brewing Company, Chicken N Pickle and the Flight 1868 bar in Clifton Square.
If you’d rather exercise than eat and drink your way to Christmas, Wichita has two new places to do that. Both are pickleball complexes in the vein of Chicken N Pickle and both opened over the past couple of weeks. One is Tap N Paddles at K-96 and Oliver. It features 12 indoor pickleball courts and welcomes beginners through expert players. The other is The Sandbox at 130 N. Goddard Road in Goddard. It has five indoor and five outdoor pickleball courts as well as sand volleyball courts and yard games. Both businesses also have their own bars and restaurants that anyone can visit, regardless of whether they want to play pickleball.
