Discover Oklahoma: Find your one-stop source in new state travel guide

Dino Lalli
·3 min read
The Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department's travel guide for this year has the theme of “Oklahoma: A State of the Arts.”
The Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department's travel guide for this year has the theme of “Oklahoma: A State of the Arts.”

Every year the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department produces a travel guide. And now the new 2022 version is available.

This new travel guide is the essential, one-stop source for not only Oklahoma travelers, but travelers from everywhere. We get phone calls and emails from people across the country who request a variety of the free brochures and guides be mailed to them.

And now with the new 2022 edition out, it is time to order yours.

This year’s theme is “Oklahoma: A State of the Arts.” When you receive your free copy, take note of the front cover. It features visitors exploring Oklahoma City’s Bricktown Entertainment District set against a backdrop of Kris Kanaly’s mural “Abstract Packages,” which appears on a Bricktown underpass.

More: 'A very exciting time': How OKC's recognition for public art is transforming the community

Public art is very important, but it is often under appreciated. Yet public art works can have unanticipated impacts on viewers and communities. They actually can give a community a sense of identity. And today public art is even more valuable and is referred to as a beacon for tourism. People can take a drive through cities and towns across the state and see public art. It is a wonderful way for the communities to communicate any message. And Kanaly's “Abstract Packages” is an impressive example of that. And one of the fun facts highlighted in the guide is in 2021, Oklahoma City earned a Readers’ Choice Award from USA Today as the best city for street art!

Native Roots is a section inside the 2022 Oklahoma travel guide.
Native Roots is a section inside the 2022 Oklahoma travel guide.

Inside the new travel guide, other art examples and categories can be found. For example, you will find profiles of six Oklahoma artists, including Kanaly, Champuli Cafe chef Amy Salcedo, stained glass artist Brandi Hines-Lee, chainsaw carver Clayton Coss, beadwork artist Andrew Tidwell and custom boot maker Lisa Sorrell.

Traveling Route 66 means different things to different people, but one section in the guide called “Mother Road Magic” examines the artistic glamour that can be found along the celebrated and world famous highway. From the architectural wonder of the Coleman Theatre in Miami, Oklahoma, to Clinton’s Oklahoma Route 66 Museum, you will be encouraged to take a trip along Route 66 after examining this section of the travel guide.

More: Viewpoint: Oklahoma’s Route 66 heritage to take center stage

Route 66 is a featured section in the 2022 Oklahoma travel guide.
Route 66 is a featured section in the 2022 Oklahoma travel guide.

By the way, here are the ways to get your free guide: Pick one up at any Travel Information Center across the state. And for a full list of centers, go to the official website of the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department at www.Travelok.com. Or go to https://www.travelok.com/brochures to place an order to have a guide be sent directly to you.

The 176-page guide is an invaluable, convenient resource for you, and it contains information on a variety of one-of-a-kind Oklahoma tourism attractions. Readers will also find directories of all the tourism attractions and lodging accommodations in the state!

Dino Lalli is the co-host and one of the feature reporters for the weekly television travel show "Discover Oklahoma."

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Discover Oklahoma: New guide is one-stop source for travelers