Beyond Okay Adventures - Highlighting Some of The Best of Oklahoma
Oklahoma is famous for it’s Route 66 attractions but there’s even more to be discovered in this fun-filled southern state. No matter your reason for visiting or who you have with you there’s top notch options for every kind of adventurer! You could go just about anywhere and have a great time but for first time visitors a highlight reel can help you navigate the endless opportunities and experience the best of everything Oklahoma has to offer.
Best Place to Wet Your Whistle: Pops 66 Soda Ranch
A trip down historic Route 66 in Oklahoma isn't complete without a stop at the unique and colorful POPS. Located in Arcadia, POPS is an iconic addition along the Mother Road standing out with A four-ton, 66-foot sculpture of a soda bottle covered in dazzling multi-colored LED lights. The sculpture allures to the locations claim to fame, over 600 kinds of soda. From berry soda to classic cola, you’ll be amazed at the flavors you can find. POPS also features a gas station and old-fashioned diner so visitors can fill up their tanks and their bellies before getting back on Route 66. Top off your meal with a hand-dipped ice cream milkshake, malt or float. After a visit to POPS, you're guaranteed to greet Route 66 with a smile.
pops66.com
Best Place to See Cowboys: National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City's Adventure District features an internationally renowned collection of Western art. In addition to spectacular galleries and grounds, the Museum is home to several interesting children's exhibits.
Don’t miss the chance to see the Prosperity Junction, a fully constructed frontier cattle town featuring 19 buildings with expansive 40-foot ceilings. The town stretches from an industrial section with railroad depot, livery stable and blacksmith shop to a residential section complete with homes, a church and a one-room schoolhouse.
Exhibitions change continually at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum with several new exhibits on display every few months. Begin and end your visit at the awe-inspiring 18-foot tall sculpture by James Earle Fraser entitled "The End of the Trail," which depicts a lone Native American on a weary horse.
nationalcowboymuseum.org
Best Place to Take the Kids: WONDERtorium
Enjoy memory-making experiences and engage children in creative, developmental play at Oklahoma's award-winning children's museum, the Oklahoma WONDERtorium in Stillwater. The WONDERtorium offers 15 interactive exhibits exploring science, engineering, art, math, history and culture. The museum provides 10,000 square feet of exhibit space, classrooms, party rooms, and a gift shop.
Exhibits include the Generation Station Barn offering kids the opportunity to 'milk' a life-size cow and collect eggs that can then be delivered to the Generation Station Store, a replica 1900s grocery store. The My Medical Center exhibit encourages children to engage in dramatic play by dressing up and pretending to be a patient or medical staff.
Children can also enjoy pure active play sending scarves and foam balls through A-Mazing Airways, splashing in the Water Play exhibit or climbing a wall, sliding down a tree slide and crawling through a fallen log in Forest Playground. The Little WONDERs exhibit offers a play area for grown-ups with children under two to interact together away from the main exhibit floor.
okwondertorium.org
Best Park: Gathering Place Riverfront Park
Gathering Place Riverfront Park was built as a welcoming, natural space where members of Oklahoma’s diverse communities could come together to explore, learn and play along the iconic waterfront of the scenic Arkansas River. All ages can explore nearly 70 acres of family-friendly activities for free and uncover unique playgrounds with tunnels, pirate ships, towers, slides, suspended bridges and more. Guests are encouraged to bring their bikes, walking shoes and skateboards to enjoy the Skate Bowl and BMX Pump Tracks, plus the Midland Valley Trail, which winds through the eye-catching Sky Garden.
For a quick refuel, three onsite restaurants offer concessions, sweets and refreshing drinks. At the Gathering Place in Tulsa, guests can also stop by for a scheduled storytime, concert, dance performance and other entertaining events. Whether relaxing on the OneOK Boathouse top-level balcony for stunning views or renting a kayak, canoe or paddle boat, have a blast time and again at the Gathering Place, the ultimate expression of unity. A place for everyone.
gatheringplace.org
Best Lodging: PostOak Lodge & Retreat
Nestled in the wooded hillside of the Osage Hills, PostOak Lodge & Retreat is located just seven miles northwest of Tulsa. PostOak offers 60 well-appointed guest rooms in eight lodges, each with covered patio seating. Lodges range from four bedrooms up to 18 bedrooms with common areas, some of which include shuffleboard, pool, game tables, extra seating and large screen TVs. Help yourself to a glass of tea and watch the sun set from the comfort of the covered front porch.
