10 Oklahoma road trips to take this fall
It's fall, y'all, and after the summer we've experienced so far, we could all use a break. Mile for mile, Oklahoma offers the nation's most diverse terrain, plus a plethora of museums, eateries and attractions.
So gas up your vehicle and plot a course on TravelOK.com for one of these 10 Oklahoma fall break road trips.
1. Get your kicks: Route 66
Oklahoma is home to the country's longest drivable stretch of Route 66: More than 400 miles of America's most iconic highway cuts through the Sooner State, with 60-plus attractions lining the Mother Road, from familiar favorites like the Catoosa Blue Whale and the Arcadia Round Barn to oddities like the Ed Galloway Totem Pole Park in Chelsea and the One Room Jail in Texola.
Corral your caffeine curbside at Manvel Avenue Coffee Co. in Chandler, wrangle a cold drink at Pops in Arcadia and lasso a buffalo burger at the famed Rock Cafe in Stroud.
Route 66 will mark its 100th anniversary in 2026, and you can prep with a visit to one of several museums and historic sites along the way.
2. Hit the high point: Black Mesa
The only town in Oklahoma on Mountain Time, the Panhandle hamlet of Kenton is tucked among mesas formed by ancient lava flows. The most famous of these is Black Mesa, Oklahoma's highest point at 4,973 feet above sea level.
While in the Black Mesa Nature Preserve, visitors can hike to the top of the towering plateau, bird watch for golden eagles, scaled quail and pinyon jays and keep an eye out for other wildlife like black bears, bighorn sheep and antelope. On the east of end of Black Mesa, check out preserved dinosaur tracks by Carrizo Creek.
The nearby Black Mesa State Park is the place to be for stargazing, with some of the darkest nighttime skies on publicly accessible land in the entire USA.
3. Fall is for foliage
Nothing says autumn like leaves changing colors. Although the peak time for fall foliage in Oklahoma is later in October and early November, the 54-mile Talimena National Scenic Byway offers stunning views pretty much any time of year. The drive from Talihina to Mena, Arkansas, meanders along the crest of Rich Mountain and Winding Stair Mountain in the Ouachita National Forest, offering numerous stupendous vistas and turnoffs.
If you want to add some exercise to your leisurely drive, hiking and backpacking trails throughout the Ouachita National Forest start in Talimena State Park.
4. Due east: Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art
A quick jaunt east on I-40 just outside Oklahoma City, the Shawnee area offers plenty of intriguing attractions, even with the Pottawatomie County Museum and Seminole's Jasmine Moran Children's Museum temporarily closed. For weekend family fun, ready for foam warfare at the Nerfed Indoor Battle Arena.
Oklahoma's oldest art museum, the 101-year-old Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art is a veritable treasure trove that includes shrunken heads, a full suit of armor and the state's only mummies. The traveling exhibit "Salvador Dali’s Stairway to Heaven," featuring works by the iconic artist, is on view there through Nov. 1.
The Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Heritage Center and Seminole Nation Museum in nearby Wewoka offer insights into Native cultures. History buffs also can check out Oklahoma Veterans Memorial and the grave of Brewster Higley VI, who wrote the poem that became "Home on the Range." Then, get your smoke on at Van's Pig Stand, grab a burger at Hamburger King or opt for a cocktail and charcuterie board at Theopolis Social Club.
5. Capital trip: Guthrie highlights
Another short trip from the OKC metro, Guthrie offers plenty of vintage charm as the state's original capital, including the Oklahoma Territorial Museum, Territorial Capital Sports Museum, Oklahoma Frontier Drugstore Museum and many antique shops. Meet musical living legend Byron Berline at his Double Stop Fiddle Shop & Music Hall, and get into the spooky spirit of the season with the Guthrie Ghost Walks and Guthrie Haunts.
For family fun, check out the all-ages Level Up Arcade, the First Capital Games collectible shop and the Avid Extreme Paintball Field and Sports Park.
If you need sustenance, find gourmet treats at Rick's Fine Chocolates & Coffees or a full meal at Gages Steakouse in the Old Santa Fe Train Depot. You might even spot some movie types around town as the biopic "Reagan" is currently filming in the historic hamlet.
