Who likes discovering hidden gems? 45 minutes away from Wichita sits Winfield, Kansas. We discovered Winfield, and its castle park (its actually named Island Park), by mistake on a trip back from Oklahoma. We were on our way to Derby, but we missed a turn due to road construction, and went straight into Island Park. And what a great accident it turned out to be. The park in Winfield is fabulous, and the coolest park for kids. I love it when you discover something unexpectedly. It’s like finding money in the pocket of the jeans you wore last winter!
About the park. We called it the Castle Park because it has a gigantic castle right in the middle. It actually has a real name which is Island Park. As you will be able to tell from my description, Island Park is also an appropriate description. First off, the park is very picturesque. It has a river running around it (hence, Island) where you can sit and fish. At the time we went, my son wasn’t yet into fishing. He is now, and I think he could spend all day fishing. We saw multiple people fishing. There’s also a cute, little waterfall spilling into the river.
The park also has a gigantic castle playground which is why we called it the Castle Park. The castle has a “W’ on top of it.
Wyatt believed that the castle was made especially for him. I didn’t burst his bubble and tell him that the “W” stood for Winfield.
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After playing for a bit, I sat at one of the covered picnic table and scouted out local coffee shops in Winfield. I try to go to a local coffee shop in every city we visit. Why? For three reasons: I love coffee. I love new experiences. I like to support local businesses. I generally have a rule that we can’t eat at a chain restaurant when we go to a new and different city. During my scouting on the web, I found one named College Hill Coffee. So we headed over there after the kids finished playing.
College Hill Coffee is located in a cute, older house. It has your standard coffee shop fare. Coffee, lattes, mochas, etc. It also serves homemade baked items, as well as lunch. In viewing their website, they have a different lunch special every day. I ordered the RICO – a cold pressed coffee with hazelnut syrup and milk. It did not disappoint. We also had chicken salad on a croissant, and it was delish! Our little Winfield pit stop turned out great!
I think a trip to Winfield just for Island Park and College Hill Coffee is definitely worth it. When you go, I’d recommend hitting up College Hill Coffee first and then taking your lunch/breakfast/coffee to the park and enjoying it there. Enjoy!