After settling into your living quarters, explore the outdoor recreational activities at PostOak Lodge. Guests can enjoy hiking trails, fishing, volleyball, basketball, horseshoes and croquet. Adventure seekers will enjoy on-site PostOak Canopy Tours and zip lines, which send nature lovers soaring above the treetops along a network of more than 3,865 feet of cable line. Along the way, seven platform landing bases provide a bird’s-eye view of northeastern Oklahoma’s magnificent Osage Hills.
postoaklodge.com
Best Place for a Date Night: Castle Falls
Is there anything more romantic than dining in a castle? If so, I still don’t think it’s a dining opportunity to be missed! Castle Falls was designed after a castle in Normandy, France, and is nestled on five beautiful tree-lined acres near the heart of Oklahoma City. The restaurant was constructed in the 1940s by World War I veteran Bill Blecha, and features two settings: The Cellar, located on the first level, and The Primrose, located on the second level.
The Cellar features an informal, Old-World atmosphere, while the Primrose offers romantic, secluded fine dining limited to those 13 years or older. The Cellar's menu offers selections such as steak, pork loin and salmon. The Primrose's menu features the same entree as The Cellar, but is presented with four additional courses for a five course meal. Castle Falls' signature entree is the Filet Stroganoff, but also features chicken and pork entrees prepared in a unique, European style. A full-service bar is also available featuring specialty bottled beers.
castlefalls.com
Best Lake: Lake Murray
Beautiful spring-fed Lake Murray features 5,700 surface acres and is one of the clearest lakes in Oklahoma. The lake is located wholly within the 12,500-acre Lake Murray State Park. The fishing at Lake Murray is excellent and is known for great smallmouth bass fishing. It is also a great lake for water skiing, wake boarding, jet skiing and more.
The facilities at Lake Murray include boat ramps, campsites, camper parking, electrical hookups, picnic areas, grills, restrooms and group shelters. Visitors to Lake Murray will enjoy plenty of swimming, scuba diving opportunities, hiking on nature trails surrounding the lake, horseback riding, miniature golf and more. Other amenities include a marina, showers, tennis courts, cabins and boat rentals.
The Lake Murray ATV area offers about 10 miles of marked trails for three- and four-wheelers. Dune buggies and other types of off-road vehicles are not allowed. Come to Lake Murray and enjoy 67 miles of shoreline, or visit the on-site Tucker Tower Nature Center, located on the south shore of the lake. Formerly a summer retreat for Governor Murray, Tucker Tower is now a nature center, featuring many displays of area wildlife.
You’ll find the best of everything in Oklahoma and even more beyond that. Whether you take the whole family or just drop in for a solo visit, there’s an itinerary to fit your schedule and a memory to be made and cherished on the drive home.
Other Adventures:
Oklahoma History
The Sod House Museum seeks to preserve Oklahoma’s only remaining sod house and interprets the early-day lifestyles of a pioneer, from the establishment of the Cherokee Outlet in 1893 to 1920. Visitors can enjoy the experience of walking through the “soddy” and explore exhibits, artifacts, photographs, and a root cellar. The artifacts and exhibits portray the daily activities of the pioneers. Museum grounds include an additional building displaying horse-drawn equipment and period farm implements.
okhistory.org
Discover Ardmore
Ardmore is a hidden gem — a city heard of by many, but known by few, flanked by the big, bold, path of Adventure Road. You can see it from the Interstate, but to really understand what it’s about, you have to let curiosity lead the way, deviate from the path a bit, and follow your imagination into town. So, pull back the curtain, take a closer look, and you’ll find a town colored with texture, friendliness, and nuance — a gem hidden in plain sight.
exploreardmore.com
Oklahoma History Comes to Life
The Fort Reno Visitor Center and Museum has a wide display of artifacts, photographs, images of the 1888 Cheyenne and Arapaho Agency, German POW letters, Buffalo Soldiers, Frederic Remington art inspired by his visit, the famous riderless horse Black Jack, historical dress, information about their living history events and much more. The Historic Fort Reno Campus includes twenty-five buildings of historic significance and the Post Cemetery. Take a tour, past and present, of the Historic Fort Reno landscape.
fortreno.org
