Oklahoma has more drivable original Route 66 than any other state, and a free wildlife refuge with bison, longhorn and elk in it.
Oklahoma With Kids Family Travel Guide
“This is a state where a lot of the best things cost nothing, and the one that costs the most is the one you will remember longest.”
Why families hire me for Oklahoma
Oklahoma gets skipped, and the reason is that nobody tells people what is in it. Thirty nine tribal nations, four hundred miles of Route 66, a free refuge with bison in it, and a memorial that will change how your children think.
I have planned and priced more than three hundred trips and Oklahoma almost never comes up. What it actually has is one of the most affordable family weeks in America, with real wildlife, real history and almost no gate fees.
The first thing I sort out is the memorial, because it is the heaviest thing on the page and it needs planning rather than a drop in. The Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum is $18 for adults, $15 for students aged 6 to 17 or in college, $16 for seniors 62 and over and for military with ID, and free for children 5 and under. The Outdoor Symbolic Memorial is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
The second is the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, southwest of Oklahoma City, which has roaming herds of bison, longhorn and Rocky Mountain elk and there is no charge to visit. Lands, roads and trails are open sunrise to sunset and the visitor center runs 9am to 5pm daily.
I taught social studies for eight years and Oklahoma is one of the most important places in the country to teach from. Thirty nine federally recognized tribal nations have headquarters here, and the Chickasaw, Cherokee and Choctaw all run cultural centers that tell their own story in their own words.
The third thing I look at is Route 66, because Oklahoma has more of the original road still drivable than any other state, and that is a holiday on its own if your family likes that kind of thing.
Beyond the Bookshelf
A short shelf, and one thing to prepare children for before Oklahoma City.
Talk to your children about the Oklahoma City bombing before you go, at whatever level suits their age. The memorial explains it carefully, but arriving cold is hard on a child and harder on a parent trying to explain it on the spot.
Read about the Trail of Tears. The Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Muscogee and Seminole nations were forced here from the southeast, and that is why their capitals are in Oklahoma today.
Read about the Dust Bowl. The panhandle was the center of it, and the photographs explain why so many families left for California in the 1930s.
For younger children, read about bison. The Wichita Mountains refuge was one of the places bison were brought back from near extinction, and the herd there descends from that effort.
And look up Route 66. Oklahoma has more drivable original road than any other state, and the odd roadside things along it are exactly what children want to stop for.
Why Oklahoma works with kids
Oklahoma works with children because it is cheap, the drives are short, and a lot of the best things do not charge at all.
The wildlife refuge is free. The Gathering Place in Tulsa is free with free parking. Chickasaw National Recreation Area charges no entry fee. That is a lot of trip without a gate.
And the distances are manageable. Oklahoma City to Tulsa is about an hour and a half, and almost everything else is within two hours of one of them.
Bison, longhorn and elk, for nothing. The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge has roaming herds of all three and there is no charge to visit.
A park that is a destination on its own. Tulsa’s Gathering Place has no admission fee and free parking, and children lose whole days in it.
Swimming in cold springs. Chickasaw National Recreation Area at Sulphur has no entry fee and natural swimming spots.
Four hundred miles of Route 66. More drivable original road than any other state, and the roadside stops are the fun part.
Tribal nations telling their own story. Thirty nine are headquartered here, and several run cultural centers worth a whole day.
Oklahoma Place by Place
Eight places worth stopping, and what each one is actually for.
Oklahoma City
Tulsa
Lawton
Sulphur
Pawhuska
Tahlequah
Broken Bow
Davis
What Oklahoma is actually about
Oklahoma is Indian Country, and that is not a historical note, it is the present tense. Thirty nine federally recognized tribal nations have their headquarters in this state, with their own governments, their own courts and their own capitals.
Most of them are here because they were forced here. The Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Muscogee and Seminole were removed from the southeast in the 1830s, and Oklahoma was then opened to settlers in a series of land runs that took most of it back again.
