Oklahoma City calls itself the trendy frontier, summing up in two phrases its personal specific model of rugged stylish. Of course, like many cosmopolitan cities, Oklahoma’s capital can give you virtually any model of household trip. Outdoorsy, artsy, academic, sensational — just about no matter you need, you will discover one thing to swimsuit in OKC. Spend the day driving coasters at Six Flags and the night watching skilled ballerinas pirouette.
But if you happen to’re in search of a singular only-in-OKC expertise, try this record. I included what we have been in a position to squeeze right into a weekend getaway, though when you have extra time, stick round to the tip the place I added a number of additional journey concepts together with a advice of the place to remain.
1. Eat at Cattlemen’s
If you go to OKC and don’t eat at Cattlemen’s Steakhouse, have been you even there? Located within the coronary heart of Stockyards City, Cattlemen’s isn’t only a restaurant — it’s an Oklahoma City establishment.
Dishing up hearty cuts of beef and luxury meals since 1910, Cattlemen’s initially served as a spot for hungry cowboys, ranchers, and haulers to get some filling grub after a cattle drive.
Cattlemens Steakhouse, picture courtesy of Visit Oklahoma City
While it’s modified arms a number of occasions since — together with being gained and misplaced in a smoky backroom cube recreation — the ambiance stays largely unchanged. Photos cowl the partitions commemorating well-known friends, together with film stars and presidents. And you’ll nonetheless discover loads of genuine cowboys bellying up for a stable meal.
Delicious, completely cooked steaks include a buttery roll, a baked potato, and a salad topped with their well-known do-it-yourself dressing. If you’re feeling adventurous, I like to recommend ordering the lamb fries as an appetizer. They’re a traditional. Round out the meal with a slice of their well-known coconut cream pie.
2. Visit the Cowboy Museum
You don’t must be into cowboys and even like museums to understand the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. There are big sculptures and tremendous artwork work, weaponry and Western put on. You’ll find out about Native American tradition and Old West traditions like rodeos and cowboy films.
A duplicate Native American dwelling exterior on the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, picture by Cheryl Rodewig
Our favourite gallery was Prosperity Juncture, the place you’ll be able to stroll by a recreated cattle city with a financial institution, saloon, jail, church, secure, and extra. Some play recordings of conversations between characters who may go to these locations, making it all of the extra life-like.
Best for households: Located exterior, Liichokoshkomo’ lets youngsters be taught by play, together with grinding corn, loading a pioneer wagon, and plotting constellations to information your journey west.
3. Bike the Trails
When I checked Tripadvisor for issues to do in Oklahoma City, Ride OKC was ranked No. 1 for outside actions, which tells you a number of issues. For one, you’ll be able to surmise that they’ve high quality bikes and good customer support, they usually completely do. They’ll even deliver the bikes to you.
Biking the paths in Oklahoma City, picture by Cheryl Rodewig
But most significantly, you understand you’ll have enjoyable. You can lease a set of wheels like we did and cycle alongside the river. The path is vast and flat, excellent for households. It takes about 20 minutes for a leisurely trip over to the Boathouse District after which as much as the large Centennial Land Run Monument, an set up of 45 bronze sculptures displaying horses and wagons crossing the canal.
Centennial Land Run Monument, picture by Cheryl Rodewig
While not on a path, a visit from Ride OKC to the Paseo Arts District takes lower than quarter-hour, and it’s a straight shot on Walker Avenue, which has a devoted bike lane. The arts district is enjoyable for buying, looking the artwork galleries, and taking selfies with all of the Crayola-colored partitions as a backdrop.
Paseo Arts District, picture courtesy of Visit Oklahoma City
You may also take one among Ride OKC’s guided bike excursions. They’re themed for various pursuits starting from breweries to ghost excursions. If you need to see one of the best websites within the metropolis, attempt the Art + Architecture tour the place you’ll find out about OKC’s storied historical past, together with the heroes and villains of the notorious Oklahoma Land Run.
Don’t miss: The wonderful Scissortail Park is correct by Ride OKC. They have a great deal of occasions right here, and the “sprayground” is a should for youths in summer time!
4. Savor Vietnamese Flavors
While it could not seem to be it at first look, Oklahoma City is rapidly turning into recognized for its worldwide delicacies — notably Vietnamese meals. At the highest of my record is Cafe de l’Asie, a cute Asian-inspired bistro in downtown Oklahoma City with some French fusion aptitude.
Beef bulgogi and steamed buns for lunch in Oklahoma City at Cafe de l’Asie, picture by Cheryl Rodewig
Whether you’re craving a decadent banh mi or need lighter fare, corresponding to Chef Vuong’s Salad with blueberries and strawberries, Cafe de l’Asie has you coated. I like to recommend beginning off with the rooster cheesesteak egg rolls, which can simply be one of the best eggroll I’ve ever had, after which sampling a few of the steamed buns. The fried shrimp bun with lemon aioli and the pork stomach bun have been our favorites.
And you’ll be able to’t go mistaken with the meat bulgogi. It’s filling, not too spicy, and all-around satisfying. If you’ve received a candy tooth, make sure you choose up one of many Thai teas as effectively. They style pretty much as good as they give the impression of being.
