Travel to Oklahoma City – Episode 545

Hear about travel to Oklahoma City as the Amateur Traveler talks to Sheila Scarborough from Tourism Currents about what she calls a “tremendously underrated destination”.

Sheila says, “I think it is an interesting combination of the pioneer spirit of the state of Oklahoma, which has some interesting history of how it was formed, and a very modern outlook. I think a lot of people who know nothing about Oklahoma don’t really know what to expect from it, think perhaps the people all fit a certain mold they have in their head about what we call “red states.” That’s not necessarily true for the entire state, and I just love the way the city combines its history and an energetic modern outlook. There’s a tremendous sense of possibility in Oklahoma City, very forward-leaning, very forward-looking. It will exceed your expectations, absolutely.”

We talk about some of that history of Oklahoma, Including the Trail of Tears and the Sooners. Sheila recommends coming to Oklahoma City during the Red Earth Festival to see some of its native American heritage. But we also talked about strange and quirky museums in Oklahoma City, like a museum dedicated to banjos and another dedicated to pigeons.

We talk about some of Oklahoma City’s neighborhoods like Bricktown, which is a reclaimed warehouse district, Automobile Alley, which used to just have car dealers, Deep Deuce, which has its roots in Oklahoma City’s African-American history, and the Boat House District, which houses the USA Olympic Rowing Training Facility and even includes a man-made white water course and zip lines.

Oklahoma City is the home of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum and at least a few good steak houses. It is the capital of Oklahoma and may have the only capital building with an oil derrick on the front lawn.

Sheila takes us outside of the city on Route 66 or I35 to discover diners that feature soda pop of bold colors, classic small-town main streets, and the Chickasaw Cultural Center nearby.

Along the way, we talk about where do you find a good steak, a good slice of pizza, or a good flight pie.

Whether you come to Oklahoma City on business, for the deadCenter Film Festival, or just virtually visit with us on Amateur Traveler, I think you’ll enjoy this look at an interesting city “where the wind comes sweepin’ down the plain.”

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Show Notes

The City of Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City
OKC’s Red Earth Festival
Red Earth Museum
deadCenter Film Festival
Bricktown
Oklahoma Thunder
Bricktown
American Banjo Museum
Oklahoma City Dodgers
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
Trail of Tears
Land Rush of 1889
Travel to Oklahoma with Robert Reid from Lonely Planet – Episode 295
The American Indian Center
Myriad Botanical Gardens
The Skirvin Hotel
The Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum
Oklahoma City Museum of Art
Colcord Hotel
FLINT Restaurant
Metropolitan Area Projects Plan
SkyDance Pedestrian Bridge
Oklahoma State Capitol
Automobile Alley
Boathouse District
Plaza District
The Mule Restaurant
Pie Junkie
Bird Dog Whiskey
Asian District
Deep Deuce District
The Wedge Pizzeria
The American Pigeon Museum & Library
Oklahoma City’s Adventure District
The American Pigeon Museum & Library
Cher Ami (Pigeon)
Pops Soda Ranch (Arcadia)
Arcadia Round Barn
Adventure Road (I35)
Chickasaw Cultural Center (Sulpher, OK)
City of Guthrie
Norman Oklahoma
Historic Stockyard City
The Diner (Norman)
Cattlemen’s Steakhouse, Located in Historic Stockyard City

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