The second thing is that this state is a crossroads rather than a region. It has pine forest and clear rivers in the southeast, granite mountains in the southwest, tallgrass prairie in the north and high plains in the panhandle. Nothing about it is one landscape.
The third is Route 66, which crosses the whole state and which Oklahoma has preserved better than anywhere else. There is more original drivable road here than in any other state on the route.
And then there is April 19, 1995. The Oklahoma City bombing is the thing this city built its memorial around, and the way it chose to do that, with 168 empty chairs, is one of the most careful pieces of public memory in the country.
Oklahoma has more drivable original Route 66 than any other state on the route.
What to eat in Oklahoma
Fried, mostly, and very good at it, plus one burger that an entire town is built around.
Chicken fried steak is the one to start with. Beef, pounded flat, breaded, fried and covered in cream gravy. It is part of the official state meal and every diner here has a version.
The onion fried burger is the regional one, and it comes from El Reno on Route 66. Thin sliced onions are pressed into the patty on the griddle so they cook into the meat rather than sitting on top. It started as a Depression era way to stretch beef and it stayed because it is better.
Fried okra is on every plate here. Cut into coins, cornmeal battered and fried, and children who say they hate vegetables will eat a basket of it.
Indian tacos are fry bread with beans, meat, lettuce, tomato and cheese on top. You will find them at powwows, festivals and tribal cultural centers, and the fry bread itself carries a hard history worth explaining to older children.
And barbecue is serious here. Oklahoma sits between Texas and Kansas City and takes from both, which means brisket and ribs and sauce on the table rather than on the meat.
Chicken fried steak Pounded, breaded, fried and under cream gravy. Part of the official state meal and on every diner menu.
Onion fried burger From El Reno. Thin onions pressed into the patty on the griddle so they cook into the beef.
Fried okra Cornmeal battered coins, fried. The vegetable children actually eat.
Indian taco Fry bread topped with beans, meat, lettuce, tomato and cheese. At powwows and cultural centers.
Barbecue Between Texas and Kansas City, so brisket and ribs with the sauce on the table.
If you are in El Reno, the onion fried burger is the thing. It is a short detour off I-40 west of Oklahoma City and it is the best three dollars you will spend on this trip.
The memorial, and how to do it with children
The Oklahoma City National Memorial sits where the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building stood until April 19, 1995. There are two parts to it and they are different experiences.
The Outdoor Symbolic Memorial is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It is a reflecting pool between two gates marked 9:01 and 9:03, with a field of 168 empty chairs, one for each person killed, and the small chairs are for the children. It is quiet and it explains itself.
The Museum is the harder half and it is where the planning matters. Adults are $18, students aged 6 to 17 or in college are $15, seniors 62 and over and military with ID are $16, and children 5 and under are free. It is open 9am to 5pm Monday through Saturday and noon to 5pm on Sunday, and the last ticket is sold an hour before closing.
My advice with children is to do the outdoor memorial first, in daylight, and talk there. Then decide about the museum based on how that went and how old they are. There is no rule that says you have to do both on the same trip.
Whatever you decide, talk to them about it before you arrive rather than in the car park. That one conversation makes the whole visit easier.
Give yourself the rest of the day after the memorial. Do not stack it with something cheerful in the afternoon and expect anybody to be in the mood for it.
Getting there and getting around
You need a car. Oklahoma is a driving state and the good things are spread across it.
Oklahoma City and Tulsa both have airports. Oklahoma City is more central for the southwest and the memorial, Tulsa is better for Route 66 and the northeast.
I-40 crosses the state east to west and I-44 runs diagonally from the southwest through Oklahoma City to Tulsa and on to Missouri. Route 66 shadows I-44 for most of its length here.
Oklahoma City to Tulsa is about an hour and a half. Oklahoma City to the Wichita Mountains is about an hour and a half. Broken Bow in the southeast corner is four and a half hours from Oklahoma City, which makes it its own trip.
Several of the turnpikes are toll roads and some are cashless, so check what your rental car has for tolls before you leave the lot.
Fly into Oklahoma City or Tulsa. Oklahoma City for the memorial and the southwest, Tulsa for Route 66 and the northeast.
