Extending a trip to Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s Family Reunion Festival presents the perfect opportunity to explore the greater Oklahoma City metro area, and CPN is close to it all.

Museums
First Americans Museum – Oklahoma City
The First Americans Museum opened in September 2021, featuring two floors of museum space and interactive exhibits along with a restaurant, theater, family activities and gift shop. Everything from the architecture to the restaurant menu holds significance in Indigenous culture and highlights the lifeways of the 39 tribes in Oklahoma. Visit famok.org for more information.

Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art – Shawnee
Located on the Oklahoma Baptist University Green Campus, the Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art displays art and objects that cover 6,000 years of history. It is one of Oklahoma’s oldest museums and houses the state’s only Egyptian mummies. The collection of Native American art includes regalia from different tribes dating back to the 1890s. Find more details at mgmoa.org.

Pottawatomie County Museum – Shawnee
The Pottawatomie County Historical Society reopened the Pottawatomie County Museum inside the Milburn Center in 2021. On the same property as the Santa Fe Depot and Beard Cabin, it explores the area’s history with an emphasis on railroad development and local tribes, including Citizen Potawatomi Nation. Visit the museum’s website at pottcountymuseum.org.

Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History – Norman
The family-friendly Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History includes life-size dioramas, Native American artifacts, prehistoric bugs, a Discovery Room for kids and most importantly — dinosaurs. It displays a Guinness World Record-holding Pentaceratops skull, Jurassic era giants that once roamed the plains and much more. See more at samnoblemuseum.ou.edu.

Outdoors
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor – Oklahoma City
June is hot, and Six Flags Hurricane Harbor right off I-40 provides 25 acres of pools, water slides and soaking rides as the perfect place to cool down. Relax and float along Castaway Creek or fill the need for a thrill on the Big Kahuna, a 542-foot flume side. Hurricane Harbor features 17 total attractions and dining options throughout the park. Buy tickets at sixflags.com/hurricaneharborokc.

Scissortail Park – Oklahoma City
Scissortail Park in downtown Oklahoma City features 36 acres of walking trails, native plants, outdoor event space, a dog park, playgrounds and more. Cool off at the splash pad, rent skates at the outdoor roller rink, paddleboat around the lake and walk across the Skydance Bridge that passes over I-40. The park is only one great stop along the Oklahoma City Streetcar route. Find out more at scissortailpark.org.

Shawnee Splash Water Park – Shawnee
For a water park feel closer to the CPN powwow grounds, visit Shawnee Splash Water Park. Enjoy three pools, spray grounds with a 28-gallon bucket, giant slide and water depths down to 8 feet. The grounds also include a concession stand with a covered seating area, showers, a climbing wall, diving boards, a basketball goal and more. Check it out online at cpn.news/shawneesplash.

Lake Thunderbird State Park – Norman
Summer means time at the lake in Oklahoma, and Shawnee’s closest state park is only a short drive away. Lake Thunderbird is perfect for camping, featuring 200 RV sites and plenty of tent spots. Enjoy Calypso Cove and Little River Marinas with boat ramps and beaches as well as playgrounds, picnic areas, an archery range, hiking trails, mountain biking and the Discovery Cove Nature Center.

Family Fun
Route 66 – Across the state
Many Festival attendees come from out of state, and Route 66 has plenty of stops along the way. The Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton, Pop’s giant soda bottle and diner in Arcadia, Blue Whale in Catoosa and Admiral Twin Drive-In in Tulsa are only a few of its iconic attractions along with plenty of delicious food. Check out a map and plan a trip at travelok.com/route_66.

Adventure District – Oklahoma City
Northeast Oklahoma City’s Adventure District offers a wide array of museums, outdoor attractions and dining options. Trip Advisor lists Science Museum Oklahoma as one of the best in the state, while Attractions of America listed the OKC Zoo and Botanical Gardens as one of the 30 best zoos in the country to visit in 2022. Read about the area’s history museums and golf course at okcadventure.com.

Downtown Shawnee – Shawnee
Find great local restaurants and plenty of family-friendly activities in downtown Shawnee. Try a new activity at Lumberjack Johnson’s Axe Throwing, Nerfed Shawnee or Coffee N’ Crafts before eating at the original Van’s Pig Stand, 90-year-old Hamburger King or Comma coffee shop. Other antique retailers, comic books stores and specialty boutiques line the streets. Read more at visitshawnee.com.

Brickopolis – Oklahoma City
Located along the Bricktown Canal in downtown OKC, Brickopolis boasts three stories of attractions and dining. Play laser tag, mini golf and arcade games as well as mine for gemstones, rock wall climb and take on the bungee trampoline — all in one spot. The first floor bar and grill includes an extensive menu with something to satisfy any craving. Check out menus and activity prices at brickopolisu.com.