Wichita, Kan. — We're not proposing anyone change their trip from Tuscany to Wichita. But if you happen to land there, the city is like comfort food — familiar and friendly.

How friendly?

Watermark Books and Cafe (ENLARGE)

Watermark Books and Cafe is worth a visit. Don't miss the handiwork of authors and illustrators on the basement walls.

Courtesy of Greater Wichita CVB (ENLARGE)

The Old Mill Tasty Shop, known for its blue-plate specials, features an old-fashioned soda fountain from the 1930s.

Courtesy of the Old Cowtown Museum (ENLARGE)

The Old Cowtown Museum uses re-enactors to depict 1870s life with original buildings and furnishings. It's a great reminder that life wasn't always so hectic.

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When one of my companions called the wrong number and left a message, the woman not only called back to say it was the wrong number — but added that she called back because she didn't want us waiting by the phone for a return call that wouldn't happen.

That's friendly.

Wichita is a sprawling Midwestern town — don't be alarmed by the endless "No Guns" stickers on store windows. It has a flat, spacious geography with pockets of funky, fun businesses and activities. And for the day or the weekend, there's plenty to do in Wichita, which is already recognized by Forbes as the No. 1 place to "live the good life cheaply."

• Stop in at Old Town, an area that's chock-full of converted warehouses filled with restaurants, interesting shops and galleries — and the retro Warren Old Town Movie Theatre, showing first-run films. Pause for a soda from the old-fashioned fountain at the Old Mill Tasty Shop, which has been in business since the 1930s, or take a lunch break there.

• Check out the wine bar Oeno, named for the Greek goddess of wine (oenowine.com), that offers a two-for-one special every Thursday night. It serves a huge selection of wines by the bottle, glass or flight.

• Visit the store called Lucinda's on the square that stocks magnets with pictures of vintage housewives. My personal favorite: one outfitted in a Stepford smile, holding a steak, saying, "The secret ingredient is resentment." So don't say there's no edge in Wichita.

Add in the new Kansas Sunday liquor law and concealed weapons law — you can have both now — and Wichita's a hot venue, whether the travel magazines say so or not.

Everything was ridiculously convenient. We stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott near the square — where Monte, the friendly off-duty security guard, fetched me two Diet Cokes and a pitcher of ice from friendly Thomas the bartender because I started whining about a lack of Atlanta-based beverages.

We were within 15 minutes' drive of just about anything in the city. At one point, all of us burst into laughter when we realized we had geared up in typical Atlanta style for a trip that took eight minutes.

It takes me eight minutes to pull out of my Marietta driveway.

More to do in Wichita:

• A fabulous bookstore, Watermark Bookstore and Cafe (watermarkbooks.com), where you can see the handiwork of authors and illustrators drawn on the wall in the basement.

• Old Cowtown Museum (www.oldcowtown.org), a living history museum where you'll experience life in the 1870s with the sights, sounds and activities common to a Midwestern cattle town.

• Exploration Place (www.exploration.org), Kansas' premier science center, which features hands-on exhibits for all ages, focusing on flight, Kansas, medieval life and a national traveling exhibit area.

• Even the airport's a breeze — enjoy the big plastic steer in the beef display. And a sign tells hunters to report with their guns to a side counter: It's enough to give a Hartsfield-Jackson security inspector a stroke. "Dorothy would have had a much easier time returning home from Oz," iFly — which reviews airports — noted, "if she flew into the Wichita Mid-Continent Airport."

If you find yourself suddenly in the strange land of Wichita, kick back and enjoy its simple and friendly charm. It's easy to see why its residents believe there is "No Place Like Home."

IF YOU GO

Getting there

Expect to pay about $175 round-trip airfare from Atlanta to Wichita, Kan.

Where to stay

• Courtyard by Marriott — Wichita at Old Town, 820 E. Second St. N., Wichita. 316-264-5300, www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/ictdt-courtyard-wichita-at-old-town.

• Aunt Sue's Restaurant and Bed & Breakfast, 1134 N. River Road, Mulvane. 316-777-1232, www.auntsuesmulvane.com/cabinloft.html.

Information

Greater Wichita Convention & Visitors Bureau: 1-800-288-9424, www.visitwichita.com.