Everything central is within two hours. The memorial, the refuge, Sulphur and Tulsa all sit inside a short drive of each other.
The southeast is separate. Broken Bow and Beavers Bend are four and a half hours from Oklahoma City. Treat that as its own trip.
Sort out the tolls. Several turnpikes are toll roads and some are cashless. Ask the rental desk how they handle it.
Roaming herds of bison, longhorn and Rocky Mountain elk, on a refuge that charges nothing to enter.
The Wichita Mountains, and why they are the best free day in the state
An hour and a half southwest of Oklahoma City there is a range of ancient granite hills with bison walking around in them, and it costs nothing.
The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge is best known for its roaming herds of bison, longhorn and Rocky Mountain elk. There is no charge to visit. The visitor center is open daily 9am to 5pm and the lands, roads and trails are open sunrise to sunset.
The animals are most active early in the morning and late in the evening, so that is when to drive the refuge roads rather than the middle of a hot afternoon.
There is also a summit road up Mount Scott with a view across the whole southwest of the state, and a lot of short walks among the boulders that suit children who want to climb things.
Camping has a fee and you can buy an America the Beautiful pass at the visitor center or on Recreation.gov, but for a day visit you simply drive in.
Go early. The bison, longhorn and elk are most active at the start and the end of the day, and in summer the middle of the day in southwest Oklahoma is punishing.
Oklahoma without a car
It works for a city weekend and not for anything else.
Oklahoma City has a walkable core with Bricktown, the memorial and the museums close together, and a streetcar linking them.
Tulsa works the same way, with downtown art deco, the Woody Guthrie Center and the Gathering Place reachable without a long drive.
Everything else, the refuge, the springs, Route 66, the tallgrass prairie and the southeast, needs a car.
When to go
April and May are the best months, with green prairie, wildflowers and comfortable temperatures. They are also the most active part of the severe weather season, so watch the forecast.
September and October are the other good window. Warm, dry, fewer storms and the tallgrass prairie turns color.
Summer is hot and I mean hot. July and August in southwest Oklahoma are brutal in the middle of the day, so plan the refuge for early morning and the museums for the afternoon.
Winter is mild by northern standards and perfectly workable for a city trip, though the state parks are quiet and some seasonal things close.
If you are coming for the refuge and you can choose, take late September. The animals are active, the heat has broken and the crowds are thin.
How Many Days & First-Trip Routing
Five nights covers the central part of this state properly.
Three nights gets you Oklahoma City, the memorial and a day at the Wichita Mountains.
Five nights adds Tulsa, the Gathering Place and a run along Route 66 between the two cities.
Seven nights lets you add Sulphur and the Chickasaw Cultural Center, or the tallgrass prairie at Pawhuska.
The southeast corner at Broken Bow is four and a half hours away and really deserves its own three or four nights rather than a day out of Oklahoma City.
How to Route a Oklahoma Week
The simple shape is a triangle between Oklahoma City, the Wichita Mountains and Tulsa.
Start in Oklahoma City. Give the memorial a morning and the rest of that day to something gentle.
Drive southwest to the Wichita Mountains for a day, early, and come back the same evening or stay in Lawton.
Then run northeast to Tulsa, taking Route 66 rather than the turnpike for at least part of it, and give Tulsa two nights for the Gathering Place and downtown.
If you have more days, add Sulphur on the way south or Pawhuska on the way north, not both.
Oklahoma City, two nights. The memorial, the cowboy museum and Bricktown. One heavy morning, then something easy.
The Wichita Mountains, one full day. Free entry. Go at sunrise for the bison, longhorn and elk, and climb Mount Scott.
Tulsa, two nights. The Gathering Place with free admission and free parking, the art deco downtown and Route 66.
Route 66 between them. Take the old road for part of the drive rather than the turnpike. That is the whole point of it being here.
Where these places are
A map of every place named on this page, so you can see how close together they really are.
Regions at a Glance
Central Oklahoma
Oklahoma City, Norman and the memorial. The capital, the museums and the best road links in the state.
