OKC spring break guide: Free activities, day trips and shows for families, kids and teens

No matter what the weather tells you, spring break has sprung in Oklahoma City.

While central Oklahoma children and teenagers are surely relishing their weeklong reprieve from their school daze, parents, grandparents and guardians who are opting for a staycation rather than heading out of town may be scrambling for ways to fill those days off.

From landmarks worth a day trip and places to find drop-in activities to free events and family-friendly art shows, check out this guide to spring break in the OKC area:

Spring break drop-in activities

During spring break, several OKC museums, parks and attractions are planning kid-friendly daily drop-in activities, with no advanced registration required:

• Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, 620 N Harvey.

The museum is offering extended hours from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. March 10-18, plus weekday activities ranging from Ground Zero Rescue Dog demonstrations to a Family STEM Experience. Information: https://memorialmuseum.com.

• Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W Reno.

Free come-and-go experiences from 10 a.m. to noon March 13-17 on the Children's Garden Porch will include reading stories, making crafts and embarking on adventures. Each day will have a different theme, from butterflies to clovers. Donations accepted. Information: https://myriadgardens.org/spring-break-options-in-the-gardens.

• Scissortail Park, 300 SW 7.

From March 13-18, the downtown park will host daily free activities, including an outdoor preparedness class, Jr. Ranger Scavenger Hunt, a Where the Bison Roam & Sing-a-Long and more. Information: https://scissortailpark.org/calendar.

• Oklahoma City Zoo, 2000 Remington Place.

At 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. March 13-17, visitors can watch as several of the zoo's animal denizens — from lions and gorillas to okapis and bison — will take part in enrichment activities prepared by their caretakers. Information: https://www.facebook.com/okczoo/events.

• National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 13-17, visitors can participate in family-friendly make-and-take crafts like clothespin puppets, fingerprint art and toy paddle boats. Information: https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/calendar/category/kids.

• Downtown Library, 300 Park Ave.

The library is celebrating STEAM Break with free activities from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. March 13-17. The sessions include Intro to Coding, Make a Kaleidoscope, Cardboard Toy Construction and more. Information: https://www.metrolibrary.org/locations/downtown.

Spring events for the whole family

Jurassic Quest

When and where: Noon to 7 p.m. March 10, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. March 11 and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. March 12, OKC Fairgrounds, 3001 General Pershing Blvd.

The popular interactive dinosaur experience returns to OKC. Information: https://www.jurassicquest.com.

Indigenous POPX

When and where: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 10-11 and 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. March 12, First Americans Museum, 659 American Indian Blvd.  

Billed as "the original Indigenous Comic Con," the event will feature Indigenous celebrities, film screenings, cosplay contests, panel discussions and more. Information: https://www.indigipopx.com.

'Te Ata' free film screening

When and where: Noon March 11, Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive.

Produced by the Chickasaw Nation, the family-friendly biopic recounts the childhood, early career and rise to international prominence of the legendary Chickasaw storyteller who took her people’s stories from her small community in Indian Territory all the way to Franklin Roosevelt’s White House. Information: https://www.okhistory.org/historycenter.

St. Patrick's Day Parade

When and where: 10 a.m. March 11, Stockyards City, S Agnew Ave.

The annual parade will feature a herd of longhorn cattle, bagpipe groups, Irish dancers, Shriners, classic cars, equestrian groups and more. Former Gov. Frank Keating and Cathy Keating as this year's grand marshals. Information: https://www.stockyardscity.org/#!event-list.

Second Saturday XL: 'Eat Your Art Out'

When and where: 1 to 4 p.m. March 11, Oklahoma Contemporary, 11 NW 11.

This month's free activities will include story times, a canned food drive and appetizing art-making activities like creating colorful prints with fruits and vegetables, building abstract sculptures with edible materials and making prints on food with food. Information: https://oklahomacontemporary.org/learn/youth/second-saturday.

Riversport OKC season opening

When and where: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. March 11-19, Riversport OKC, 800 Riversport Drive.

Riversport opens for its 2023 season, with land adventures and flatwater paddling open daily during spring break, then weekends until Memorial Day before starting daily summer hours. Rafting and surfing begin April 29. Information: https://www.riversportokc.org.

Sonic Family Discovery Week

When and where: March 14-19, Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive.

Festivities will include art-making activities, special screenings of New York International Children’s Film Festival Kid Flicks and story times with the Metropolitan Library System. People can get free museum admission by picking up passes at any Metro Library location or reserving online with the promo code FDWMAR23. Information: https://www.okcmoa.com/visit/events/sonic-family-discovery-week-2023.

Craft Day at Mix-Tape

When and where: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. March 14, Factory Obscura's Mix-Tape, 25 NW 9.

The OKC artist collective's permanent art experience is open extended hours and offering spring craft activities. Information: https://www.factoryobscura.com.

Spring Thing

When and where: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 15-17, plus 5 to 8 p.m. March 16, Gaylord-Pickens Museum, 1400 Classen Drive.

Free admission, crafts and spring-themed activities are planned. Information: https://oklahomahof.com/spring-thing.

Live music and shows for families and teens

'Big River: Theatre for Young Audiences Version'   

When and where: 10 a.m. March 10 and 2 and 5 p.m. March 11, Lyric at the Plaza, 1725 NW 16.    

