Help me with Oklahoma trip

[vafoodie]

I'm planning a road trip from Coastal Virginia to Oklahoma. Where should I stop on the way, and what should my stops in Oklahoma consist of?
I want to see Native sights and whatever else one sees in Oklahoma. My desire to see Oklahoma has been fueled by watching Reservation Dogs (highly recommend) and a love for the Turnpike Troubadours and a budding interest in red dirt music. My husband is not going to be as enthused, but I was not too excited about his chosen trip to the Iowa State Fair.

[Car-Guy]

You might want to see the Oklahoma City National Memorial... It's well done and should be remembered by all of us.

https://memorialmuseum.com/

[OldShooter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vafoodie I'm planning a road trip from Coastal Virginia to Oklahoma. Where should I stop on the way, and what should my stops in Oklahoma consist of? I want to see Native sights and whatever else one sees in Oklahoma. My desire to see Oklahoma has been fueled by watching Reservation Dogs (highly recommend) and a love for the Turnpike Troubadours and a budding interest in red dirt music. My husband is not going to be as enthused, but I was not too excited about his chosen trip tot he Iowa State Fair.

Anytime I get to that part of the country, finding top-notch BBQ is one of my goals. Does DH like BBQ?

Edit: In the past we have sometimes combined a driving trip with a Road Scholar program. Maybe: https://www.roadscholar.org/find-an-...a-to-Tahlequah

[TripleLindy]

We enjoy the Broken Bow area. Lots of VRBO cabins/homes available, almost all of which have been built in the last 5 years, so they’re modern. If you enjoy fishing, the Mountain Fork river coming off of Broken Bow lake actually has very good trout fishing.

[Murf2]

The Arbuckle mountains is a cool area if your going that far south.

Murf

[vafoodie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldShooter Anytime I get to that part of the country, finding top-notch BBQ is one of my goals. Does DH like BBQ? Edit: In the past we have sometimes combined a driving trip with a Road Scholar program. Maybe: https://www.roadscholar.org/find-an-...a-to-Tahlequah

We are foodies, so yes to the barbecue. Have been reading articles about some cool sounding Native restaurants, so eager to try those. There's one in Minnesota that serves nothing but pre-colonial food, so no animals brought over. Lots of bison and fish.

[HawkOwl]

Oklahoma isn’t a huge tourist destination. But if you want to see wide swaths of undeveloped land, with wild herds of bison and longhorn cattle, then I would recommend the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge (SW area of the state). And while you are there, stop in Meers, Oklahoma, and have a Meersburger. ��

https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/okla...restaurant-ok/

[Northforker]

Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge near Lawton is beautiful, nice hiking trails, bison, longhorn cattle, prairies dogs, etc.

[Northforker]

Interurban restaurants are an OKlahoma small chain with good food

Interurban Restaurant

[Northforker]

Oklahoma is famous for Onion Burgers, many foodie places serve them

[aja8888]

Watch you speed, the state highway patrol like to give out speeding tickets,

[Lienlord]

The First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City is a great stop for all things Native American.

[MichaelB]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Northforker Oklahoma is famous for Onion Burgers, many foodie places serve them

I had to look that up but they look delicious…

[braumeister]

A good description:

Fried Onion Burgers
A Depression-era patty filler paved the way for an Oklahoma favorite.

[MichaelB]

Imagine if Rogers and Hammerstein had known about that burger. The musical might have different lyrics!

Oklahoma!
Where the onion burgers are the best
you can toast the bun
add some cheese for fun
it’s the best burger in the west …

[rk911]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Car-Guy You might want to see the Oklahoma City National Memorial... It's well done and should be remembered by all of us. https://memorialmuseum.com/

+1 on the OKC Natl Memorial. allot at least 3-4 hours for that. while you're in OKC you might like the Western Heritage and Cowboy Hall of Fame.

[SecondAttempt]

There are about 350 miles of Route 66 through Oklahoma. Maybe check out a Route 66 guide online.

[ExFlyBoy5]

Ah, my "new" home state. There is a lot to do here. OKC is pretty progressive and the downtown area has lots of restaurants/bars/foody things to do; it is not what you would think when Oklahoma comes to mind. Lots of folks like going to Cattlemen's Steak House across from the stockyards. There is also McClintock Saloon & Chop House that has some pretty good burgers. There is also a new LARGE park called Scissortail. There is great hiking there and if you are brave, you can do white water rafting (class II-IV) just to the east of Scissortail park. Of course, the memorial is a must see if in the area. The National Cowboy & Western Museum is great.

As mentioned, the SW part of the state has the Wichita Mtns and is great for hiking. As far as Meers Burgers go...they have really taken a hit the last few years. Food isn't nearly as good as it used to be and they are often closed when they say they are open. Medicine Park is also in that general area and is a great little stop...small shops and a couple of yummy restaurants.

Oklahoma is also pretty famous for its chicken fried steak. I would recommend hitting up a Del Rancho if you are up in the OKC area. You won't be disappointed nor hungry when you leave.

Best BBQ? Of course this is almost always debated, but I would recommend "The Butcher BBQ Stand" that is in Wellston between Tulsa and OKC. However, if you go...get there early as the line can be an hour or more...but it's worth it.

The SE portion of the state is pretty wooded and folks like camping/getting away to the cabins.

If you want Red Dirt music, I would recommend "The Salty Bronc Saloon" in Stillwater. They have lots of live bands and it's a good little venue.

Last little tidbit. In a very small town, Castle, there is a little restaurant called "Castle Grocery"...they have very good catfish and is owned by Reba McEntire's niece.

Really, there are lots of things to do here. When people come to visit, they are really surprised.

Oh, and Reservation Dogs is filmed all over the state but is primarily out of Okmulgee. It's a pretty small town a little off the beaten path but is a nice town to visit. They have "Coleman's Burgers" which IMHO is very, VERY good. It's been interesting to see some of the filming going on lately. I moved here from Atlanta in 2018 and watched how ATL became "Y'allywood" and the excitement it brought. That same new excitement is fun to watch here, too.

Lastly, www.travelOK.com has lots of great resources.

Quote:

Originally Posted by aja8888 Watch you speed, the state highway patrol like to give out speeding tickets,

Well, to their credit...it IS their job. We aren't in a hurry here in flyover country. They are also pretty good at helping folks out, I see them changing tires for folks pretty often.