Green Country
Tulsa, Tahlequah and the northeast. Art deco, the Gathering Place, clear rivers and the Cherokee Nation capital.
The southwest
Lawton and the Wichita Mountains. Granite hills, free roaming bison, longhorn and elk, and a summit road.
The Arbuckles and Sulphur
Chickasaw National Recreation Area, Turner Falls and cold springs you can swim in. No entry fee at the recreation area.
The Osage and the tallgrass
Pawhuska and the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve. Bison on open grassland and very big skies.
Kiamichi Country
Broken Bow, Beavers Bend and the pine forest in the southeast. Cabins, clear water and nothing like the rest of the state.
One hundred and sixty eight empty chairs, one for every person killed, and the small ones are for the children.
Must See and Do
The Oklahoma City National Memorial. The outdoor memorial is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The museum is $18 for adults and $15 for students aged 6 to 17.
The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. Free. Bison, longhorn and Rocky Mountain elk, a summit road and granite to climb on.
The Gathering Place, Tulsa. No admission fee and free parking. Park hours 7am to 7pm, and children will not want to leave.
Chickasaw National Recreation Area. No entry fee at Sulphur. Cold springs, swimming holes and easy walks. Camping and boat launches are charged.
Route 66. More drivable original road here than in any other state on the route. Take it between Oklahoma City and Tulsa.
A tribal cultural center. The Chickasaw, Cherokee and Choctaw nations all run them, and they tell their own story in their own words.
The Tallgrass Prairie Preserve. Near Pawhuska. Bison on open grassland and a landscape that has mostly vanished everywhere else.
An onion fried burger in El Reno. A Depression era trick that became a regional dish, on Route 66 west of Oklahoma City.
Doing Oklahoma With Children
Oklahoma is one of the easier and cheaper American states to do with children.
The free things are the good things, the drives are short in the middle of the state, and the wildlife is the kind you see from the car.
The one thing that needs thought is the memorial, and that is a conversation to have at home rather than in the parking lot.
Do the refuge at sunrise. The bison, longhorn and elk are most active early and late. The middle of a summer day is the worst time for both.
Give the Gathering Place a whole day. No admission fee, free parking, open 7am to 7pm. Pack food, because you will be there longer than you planned.
Prepare them for the memorial. Talk about it before you go, do the outdoor part first, and decide about the museum afterwards.
Swim at Sulphur. Chickasaw National Recreation Area has cold springs and no entry fee, which in an Oklahoma summer is the best news on this page.
Stop on Route 66. The roadside oddities are the point. A giant blue whale is a better memory than another hour on the turnpike.
Who Oklahoma Suits, and Who Should Skip It
Oklahoma suits families who want wildlife, history and a very low cost week, and who are happy to drive an hour between things.
It suits anybody interested in Native American history and present day tribal nations, because this is where that story lives.
It suits Route 66 families more than any other state on the route, because there is more original road here.
It does not suit a family looking for mountains, coastline or a famous attraction. It is a quiet, substantial, inexpensive state and that is what it is good at.
Worth the Money in Oklahoma
The memorial museum ticket. $18 for an adult, and it is the one paid thing in this state I would not cut if your children are old enough.
A second day at the refuge. It is free, so a second morning there costs you nothing but the drive, and that is when the animals show.
A cabin in Beavers Bend. If you are going southeast at all, go properly. Four and a half hours each way is not a day trip.
A tribal cultural center. The Chickasaw one in particular is worth a half day and it is the most important thing most visitors skip.
Lunch in El Reno. The onion fried burger, on Route 66, for the price of almost nothing.
The roadside stops are the point of the old road, and children will remember the giant blue whale longer than the turnpike.
Things That Surprise First Timers
Thirty nine tribal nations. They are headquartered here with their own governments and capitals, and several run cultural centers open to visitors.
The refuge is free. Bison, longhorn and Rocky Mountain elk, no charge to visit, open sunrise to sunset.
