Location: Oklahoma City
Top Things to do in Oklahoma City
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10 Budget-friendly Things to do in Oklahoma City That You Shouldn't Miss
With over 50 legendary attractions including the National Cowboy and Western Museum and the Myriad Botanical Gardens, plus world-class shopping, restaurants and hotels OKC, as it is affectionately known, is the ideal spot for a weekend of fun and reflection. Discover the sights and sounds of the Old West in Stockyards City, watch horse races at Remington Park, then have dinner and see a show in historic Bricktown. Designed to duplicate an 1800s frontier town, families will love the Frontier City Theme Park where visitors see an reenactment of the gun fight at the OK corral and ride thrilling roller coasters. On a more somber note, the site of the 1995 terrorist attack, known today as the Oklahoma City National Memorial, and the Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism, are not to be missed.
Restaurants in Oklahoma City
1. Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 5,055 reviews
The Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum stands as a symbol of strength in the wake of unspeakable violence. Visit the Memorial Museum to experience the brutality of the Oklahoma City bombing, and the tenderness of the response. Share our dream of a world without violence and terrorism. Free parking with Museum admission.
Reviewed By MidwestKathM - Detroit, United States
Our first visit to Oklahoma City so visited the Memorial with family who live here. A beautiful memorial! The setting is serene and thought-provoking as we walked around the reflecting pool, the walls, the survivor tree, the chairs each with the name of a victim, and the fence with notes and memorabilia. Very sobering, and more so with the stories our family shared of that day and the weeks that followed. (We did not visit the museum, due to time constraints.)
2. SKELETONS: Museum of Osteology
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,216 reviews
The Museum of Osteology is "America's Only Skeleton Museum". The Museum of Osteology, located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is a unique educational experience. Focusing on the form and function of the skeletal system, this 7000 square ft. museum displays hundreds of skulls and skeletons from all corners of the world. Exhibits include adaptation, locomotion, classification and diversity of the vertebrate kingdom.
Reviewed By VeronicaWanders
I visited the museum on a whim, because the name interested me when I searched for attractions to visit in Oklahoma City. It was well worth the time! The museum has an incredible range of skeletons on display--far more than I would have thought could be displayed so well in the building. The collection has been thoughtfully curated to interest and teach visitors. I especially enjoyed that except for the skeletons in the glass cases, visitors are encouraged to touch and handle the bones. I noticed several activity stations for younger children, and look forward to returning with my nephews.
3. Bricktown
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,533 reviews
The former site of Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show is today the location of a massive tourist redevelopment plan.
Reviewed By 696christys - Oklahoma City, United States
We simply loved this town we stayed at the Loft there and walked uptown every night the Christmas Water taxi was awesome the people were so nice there I love the layout of this unique place
4. Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,901 reviews
Oklahoma's premier destination connecting people and our world's vanishing wildlife and wild places.
Reviewed By melissaw948
This zoo is impressive in how much room they give each species of animal. The new Elephant area and Asia experience is super nice. The food is good. It is very large and can take more than one day to experience it all. There is a train/ guided tour if you can’t walk that much. The children’s playground is fun. They have date nights for couples and special events for holidays.
5. Science Museum Oklahoma
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,037 reviews
Science Museum Oklahoma, the state's premier destination for family fun, houses more than eight acres of hands-on science experiences. Travel beyond the Milky Way in the Kirkpatrick Planetarium, experience the explosive fun of Science Live, discover where the familiar meets the fantastical in CurioCity and beyond — the museum allows your inner-child to run wild!
Reviewed By G276BEsarac - Portales, United States
We spent 5 hours here and I *think* we saw everything! Our 3 kids (7, 5, and 3) weren't bored once. The food at the food court was pretty good, as well. The shop left a little to be desired for me. Most things there I could have gotten at the local Wal-mart. I wish they would have had more science-related things to purchase or even souvenirs.
6. 45th Infantry Division Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 339 reviews
Military museum with many items from World War II.
Reviewed By 548sophiab - Philadelphia, United States
I went here with my dad who’s a HUGE military history enthusiast (myself being a moderate fan as well) and we both loved it! It has a huge selection of planes, tanks, and trucks outside which is worth a tour as well as uniforms, weapons, awards, photos, etc. from pretty much every single war in American history. It’s a wonderful museum for anyone even mildly interested in military history, old-fashioned weaponry, old photos, planes, tanks, etc. You could spend hours there with all the information and artifacts they have. If I come back to Oklahoma City, I’ll be sure to stop there again.
