These are the best Oklahoma road trip attractions

We all know the family road trip cliché of the kids screaming “are we there yet?” every five minutes. But that’s not going to happen on a road trip through the American state of Oklahoma.

Its mix of quirky roadside attractions – combined with numerous stunning state parks and rich Native American and Wild West museums and experiences – offers plenty of great places to stop and explore.

The only challenge you’ll have is making sure you’ve budgeted enough time to see all the attractions.

Discover America’s roots

Thirty-nine Native American Nations have headquarters in Oklahoma. And many welcome the chance to share their customs and traditions with visitors. If you’re flying to Dallas, two world-class cultural centres sit within a couple of hours drive north towards Oklahoma City.

First in Durant is the Choctaw Cultural Center and then, located near Sulphur, is the Chickasaw Cultural Center – both very unique to each tribes history offering a combination of interactive exhibits – including traditional villages – as well as videos, demonstrations, and delicious food.

Continuing north from Sulphur, you’ll quickly reach Oklahoma City. It’s here you’ll find the state-of-the-art and immersive First Americans Museum, which opened on 18 September 2021 to commemorate the history and ongoing legacy of all 39 Native American Nations based in Oklahoma.

Must-see cowboy attractions

Another must-see attraction in Oklahoma City is Stockyards City. This historic district is the place to let your inner cowboy (or cowgirl) shine. Wander around shops, stock pens, an auction house and dozens of heritage-listed buildings that hark back to the Wild West. If you happen to be visiting on a Monday or Tuesday, you can also witness a crazy cattle auction. It doesn’t get any more authentic than that.

Just down the road from Stockyard City is the world-renowned National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, which houses a fully recreated frontier cattle town with 19 buildings – the perfect place for the family to step into the shoes of some of the greatest real-life and fictional cowboys that have formed history, folklore and pop culture. The museum’s newest exhibit is all about the kids. Over 9,000 square metres of backyard named ‘Liichokoshkomo’ (a Chickasaw phrase meaning ‘let’s play’), and offering engaging guided learning and expert-led classes and STEAM activities.

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Exploring the great Oklahoma outdoors

We all recognise the song. Oklahoma is known for being the state “where the wind comes sweeping down the plains”. So it shouldn’t come as a big surprise that there are lots of ways to explore the great outdoors.

Whether it’s digging for the selenite crystals (small hourglass-shaped crystals that form under the sand) that are found only in Oklahoma’s Great Salt Plains State Park, or jet-skiing and kayaking on the gentle waters of one of the state’s numerous lakes such as Tenkiller and Broken Bow, there’s something for everyone.

All the roadside attractions

There’s no better way to see Oklahoma than to take to the open road. And as home to the longest driveable stretch of Route 66 in all of the USA, you know there are going to be plenty of quirky stops on your Oklahoma road trip that will amuse all ages.

It’s hard to miss the Blue Whale of Catoosa, a giant hand-built whale that was originally constructed as a play area by a local zoologist named Hugh S. Davis. Today, it’s one of Route 66’s most legendary stops.

There’s also the new kid in town – Buck Atom – a six-metre-tall space cowboy you’ll discover in Oklahoma’s second-largest city, Tulsa.

The big things don’t end in Tulsa either. On your drive back to Oklahoma City you’ll also pass a giant 20-metre neon soda bottle. It marks the entrance to Pops Soda Ranch, which is home to more than 100 flavours of soft drink… including bacon flavour.

And if that isn’t enough, in Oklahoma City you’ll find a location that combines both the great outdoors with larger-than-life fun at Riversport Adventure Park, where the kids can burn off all that sugar on either the USA’s largest man made whitewater rafting course, or clambering over the world’s tallest high ropes course.

And that’s why you’re unlikely to hear a single “are we there yet?” on a road trip across Oklahoma: you’ll be spending way more time outside of your car than in it.

This Oklahoma road trip article originally appeared in Holidays with Kids 67 magazine. Subscribe to the latest issue here.

Lead image © Travel Oklahoma

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