There is pine forest. The southeast corner around Broken Bow has pines, clear rivers and cabins, and it looks nothing like the rest of the state.
The Gathering Place costs nothing. No admission fee and free parking, and it is one of the best public parks built in America this century.
Route 66 is better here. More original drivable road than any other state on the route.
It gets very hot. Southwest Oklahoma in July and August is brutal in the afternoon. Plan outdoor things for early.
Where I Would Start
I would start with Oklahoma City and the memorial, because it is the thing you will think about afterwards and it anchors everything else.
Then the Wichita Mountains, early in the morning, because it is free and it is the best wildlife day in the state.
Then Tulsa for two nights, taking the old road for part of the drive.
If you have a seventh night, I would give it to Sulphur and the Chickasaw Cultural Center rather than adding another city.
Oklahoma by the numbers
Facts to know before you go
Oklahoma is not one kind of trip
There are four Oklahoma trips and most families want the first two.
The city and refuge trip
Oklahoma City, the memorial and the Wichita Mountains. Four nights, one heavy morning and one very good free day.
The Route 66 trip
Oklahoma City to Tulsa on the old road, with every roadside stop you can fit in. Three or four nights.
The water trip
Sulphur, Turner Falls and the Arbuckles. Cold springs, swimming and no entry fee at the recreation area.
The southeast trip
Broken Bow and Beavers Bend. Pine forest, clear rivers and cabins, four and a half hours from Oklahoma City.
What families come to Oklahoma for
The memorial. It is one of the most carefully made places of public memory in the country, and it stays with people.
Free roaming bison. The Wichita Mountains refuge has bison, longhorn and elk, and it costs nothing to drive in.
Route 66. More original drivable road than any other state, with the roadside stops that make it worth doing.
Native American history in the present tense. Thirty nine tribal nations headquartered here, several with cultural centers open to visitors.
A cheap week that does not feel cheap. The best things here are free and the paid ones are small numbers.
Only in Oklahoma
One hundred and sixty eight chairs
The Oklahoma City National Memorial
The Outdoor Symbolic Memorial stands where the Murrah Federal Building did, with a reflecting pool between two gates marked 9:01 and 9:03 and a field of 168 empty chairs, one for each person killed, the small ones for the children. It is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The museum beside it is $18 for adults and $15 for students aged 6 to 17 or in college.
Bison, longhorn and elk
The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge
A range of ancient granite hills an hour and a half southwest of Oklahoma City, with roaming herds of bison, longhorn and Rocky Mountain elk. There is no charge to visit. The visitor center is open daily 9am to 5pm and the lands, roads and trails are open sunrise to sunset. The animals are most active early in the morning and late in the evening.
Four hundred miles
Route 66
Oklahoma has more drivable original Route 66 than any other state on the route, running diagonally across it from the northeast corner to the panhandle. The roadside stops are the reason to take it rather than the turnpike, and they are the part children remember.
Combine It With
South across the Red River. Dallas and Fort Worth are about three hours from Oklahoma City.
East from Tahlequah, with the Ozarks continuing over the line.
North, and Route 66 clips the southeast corner of it on the way to Missouri.
Northeast from Tulsa, following Route 66 all the way to Springfield and St Louis.
Tell me who is coming, and when.
Tell me how old your children are and I will tell you how to handle the memorial, because that one decision shapes the rest of an Oklahoma week.
Oklahoma, Answered
The ones that come up in almost every planning call. If yours is not here, ask me.
How much is the Oklahoma City National Memorial?
The Outdoor Symbolic Memorial, with the reflecting pool and the field of 168 chairs, is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The Memorial Museum beside it charges $18 for adults, $15 for students aged 6 to 17 or in college, $16 for seniors 62 and over and for military with ID, and children 5 and under are free. The museum is open 9am to 5pm Monday through Saturday and noon to 5pm Sunday, with the last ticket sold an hour before closing.
Is the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge free?
Yes. There is no charge to visit. The visitor center is open daily 9am to 5pm and the lands, roads and trails are open sunrise to sunset. Camping has a fee. The refuge is best known for roaming herds of bison, longhorn and Rocky Mountain elk, and the animals are most active early in the morning and late in the evening.