5. Immerse Yourself in Touchable Art
Mix Tape, an immersive artwork expertise created by Factory Obscura, could also be Oklahoma City’s most artistic attraction. Located in downtown’s Automobile Alley, Mix Tape isn’t your typical look-but-don’t-touch artwork gallery. Here, guests are inspired to the touch, look, pay attention, work together, create, and luxuriate in artwork on their very own phrases.
Mix Tape coronary heart tunnel at Factory Obscura in Oklahoma City
If you’re simply passing by, you’ll be able to play with the “Boombox” show exterior. Styled as an enormous cassette participant, it has buttons you’ll be able to push for music and different sounds. Inside, you’ll discover 6,000 sq. toes of sensory artwork impressed by music. The area is crammed stuffed with issues to discover: tiny dioramas, tunnels to crawl by, a slide, a moody teenager’s bed room, and a video name to someplace in New Mexico. It’s mind-boggling.
Family picture op: Head to the heart-shaped hallway, lined with stuffed animals, or the fuzzy-walled disco cave proper if you enter.
6. Hit the (Dessert) Bar
You may not be hitting up OKC’s nightlife scene if it is a household trip, however you’ll be able to nonetheless grasp on the coolest bar on the town — Perets Dessert & Coffee Bar. The cozy setting, subtle decor, and Instagrammable desserts will make sure you please teenagers — and everybody else in your get together.
Affogato at Perets Dessert & Coffee Bar, picture by Cheryl Rodewig
A must have is the affogato, an indulgent mixture of Oklahoma-made ice cream and toppings paired with a shot of espresso. Flavor combos embrace vanilla with raspberry sauce and rose-sugared pistachios and blueberry compote with oat streusel crumble. They have nice espresso together with a lot of different desserts. Don’t overlook the from-scratch chocolate chip cookie. It’s wonderful.
7. Do the Zoo
OKC has greater than horses and cattle. Spanning over 130 acres, the Oklahoma City Zoo is house to over 1,900 animals from as far-off as Asia and Africa. One of the highlights is the Great EscAPE, the place you rise up shut and private with orangutans and gorillas. Nearby, the Sanctuary Asia part homes the zoo’s herd of Asian elephants.
Oklahoma City Zoo, picture by Cheryl Rodewig
The Oklahoma Trails reveals are a should too. Here you’ll see Oklahoma’s native wildlife, together with black bears, alligators, and bison.
Especially for youths: Stop by the Children’s Zoo to pet goats, see monkeys and lorikeets, or play within the splash pad.
8. Stop and Smell the Garden
Just a block from Bricktown close to Scissortail Park, Myriad Botanical Gardens is an oasis smack in the midst of downtown OKC. The gardens are greatest recognized for the Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory, housing a two-level waterfall, terraces, a mirrored image pool, and a bunch of tropical vegetation. It’s exhausting to take a foul picture right here.
Myriad Botanical Gardens conservatory, picture by Cheryl Rodewig
There’s lots to get pleasure from exterior the conservatory too. Kids can trip Mo’s Carousel, dad and mom can browse the store, and everybody can admire the outside gardens. If you occur to go to over winter, they open up an ice skating rink. Check their calendar earlier than you go — the gardens are a hotspot for festivals and occasions distinctive to Oklahoma City.
9. Tour the Capitol
The Oklahoma State Capitol constructing is a superb place for households to go to. The Capitol Rotunda, greatest considered from the second flooring, is value a go to by itself. On sunny days, the stained glass shines in blue, gold, and pink. Surrounding the rotunda are hallways crammed with colourful art work that paperwork Oklahoma’s historical past.
Oklahoma City capitol constructing, picture by Cheryl Rodewig
Before leaving, make sure you cease by the Oklahoma State Capitol Museum contained in the capitol constructing. The museum has animated projections that’ll hold even youthful ones entertained in addition to a set of fascinating artifacts. You’ll get an opportunity to take a look at a working draft of the Oklahoma Constitution, the quill utilized by Teddy Roosevelt to signal the Sooner State into statehood, and extra. They additionally do guided excursions.
Bonus: Both a self-guided go to and the excursions are utterly free, making this attraction budget-friendly for households.
Much More in OKC
These have been our prime experiences from our weekend escape to Oklahoma City, however try their lineup of issues to do and design your individual getaway.
If you’re in search of extra traditional OKC points of interest, two others so as to add to your record are the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, which remembers the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, and the First Americans Museum, which celebrates the heritage of 39 indigenous tribes.
Taking a narrated water taxi trip down the canal in Bricktown is one other quintessential expertise. Bricktown is without doubt one of the coolest neighborhoods in OKC, and I extremely advocate spending a night right here simply strolling (or cruising) round earlier than or after dinner.
Book Your Stay in OKC
Bricktown can be an amazing place for households to remain. We cherished the Hampton Inn & Suites in Bricktown. Its location is difficult to beat, with a baseball stadium, banjo museum, a great deal of eating places, and a sprawling leisure advanced referred to as Brickopolis — gem mining, mini golf, laser tag, arcade, and so on. — all simply steps from our entrance door. The suites are particularly handy since you’ll be able to put teenagers in a connecting room and everybody will get their very own area. And the free breakfast was scrumptious. I may simply have stayed right here for every week.
Hampton Inn & Suites Bricktown, picture by Cheryl Rodewig
And you may need to. Because it looks like there’s all the time extra to do in OKC, this cultured cattle city the place exploring and new discoveries go together with the territory.