Lyric Theatre's family-friendly hourlong version of the 1985 Tony Award-winning musical featuring music by Oklahoma's own Roger Miller plays its final weekend. Based on Mark Twain's popular and frequently banned novel "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," the show takes audiences down the mighty Mississippi River while celebrating the unlikely friendship between Huck and Jim. Information: https://lyrictheatreokc.com.    

OKC Ballet's 'Future Voices: A Choreographic Showcase'

When and where: 7 p.m. March 10, 2 and 7 p.m. March 11 and 2 p.m. March 12, Susan E. Brackett Dance Center, 6800 N Classen Blvd.

In its fourth year, the spring showcase will offer close-up viewing of seven new dance works, all 10 minutes or shorter and all choreographed by OKC Ballet staff and dancers. Information: https://www.okcballet.org/performance/future-voices.

'Clue: The Musical'

When and where: March 10-April 1, Pollard Theatre, 120 W Harrison Ave., Guthrie.

Suitable for teenagers and adults, the hilarious whodunit is based on the iconic board game. Information: https://thepollard.org.

'Acoustic Rooster’s Barnyard Boogie'

When and where: 3 p.m. March 11, McKnight Center for Performing Arts, Stillwater.

The Kennedy Center's family-friendly musical is designed for children 4 and older. Information: https://mcknightcenter.org.

Round Barn Rendezvous

When: Noon to 4 p.m. March 12, Arcadia Round Barn, 107 E Hwy 66, Arcadia.

The free monthly acoustic jam session brings together musicians every second Sunday. Information: https://arcadiaroundbarn.com/music-events.

'Sense and Sensibility'

When and where: 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays March 16-April 2, Jewel Box Theatre, 321 NW 36.

OKC theater artist Holly McNatt writes and directs this teen- and adult-friendly new adaptation of Jane Austen's 1811 novel, which follows the Dashwood sisters as they experience love, romance, and heartbreak. Information: https://www.facebook.com/jbtheatre.

ShamROCK The Gardens

When and where: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 17, Myriad Gardens' Devon Lawn.

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with performances by Oklahoma Scottish Pipe and Drums, Ravens Three, Flowers of Edinburgh and McTeggart Irish Dancers of Oklahoma, plus food trucks and face painters. Information: https://myriadgardens.org/events/shamrock-the-gardens.

Family-friendly exhibits and art experiences

'Synesthesia'

When and where: Through June 4, Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman.

Admission is free to the museum, where this colorful collaboration with the creative minds of OKC artist collective Factory Obscura is inspired by the work of Olinka Hrdy (1902–1987), an abstract painter and muralist who began her career as an University of Oklahoma student from 1923 to 1928. The immersive exhibit provides children and adults ample opportunities to touch, crawl, explore and even make music.

'Playing Cowboy' and 'You Have Died of Dysentery'

When and where: Through May 7, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.

The complementary exhibits delve into "The Ways We Play Western," featuring children's toys and costumes, board and computer games, young adult novels, comic books and cartoons.

'The Art of Food'

When and where: Through May 22, Oklahoma Contemporary

Highlighting the universal subject of food, the exhibit includes more than 100 artworks by 36 well-known contemporary artists, including Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns and OKC's own Ed Ruscha.

'Fighters for Freedom' and 'Art and Activism at Tougaloo College' 

When and where: Through May 14, Oklahoma City Museum of Art.

The complementary exhibits showcase Black works by Black artists, including many depicting Black subjects. Information: https://www.okcmoa.com.  

'Rainforest Adventure'

When and where: Through June 4, Sam Noble Museum, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman.

Visitors can explore one of the least-known habitats on our planet in an interactive maze exhibit, full of tropical sights and sounds. Information: https://samnoblemuseum.ou.edu.

Central Oklahoma landmarks for a spring break day trip

If you're looking for family-friendly central Oklahoma landmarks to visit for a day, here are five recommendations:

• Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art, 1900 W MacArthur St, Shawnee.

One of Oklahoma's oldest museums is a treasure trove of Egyptian mummies, South American shrunken heads, Italian Renaissance and more. Information: https://www.mgmoa.org.

• Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place.

From the towering spiral slide in GadgetTrees to the explosive fun of the Science Live shows, the OKC museum is a longtime family favorite. Information: https://www.sciencemuseumok.org.

• Toy & Action Figure Museum, 111 S Chickasaw St., Pauls Valley.

More than 13,000 classic pop culture figures are displayed at what's been named one of Time Magazine's "Top 50 Most Authentic American Experiences." Information: https://www.toyandactionfiguremuseum.com.

• Jasmine Moran Children's Museum, 1714 W Wrangler Blvd., Seminole.

The interactive play-based museum is only open one Monday of the year, during spring break, which this year is March 13. Information: https://www.jasminemoran.com.

• Lake Thunderbird State Park, 13101 Alameda Drive, Norman.

The more than 30 state parks spread throughout the Sooner State offer a wide range of scenery, terrain and experiences. In the center of the state, Lake Thunderbird supplies two marinas, nine boat ramps, RV sites, primitive campsites, a nature center and hiking, mountain biking and nature trails. Information: https://www.travelok.com/state-parks/lake-thunderbird-state-park.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Things to do in OKC for families this spring break