Is the Gathering Place in Tulsa free?
Yes. There is no admission fee and parking is free. Park hours are 7am to 7pm, with some areas on different hours and a few attractions closed seasonally. Plan a full day rather than a couple of hours.
Does Chickasaw National Recreation Area charge an entry fee?
No. There is no entry fee. Camping fees and boat launch fees are charged, and the park does not publish those figures online, so call 580-622-7234 for current rates.
Should we take children to the memorial museum?
That depends on their age and on how you prepare them. My advice is to do the outdoor memorial first, in daylight, talk about it there, and decide about the museum afterwards. Talk to them about what happened before you arrive rather than in the parking lot, and keep the rest of that day gentle.
How much of Route 66 is in Oklahoma?
Oklahoma has more drivable original Route 66 than any other state on the route, and it crosses the whole state diagonally. The stretch between Oklahoma City and Tulsa is the easiest one to take instead of the turnpike on an ordinary itinerary.
How many days do you need in Oklahoma?
Three nights covers Oklahoma City, the memorial and a day at the Wichita Mountains. Five nights adds Tulsa and some Route 66. Seven nights lets you add Sulphur and a tribal cultural center. Broken Bow in the southeast is four and a half hours from Oklahoma City and deserves its own trip.
What should we eat in Oklahoma?
Chicken fried steak, which is part of the official state meal. An onion fried burger in El Reno, where thin onions are pressed into the patty on the griddle. Fried okra with almost anything. An Indian taco on fry bread at a cultural center or a festival. And barbecue, which here borrows from both Texas and Kansas City.
When is the best time to visit Oklahoma?
April and May for green prairie and comfortable temperatures, with an eye on the forecast because that is the active part of the severe weather season. September and October are the other good window, warmer and drier with fewer storms. Avoid the middle of the day in July and August in the southwest.
Are there tolls in Oklahoma?
Several of the turnpikes are toll roads and some are cashless. Ask the rental desk how their cars handle tolls before you drive off, because sorting it out afterwards is more expensive than sorting it out at the counter.
Keep exploring from Oklahoma
Photo credits
Historic Route 66 shield beside the old road n by Kiddo27 (CC BY-SA 4.0) · granite hills of the Wichita Mountains in sout by OKJaguar (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Oklahoma City skyline seen from Bricktown by Michael Barera (CC BY-SA 4.0) · art deco Boston Avenue United Methodist Church by w_lemay (CC BY-SA 2.0) · bison grazing in the Wichita Mountains Wildlif by Larry Smith (CC BY 2.0) · Little Niagara Falls on Travertine Creek at Ch by jonathan c. wheeler (CC BY-SA 3.0) · bison crossing the road at the Tallgrass Prair by Photog (CC BY 3.0) · Seminary Hall on the old Cherokee Female Semin by Caleb Long (CC BY-SA 2.5) · Turner Falls in the Arbuckle Mountains near Da by MARELBU (CC BY 3.0) · Meadow Gold sign on Route 66 in Tulsa, Oklahom by G. Edward Johnson (CC BY 4.0) · Chicken fried steak under cream gravy with fri by LeeMNichols (CC BY-SA 4.0) · onion burger and fries on a plate by BanjoZebra (CC BY 4.0) · bowl of cornmeal battered fried okra by Lahti213 (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Indian taco built on fry bread by m01229 (CC BY 2.0) · barbecue plate of brisket and ribs with pickle by T.Tseng (CC BY 2.0) · American bison in the Wichita Mountains Nation by gurdonark (CC BY 2.0) · reflecting pool at the Oklahoma City National by Oklahoma_City_memorial.png: Mark Pellegrini derivati (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Route 66 shield painted on the original alignm by G. Edward Johnson (CC BY 4.0) · gate and the reflecting pool at the Oklahoma C by xiquinhosilva (CC BY 2.0). All via Wikimedia Commons. Remaining photographs on this page are public domain or CC0.