6. As seen on screen: Bartlesville is Oklahoma's movie hub
Martin Scorsese is slated to film "Killers of the Flower Moon" next year in Osage County. Attractions on location include The Ben Johnson Cowboy Museum in Pawhuska, Woolaroc Museum & Wildlife Refuge near Bartlesville and the New Territory Sculptures in Hominy. Although the visitor center is closed, check out the scenic Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, where Bartlesville-bred Oscar-nominated filmmaker Terrence Malick lensed part of his 2012 film "To the Wonder."
Of course, one of the area's biggest draws is Food Network star Ree Drummond's popular restaurant, bakery and store The Pioneer Woman Mercantile, where you can find out if The Pioneer Woman Lodge on Drummond Ranch is open for tours on the day of your visit.
7. Go West: Fort Sill, Wichita Mountains, Great Plains
Known as Great Plains Country, the southwest corner has abundant small-town charm, interesting attractions and natural wonders. Cheyenne boasts the Washita Battlefield National Historic Site, Black Kettle National Grassland and Red Hills Country, while Lawton is home to the Fort Sill National Historic Landmark & Museum, Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge and Museum of the Great Plains.
Check out the exhibits at the Stafford Air & Space Museum in Weatherford, Chisholm Trail Heritage Center in Duncan, General Tommy Franks Leadership Institute & Museum in Hobart and Southern Plains Indian Museum in Anadarko. Splash into family fun at the Water-Zoo Indoor Water Park in Clinton, explore Red Rock Canyon Adventure Park in Hinton and stroll through picturesque Medicine Park.
8. North by Northwest: Enid, Fairview
In Enid, Oklahoma history meets a lively emerging arts scene, including an array of new murals and local artist Romy Owens' epic public art project "Under Her Wing Was the Universe." Get immersed in history at the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Railroad Museum of Oklahoma and Simpson's Old Time Museum & Movie Studio and get interactive at Leonardo's Children's Museum & Adventure Quest, a three-story play castle and hands-on museum.
Even better, Enid is only about 45 minutes away from two of the state's natural wonders: Fairview's Gloss Mountain State Park, where the high selenite content makes the peaks sparkle in the sun, and Jet's Great Salt Plains State Park and National Wildlife Refuge, where people can dig for selenite crystals through Oct. 15 and watch for the more than 300 species of protected birds.
9. Double parking: Alabaster Caverns, Little Sahara
Northwest Oklahoma is home to two more divergent and delight state parks: Alabaster Caverns State Park in Freedom and Little Sahara State Park near Waynoka. They may be only about 40 miles apart, but the two are like entirely different worlds.
Alabaster Caverns State Park boasts one of the largest natural gypsum caves in the world, which visitors can enter on guided tours.
As the name implies, Little Sahara State Park is a miniature desert with more than 1,600 acres of sand dunes. Ranging in height from 25 to 75 feet, the dunes are ideal for traversing on dune buggies or ATVs.
10. Drive south: Arbuckle Wilderness, Turner Falls Park
Follow I-35 toward Texas and you'll find a mix of outdoor beauty, upscale luxury and good-time grandeur in Chickasaw Country. Davis alone features the towering Turner Falls Park and Collings Castle, Arbuckle Wilderness drive-thru exotic animal park, the Forgotten Wheels Museum, Arbuckle Historical Society Museum and Bedré Fine Chocolate.
The Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge, Lake Murray State Park and Lake Texoma all are clustered in the south-central part of the state. Sulphur is the gateway to the "Oklahoma oasis" that is the Chickasaw National Recreation Area as well as the home of the classy Artesian Hotel, Casino & Sole'renity Spa. (The beautiful Chickasaw Cultural Center is closed due to COVID-19).
In Thackerville, the more than 600,000-square-foot WinStar World Casino & Resort is the largest casino in the United States, while country music star Blake Shelton's original Ole Red restaurant, bar and live music venue makes one of the country's biggest and baddest bloody Marys, topped with olives, peppers, pickled okra, fried chicken strips and whatever else catches the kitchen staff's fancy.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: 10 Oklahoma road trips for fall
