If you’re in Oklahoma City for the annual Family Reunion Festival, you’ve picked the perfect time to visit because there’s more to keep you entertained than ever before. From a new $45 million whitewater rafting center, new exhibitions at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art and National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, to new attractions, restaurants and nightlife popping up weekly, Oklahoma City has transformed to a destination many are looking to explore.
What’s new in OKC’s Entertainment District
While in Oklahoma City, you will be busy catching up with others but when you find yourself with some free time, let us recommend a few must-see destinations. Downtown Oklahoma City is home to the Bricktown Entertainment District, offering you several restaurants, pubs, Dodgers Triple-A Baseball, live music and attractions such as the newest hot-spot for mini-golf, laser tag, games and pizza – Brickopolis. Stop by All About Cha for a coffee or a pastry. Shop for clothes, beef jerky or gifts at the all-new Jumpin Jackalope. Be sure to stop by the American Banjo Museum to see the newest exhibit of Roy Clark featuring stage outfits, instruments and other memorabilia belonging to Roy Clark. Bricktown also offers the Bricktown Water Taxi where you can get a fun narrated tour of the city all while offering drop-off points around Bricktown.
While in Oklahoma City, you will be busy catching up with others but when you find yourself with some free time, let us recommend a few must-see destinations. Downtown Oklahoma City is home to the Bricktown Entertainment District, offering you several restaurants, pubs, Dodgers Triple-A Baseball, live music and attractions such as the newest hot-spot for mini-golf, laser tag, games and pizza – Brickopolis. Stop by All About Cha for a coffee or a pastry. Shop for clothes, beef jerky or gifts at the all-new Jumpin Jackalope. Be sure to stop by the American Banjo Museum to see the newest exhibit of Roy Clark featuring stage outfits, instruments and other memorabilia belonging to Roy Clark. Bricktown also offers the Bricktown Water Taxi where you can get a fun narrated tour of the city all while offering drop-off points around Bricktown.
Downtown OKC offers museums and more
Downtown OKC also offers world-class museums such as the Oklahoma City Museum of Art and the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum. Opening in June, the Oklahoma City Museum of Art will offer their newest exhibit, “Kenhinde Wiley: A New Republic,” which gives an overview of the artist’s career including 60 of his oil paintings, stained glass and sculpture. Among other exhibits at the Museum, be sure to see the most comprehensive collection of Dale Chihuly including a 55-foot Eleanor Blake Kirkpatrick Memorial Tower in the Museum’s atrium. If you love art, be sure to stop in 21C Museum + Hotel for free art on their first floor with docent tours each Wednesday and Friday at 5pm. Stay for dinner and dine at Mary Eddy’s inside 21C – offering a classic American cuisine where menu items such as the Campanella pasta, Charcuterie (made in-house) and roasted okra offer an Oklahoma twist that you’re likely to crave once you leave OKC. And a trip to Oklahoma City is never complete without a tour inside the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum. A tribute to those whose lives were affected by the April 19, 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building and the days, weeks and years that followed the bombing. The museum just did a $10M renovation in 2014 so if you’ve seen it before then, come back for digital upgrades, a new investigation area on Timothy McVeigh and an overlook window to the Outdoor Symbolic Park.
Downtown OKC also offers world-class museums such as the Oklahoma City Museum of Art and the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum. Opening in June, the Oklahoma City Museum of Art will offer their newest exhibit, “Kenhinde Wiley: A New Republic,” which gives an overview of the artist’s career including 60 of his oil paintings, stained glass and sculpture. Among other exhibits at the Museum, be sure to see the most comprehensive collection of Dale Chihuly including a 55-foot Eleanor Blake Kirkpatrick Memorial Tower in the Museum’s atrium. If you love art, be sure to stop in 21C Museum + Hotel for free art on their first floor with docent tours each Wednesday and Friday at 5pm. Stay for dinner and dine at Mary Eddy’s inside 21C – offering a classic American cuisine where menu items such as the Campanella pasta, Charcuterie (made in-house) and roasted okra offer an Oklahoma twist that you’re likely to crave once you leave OKC. And a trip to Oklahoma City is never complete without a tour inside the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum. A tribute to those whose lives were affected by the April 19, 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building and the days, weeks and years that followed the bombing. The museum just did a $10M renovation in 2014 so if you’ve seen it before then, come back for digital upgrades, a new investigation area on Timothy McVeigh and an overlook window to the Outdoor Symbolic Park.
Adventure meets the West
Just northeast of downtown, Oklahoma City’s Adventure District is packed full of family fun and western heritage. Make it a day at the Oklahoma City Zoo and Science Museum Oklahoma for kid-friendly fun, or have an adult night out and place your bet on more than 750 games at Remington Park Racing Casino. For a glimpse of the Wild West, experience the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, home to one of the most comprehensive collections of Western art in the world. They’ll have several new exhibitions for you to see including “The Artistry of Western Paperback,” “The Power & Prestige Children’s Gallery” which takes visitors into the histories and cultures of the American Plains Indians, “Hollywood and the American West” and “A Yard of Turkey Red: The Western Bandanna.” For the largest collection of military firearms, the 45th Infantry Museum is free and open Tuesday-Sunday in the Adventure District.
