As I begin my final semester at OCU, I’ll admit I’ve been getting a little sentimental. Like many other seniors, I have no idea where I’ll land after graduation, but there’s a high likelihood I’ll be living somewhere other than Oklahoma. When I first moved to this state five years ago, I’ll admit I was pretty hesitant. Like so many others, I thought of Oklahoma as a barren wasteland, a place totally void of entertainment or fun. But as the years have gone by, I’ve found myself continually amazed at what all this state offers. So I’ve decided to dedicate my last few months in Oklahoma to revisiting all of my favorite places and finally crossing off a few places on my bucket list which I’ve been meaning to visit forever. Whether you’ve lived here your entire life or this is your first semester in the sooner state, I strongly encourage all OCU students to spend a day or two venturing beyond campus boundaries and exploring Oklahoma. To help get you started, I went ahead and listed five of my favorite things to do in Oklahoma.
1) Go to the Wichita Mountains
Anybody from Colorado or Utah is likely to roll their eyes at our so called “mountains.” However, just because they aren’t snowcapped or suitable for skiing doesn’t mean they aren’t fun. The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge is about an hour and a half west of OCU, near the town of Lawton. I’ve been there a few times over the years, and I strongly believe this is a must-do for any animal loving okies. The Wichita Mountains are one of the few places in the state where herds of wild bison and longhorn cattle roam freely. If you know where to look, you may even stumble across an adorable pack of prairie dogs. There are numerous hiking trails throughout the mountains, but if hiking isn’t your thing, then you can still see many of the animals from your car. However, I would strongly recommend stepping out of your car for at least a little bit to snag some breathtaking photos on the top of Mount Scott. The nearby town of Medicine Park is cute and quirky with numerous boutiques and art galleries to stroll through, and I would strongly suggest stopping by after your visit to the wildlife refuge.
2) Spend a day on Route 66
Whenever people talk about Route 66 in Oklahoma, the first thing they mention is Pops. Pops is fine and all, but the Mother Road has so much more to offer. About an hour and a half west of OCU is the town of Clinton which has the Route 66 Museum as well as a giant indoor water park that’s open year round. When it comes to good food, Route 66 has no shortage with places such as Sid’s Diner in El Reno or the Rock Cafe in Stroud. In fact, the latter actually partially inspired Pixar to make the movie Cars, and the walls of the cafe are covered in signed memorabilia from the movie’s cast and crew.
3) Road Trip to Pawhuska
Pawhuska is without a doubt Oklahoma’s best kept secret. Somehow this tiny town of 3,000 people manages to pack in multiple world famous restaurants, gorgeous wildlife and some of the most stunning views in the entire state. If the name Pawhuska rings any bells for you, chances are it’s because of celebrity chef Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman herself. Like so many other celebrity chefs, Ree owns a series of restaurants featuring her amazing recipes. However, unlike other chefs who place their restaurants in huge cities such as New York or London, Ree saw her fame as an opportunity to draw attention to her hometown of Pawhuska, so all of her businesses are located there. She even films her Food Network show in Pawhuska, and you can tour the set for free. In addition to amazing food, Pawhuska is also home to the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, which is one of the largest stretches of untouched prairie in the world. The views are absolutely breathtaking, and it’s so much fun to go and look for the herds of wild bison that roam the preserve.
4) Attend a sporting event
For years I’ve been trying to convince people to check out some of the local sporting events here only to have them roll their eyes at me and say that OCU isn’t really a “sporty school.” However, those people have no idea what they’re missing out on. Many of Oklahoma’s arenas, fields and stadiums are filled with fun activities which even the most sports adverse person is sure to enjoy. For instance, the Thunder offers free activities such as face painting and caricature drawing at every game. Whenever the weather is warm, they also host a free pre-game street fair filled activities such as rock climbing walls and inflatables. Few people know this, but you’re even allowed to go down near the court and chat with the players and get photos and autographs while they’re warming up, no special pass or fee required. Additionally, OU and OSU games have tons of tailgating and other activities that are oftentimes more fun than the games themselves. In the summertime, one of my favorite things to do is to get extremely cheap lawn tickets to the Dodgers games and then spend the evenings in the grass, joking around with friends and paying minimal attention to the baseball game.
5) Spend a day in cowboy country
My personal style is probably about as far from yeehaw as you could possibly get, but even I have to admit watching the sunset from the saddle of a horse is some of the most fun you could possibly have in this state. There are dozens of stables which offer guided trail rides, some just 30 minutes away from OCU. Oftentimes these trail rides require little to no previous riding experience, so they’re accessible to riders of all skill levels. If horses aren’t really your thing, there’s always the Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. Surprisingly, the museum kept me super entertained, and I’ve never even seen a western movie before. The exhibits cover a diverse range of interests such as western art, western films, western history, western attire, and so much more. It’s by far one of my favorite museums in Oklahoma City.
There you have it, five of my favorite things to do around the sooner state. By no means is this an exhaustive list, but it’s a solid place to start if you want to experience more of Oklahoma. Please feel free to reach out to ehmelton@my.okcu.edu and send me your own top five list so I can get some new ideas on how to make my final months in Oklahoma the best ones yet!
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