Must sees in OKC? (Oklahoma City, Shawnee: apartments, hotels, home)

[hummingbird12]

Hello!
I'm going to Oklahoma next week to visit my cousins, they live in Shawnee. I've been doing a lot of research on things to do in the Oklahoma City area, but would like to get some advice from the locals on what are some definite must sees in the area. We are taking their kids to Frontier City and the Zoo. I was there a couple years ago, but only for a couple of days, and did get a chance to go to the memorial site and museum. Very emotional!
Any suggestions? Thanks!

[Dale_]

It is a little on the pricey side but if you intend on going to Bricktown I would recommend the Water Taxi. It is very informative as for the improvements of Dowtown OKC both made and future. It is also good for a few chuckles from the captains. Since you have kids if there is rain the Ominplex is right next to the Zoo and has just opened the "Treehouse" and my 3 boys love it. Not sure if you are just looking for things in the Metro or if your willing to drive an hour or so so I am not sure what else to suggest?

[happytown]

Originally Posted by Dale_

It is a little on the pricey side but if you intend on going to Bricktown I would recommend the Water Taxi. It is very informative as for the improvements of Dowtown OKC both made and future. It is also good for a few chuckles from the captains. Since you have kids if there is rain the Ominplex is right next to the Zoo and has just opened the "Treehouse" and my 3 boys love it. Not sure if you are just looking for things in the Metro or if your willing to drive an hour or so so I am not sure what else to suggest?

Just for the original poster- There is way more to do than tha zoo/ominiplex.
Look into sites that give a bit more detail....actually a lot more detail.

Google OKC. Google Bricktown
Google Downtown/midtown/asian district/flat iron/ district/Automible alley/western ave.- too much to list.....You will get a lot more info off the web.

[Synopsis]

OkC's zoo has been one of the top zoos in the country for decades. I think it has been consistently ranked that way for as long as I can remember. It's on par with the San Diego zoo and the zoo here in Fort Worth, which has been recognized as one of the top zoos as well. Just one of the many reasons to visit OkC. Bricktown is awesome and continues to grow at an amazing rate. There are new downtown high rise apartments going up everywhere and will increase people who want to live in a truly urban environment. I'm sure that shopping centers will soon follow so that people will not even need to leave the downtown area to get necessities of life. The SBC ballpark is stunning, and a fine asset to downtown as well. It's like a smaller version of the Ballpark in Arlington, TX (Ameriquest field).

Within a three or four block area you have dozens and dozens of restaurants, bars, a convention center, very nice hotels, a beautiful baseball park and of course, Ford Center, temporary home of the Hornets (I believe the Blazers hockey team plays there as well). I stayed at the Bricktown Marriott and found that I didn't need a car to get around and be entertained the whole time I was there. The area is extremely safe as well.

I don't know if they have one yet, but if there were a trolley or light rail just for the downtown area I think it would even promote more growth. A light rail from the airport to downtown would be a great addition as well, in my opinion. I think within ten years OkC will probably get a couple of signature 50 or 60 story skyscrapers as well.

[Dale_]

Originally Posted by happytown

Just for the original poster- There is way more to do than tha zoo/ominiplex.
Look into sites that give a bit more detail....actually a lot more detail.

Google OKC. Google Bricktown
Google Downtown/midtown/asian district/flat iron/ district/Automible alley/western ave.- too much to list.....You will get a lot more info off the web.

Yes there are several interesting areas of OKC that are improving more and more every day. However while those are all great attractions there is little to nothing for the kids to do in those areas of town. Depends on if you are looking for kid friendly attractions or not I suppose...

Another great attraction to the south is Witchita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. This summer with all of the rain it is absolutely stunning atop Mount Scott and the buffalo and long horns are much more active this year than last.

[hummingbird12]

Thank you so much for the replies!

[Terlton Tornado]

State Fair Speedway In OKC, Check their website for: Schedule, Points, Results, Rules, Directions & Links

State Fair Speedway

[happytown]

Originally Posted by Dale_

Yes there are several interesting areas of OKC that are improving more and more every day. However while those are all great attractions there is little to nothing for the kids to do in those areas of town. Depends on if you are looking for kid friendly attractions or not I suppose...

Another great attraction to the south is Witchita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. This summer with all of the rain it is absolutely stunning atop Mount Scott and the buffalo and long horns are much more active this year than last.

OK- then maybe I should have addressed the particular district associated with OKC re: Young adults. Its called the adventure district.....look it up. It would be totally ridiculous to suggest that OKC doesnt have much to do for kids.....I cant even believe suggesting mountains is the most exciting venue for kids and its 3 hours away!! Are the kids supposed to learn how to climb rocks?- Many fun museums other than the ominplex are abound. The river projects are wonderful venues to take children to. OKC just recently recieved 3 climate controlled boats to navigate the Oklahoma River(which I would call the Oklahoma Canal). The boathouse caters to many events that children enjoy....there is sooo much more. Bottom line is like I said it is very ignorant to think OKC is not child friendly. I am seriously thinking that many really are giving very false info about OKC.

[Dale_]

Originally Posted by happytown

OK- then maybe I should have addressed the particular district associated with OKC re: Young adults. Its called the adventure district.....look it up. It would be totally ridiculous to suggest that OKC doesnt have much to do for kids.....I cant even believe suggesting mountains is the most exciting venue for kids and its 3 hours away!! Are the kids supposed to learn how to climb rocks?- Many fun museums other than the ominplex are abound. The river projects are wonderful venues to take children to. OKC just recently recieved 3 climate controlled boats to navigate the Oklahoma River(which I would call the Oklahoma Canal). The boathouse caters to many events that children enjoy....there is sooo much more. Bottom line is like I said it is very ignorant to think OKC is not child friendly. I am seriously thinking that many really are giving very false info about OKC.

Oh boy I am of the opinion you should change your screen name to either defensivetown or argumentivetown because both of your responses to be are anything but happy...

On a serious note I never said it was not a child friendly city (you read more into my post than was there) I simply stated that there are not alot of things for the children to do in "Downtown/midtown/asian district/flat iron/ district/Automible alley/western ave." Ignorant of the area yes I will admit that as I have only lived here just over a year but in my experiences of taking my 3 sons (10,6 and 4 yrs old) to the areas of town you mentioned there wasn't much that interested them. I am not trying to say it isn't an interesting area just that my children were not impressed and generally my children as most are easily entertained. If there were attractions in those areas that we missed maybe as a good neighbor you could be willing to point out specifically what it is that you know of that would be of interest for children rather than attacking me?

BTW do you have children?

[peggydavis]

Hi Dale

When my daughter was younger we bought season passes to White Water on I-40. It was really pretty cheap as we went ALL the time, especially on weekday late afternoon/evenings when it wasn't so crowded. I remember Stars and Stripes park on Lake Hefner as being entertaining for the younger kids. You might also consider a day trip out to Red Rock Canyon State Park out west by Hinton. My children always enjoyed going there.

I know the OP was about a one day thing in OKC, just though you might like a few suggestions for your own kids.