Just northeast of downtown, Oklahoma City’s Adventure District is packed full of family fun and western heritage. Make it a day at the Oklahoma City Zoo and Science Museum Oklahoma for kid-friendly fun, or have an adult night out and place your bet on more than 750 games at Remington Park Racing Casino. For a glimpse of the Wild West, experience the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, home to one of the most comprehensive collections of Western art in the world. They’ll have several new exhibitions for you to see including “The Artistry of Western Paperback,” “The Power & Prestige Children’s Gallery” which takes visitors into the histories and cultures of the American Plains Indians, “Hollywood and the American West” and “A Yard of Turkey Red: The Western Bandanna.” For the largest collection of military firearms, the 45th Infantry Museum is free and open Tuesday-Sunday in the Adventure District.
For the adventure enthusiasts
Head to the Boathouse District for adventure on or off the water. Visitors can get active with RIVERSPORT Adventures, get out on the water with a kayak or stand up paddleboard or find fun on shore with the six-story SandRidge Sky Trail; the world’s tallest adventure course. Once you’ve made your way to the top of the Sky Trail, you can slide back down one of America’s tallest dry slides or feel the rush of an 80-foot free-fall with the Rumble Drop. The newly opened RIVERSPORT Rapids, an 11-acre state-of-the-art whitewater and kayaking center, is geared for plenty of family fun, but be prepared to get wet! If you’re looking for the thrills of coasters and rides, OKC is home to Frontier City
– a wild west theme park just off I-35 with more than 50 rides and attractions including the Wild West Gunfighters Stunt Show.
Head to the Boathouse District for adventure on or off the water. Visitors can get active with RIVERSPORT Adventures, get out on the water with a kayak or stand up paddleboard or find fun on shore with the six-story SandRidge Sky Trail; the world’s tallest adventure course. Once you’ve made your way to the top of the Sky Trail, you can slide back down one of America’s tallest dry slides or feel the rush of an 80-foot free-fall with the Rumble Drop. The newly opened RIVERSPORT Rapids, an 11-acre state-of-the-art whitewater and kayaking center, is geared for plenty of family fun, but be prepared to get wet! If you’re looking for the thrills of coasters and rides, OKC is home to Frontier City
– a wild west theme park just off I-35 with more than 50 rides and attractions including the Wild West Gunfighters Stunt Show.
See the Stockyards
A trip to Oklahoma City isn’t complete without a visit to the city’s longest continuously operating restaurant, Cattlemen’s Steakhouse. Hungry cowboys, ranchers and cattle haulers have been dining on fresh beef and more since 1910. Movie stars, rodeo greats and even politicians have dined at Cattlemen’s, suggesting the famous Lamb Fries as a must. A visit to Stockyard City is a great way to experience the authentic American West. Home to a number of shops specializing in all things western, you can outfit an entire ranch or just find a new pair of boots to wear to your big show. There’s even live country music every Saturday night at The Rodeo Opry. It’s perfect for the entire family.
A trip to Oklahoma City isn’t complete without a visit to the city’s longest continuously operating restaurant, Cattlemen’s Steakhouse. Hungry cowboys, ranchers and cattle haulers have been dining on fresh beef and more since 1910. Movie stars, rodeo greats and even politicians have dined at Cattlemen’s, suggesting the famous Lamb Fries as a must. A visit to Stockyard City is a great way to experience the authentic American West. Home to a number of shops specializing in all things western, you can outfit an entire ranch or just find a new pair of boots to wear to your big show. There’s even live country music every Saturday night at The Rodeo Opry. It’s perfect for the entire family.
Relax Outdoors
Take an evening to relax outdoors at Bleu Garten, the city’s first permanent food truck park, where you’ll find rotating food trucks daily, a full bar, TV’s and games for everyone to get involved. See the city light up at night at the Myriad Botanical Gardens and Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory. Offering free movie nights and concerts on the lawn throughout the summer months, the Myriad Gardens is a must-see when in town. Or, try out OKC’s newest up-and-coming district, the Wheeler District. It’s the perfect backdrop for any photo as you stand in front of the giant O-K-C with the Santa Monica Pier Ferris Wheel lit up behind you. The Ferris Wheel just relocated to OKC last year after a bid on EBay won. Often there are food trucks surrounding the district, making for a fun relaxing time in OKC.
Take an evening to relax outdoors at Bleu Garten, the city’s first permanent food truck park, where you’ll find rotating food trucks daily, a full bar, TV’s and games for everyone to get involved. See the city light up at night at the Myriad Botanical Gardens and Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory. Offering free movie nights and concerts on the lawn throughout the summer months, the Myriad Gardens is a must-see when in town. Or, try out OKC’s newest up-and-coming district, the Wheeler District. It’s the perfect backdrop for any photo as you stand in front of the giant O-K-C with the Santa Monica Pier Ferris Wheel lit up behind you. The Ferris Wheel just relocated to OKC last year after a bid on EBay won. Often there are food trucks surrounding the district, making for a fun relaxing time in OKC.
Enjoy the Reunion Festival while in town. As you can see, we’ve got plenty here to keep you entertained! For more information on all there is to see and do while in Oklahoma City go to www.VisitOKC.com.