7. Myriad Botanical Gardens
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 953 reviews
Myriad Botanical Gardens is one of Oklahoma City’s most beloved public spaces, offering its visitors a 15 acre natural escape in the very heart of downtown. A half-acre children’s garden, an off-leash dog park, restaurant space, splash fountains, and paths for walking and jogging provide guests young and old with a place to seek solitude with nature, or seek community and the company of others. Additionally, the Myriad Gardens offers a variety of horticultural education programs for adults and children. PLEASE NOTE: The Conservatory is currently closed for major interior renovations and will reopen to the public in fall 2022. The Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory’s unique design has earned attention and praise in the architectural community. It is 224 feet long, 70 feet in diameter, and is covered by 3,028 sections of translucent, double-layered acrylic panels.
Reviewed By malloryhFL
While Myriad Botanical Gardens is certainly worth a visit, the two biggest draws are the Children's Garden and the holiday lights. The Children's Garden is part of the free grounds and has an amazing playground, perfect for families. The Illuminations holiday lights were absolutely stunning and very much worth the $8 per person price of admission. We ran into Myriad's COO, Renee Porter, and she was immensely kind and helpful! She also recommended that we visit Scissortail Park, Myriad's sister park that is a short walk away, and it was just as pretty. All of the staff we encountered were very kind and the grounds were beautiful. Overall, a great experience.
8. Henry Overholser Mansion
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 136 reviews
Henry Overholser was an entrepreneur who came to Oklahoma during the 1889 Land Run. He and his wife Anna Overholser saw potential in the land surrounding what is now known as the Heritage Hills neighborhood and constructed one of the first mansions to the area in 1903. The home was an attraction for social networking and gatherings in the wake of Oklahoma's impending statehood and stands today in almost complete structural integrity to its original turn-of-the-century construction. Today, visitors can tour the 3 story mansion alongside our Museum Coordinator, and participate in future events hosted on the premises by Preservation Oklahoma, the state's only non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the state's oldest cultural homes and structures.
Reviewed By Teammilitello - Des Moines, United States
We loved our tour guide. She shared so many fun & entertaining stories. It’s rare to tour a home with its original furnishings, so this is a gem! The servants’ house next door is larger than most people’s homes.
9. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,237 reviews
The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is America’s premier institution of Western history, art and culture. Founded in 1955, the Museum, located in Oklahoma City, collects, preserves, and exhibits an internationally renowned collection of Western art and artifacts while sponsoring dynamic educational programs to stimulate interest in the enduring legacy of the American West. More than 10 million visitors from around the world have sought out this unique museum to gain better understanding of the West: a region and a history that permeates our national culture. The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum features a superb collection of classic and contemporary Western art, including works by Frederic Remington and Charles M. Russell, as well as sculptor James Earle Fraser’s magnificent work, The End of the Trail. The exhibition wing houses a turn-of-the-century town and interactive history galleries that focus on the American cowboy, rodeo and Native American culture.
Reviewed By J0hnnybB - London, United Kingdom
Wow... I have been to various museums across the US to learn about the history of the early pioneers and the native Americans and their story, most are very disappointing but this museum brings the history of the west alive. The broad range of exhibits from the stunning art inspired by the west, the way of life, tools, clothes, weapons, utensils, Rodeos, Ranching how Hollywood romanticised the west, and fascinating displays of so many different artefacts (including a room on barbed wire.....) are well staged in visually interesting settings and are really informative. The section on the Native American Indians is probably the most interesting and thorough I have seen and puts the lamentable offering at the Smithsonian in DC or the equally poor Santa Fe museum in the shade. As with most history there are conflicting elements. It’s a complex and in my opinion on the one hand an ultimately profoundly tragic story but also a fascinating one telling of the grit and determination of the pioneers. This museum brings it too life in a truly immersive, fascinating, well pitched and perfectly presented way. I strongly recommend a visit for anyone interested in this piece of history. Thank you Oklahoma!
10. Hefner Lake & Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 311 reviews
Reviewed By 28brucea
This is my getaway place in Oklahoma City I go out boating fishing people watching sometime to eat at one of the diners it is one of the best relaxing spots for biking skateboarding and other Kayak with Celine rollerskating in the Bike trails is better than all of the roads in Oklahoma
