Want to impress your out-of-town guests? Here's where to take them in OKC

Cheyenne Derksen, The Oklahoman
Updated ·6 min read

Have your in-laws unpacked in your guest room? Is your college roommate driving across a few states to sleep on your sofa? Are your old neighbors and their three kids passing through town for the night?

No matter who you're entertaining, house guests usually want to get out of the house.

And whether they're foodies, animal lovers or not even old enough to drive, Oklahoma City has quite a few ways to keep its visitors busy.

OKC bone museum has real skeletons

Skeletons: Museum of Osteology features 450 real skeletons from around the world, including primates, reptiles, Oklahoma wildlife and even a humpback whale.

The museum is located off Interstate 240 and Interstate 35 on the way to Moore at 10301 S Sunnylane Road.

Admission is $13 for adults, $11 for kids ages 3-11, and children under 3 are free.

Be sure to look out for Sir Indiana Bones — the museum cat.

Chef Andrew Black working in the kitchen during dinner service at Grey Sweater on Sept. 9, 2021.
Chef Andrew Black working in the kitchen during dinner service at Grey Sweater on Sept. 9, 2021.

Try a James Beard Award-winning chef's restaurant in OKC

Chef Andrew Black won the 2023 James Beard Award for Best Chef Southwest for his work at Grey Sweater and also helms Black Walnut and The Gilded Acorn, located in the First National Center. He'll open a fourth restaurant, Perla Mesta, in OKC's Skirvin Hilton Hotel in 2024.

  • Grey Sweater offers a tiered, seasonal tasting menu full of creativity and flavor. Open Wednesdays through Saturdays at 100 NE 4 in Oklahoma City. Reservations available at greysweaterokc.com.

  • Black Walnut, features a menu aimed at the diner's mood with variety. Open 4 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and 4 to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays at 100 NE 4, Oklahoma City. Reservations available at blackwalnutokc.com.

  • The Gilded Acorn offers coffee, high tea, or a Champagne brunch. Open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sundays at 146 Park Ave., Oklahoma City. Information at gildedacornokc.com.

Chef Jeff Chanchaleune is shown on Sept. 8, 2022, the day his Ma Der Lao Kitchen, of Oklahoma City, was named among the Top 50 new restaurants in the United States.
Chef Jeff Chanchaleune is shown on Sept. 8, 2022, the day his Ma Der Lao Kitchen, of Oklahoma City, was named among the Top 50 new restaurants in the United States.

Chef Jeff Chanchaleune is a 2023 James Beard Foundation finalist and a 2020 semifinalist focused on educating diners on Laotian culture and cuisine.

  • Ma Der Lao Kitchen gained national recognition when it was named both a New York Times and Bon Appetit Top 50 restaurant in 2022. The name is a Laotian phrase that means "come eat!" It's fresh casual and champions funky, bold flavors from Chanchaleune's family cookbook.

  • Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays at 1634 N Blackwelder Ave. Ste. 102, Oklahoma City.

Florence Jones Kemp and Victoria Kemp pose at Florence's Restaurant in Oklahoma City on Dec. 2, 2021.
Florence Jones Kemp and Victoria Kemp pose at Florence's Restaurant in Oklahoma City on Dec. 2, 2021.

Florence Kemp received Oklahoma's first-ever James Beard Foundation Award in 2022. She's celebrated as the "grand dame of all local restaurants," and though she's now in her 90s, she continues to operate her restaurant with daughter Victoria Kemp.

  • Florence's Restaurant has offered "good home cooking" since 1952. The first location was on NE 4 near Deep Deuce in a single room with a single table and a second-hand stove. Today, she still serves Southern specialties like fried chicken, braised oxtail, candied yams and cornbread.

  • Open 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays at 1437 NE 23, Oklahoma City.

Like Meow Wolf? Try OKC's Factory Obscura

Known for its interactive and multidimensional art installations, Factory Obscura transports visitors into imaginative and surreal worlds. The installation encourages exploration and encourages visitors to become a part of the art itself. (Like Meow Wolf installations, but locally created, and great for kids.)

Recommendation? Touch everything. There are interactive sounds, lights and other Easter eggs around the space waiting for visitors to find.

Tickets are $22 for adults, and $15 for children ages 4-12. Admission for students, teachers, military and seniors is $20.

Open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays, and noon to 6 p.m. Sundays at 25 NW 9, Oklahoma City.

Paseo Arts District

Megan Wimberley paints on May 27 at the Paseo Art Festival in Oklahoma City.
Megan Wimberley paints on May 27 at the Paseo Art Festival in Oklahoma City.

The Paseo Arts District is Oklahoma City's artistic heart and features a collection of more than 60 galleries, studios, shops, and restaurants. The Paseo is a hub for local artists, offering visitors a chance to explore and appreciate a diverse range of art styles. The district hosts art walks on the first Friday of each month, festivals and events.

Most galleries and shops are open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, with restaurants and bars open daily. Information at thepaseo.org.

Old Paris Flea Market

Shoppers walk past the entry to Old Paris Flea Market in Oklahoma City.
Shoppers walk past the entry to Old Paris Flea Market in Oklahoma City.

Old Paris Flea Market is Oklahoma's oldest and largest indoor flea market. Visitors can shop more than 300 vendors selling thousands of new and used items, collectibles, and antiques at bargain prices. There's even more outside, as well.

Open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday at 1111 S Eastern Ave., Oklahoma City.

First Americans Museum

The sculpture "Touch to Above" by Cherokee artists Demos Glass and Bill Glass Jr., greets visitors at the First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City. The open hand is the universal welcome greeting for Native Americans and the cross represents the four directions, meaning all are welcome.
The sculpture "Touch to Above" by Cherokee artists Demos Glass and Bill Glass Jr., greets visitors at the First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City. The open hand is the universal welcome greeting for Native Americans and the cross represents the four directions, meaning all are welcome.

First Americans Museum celebrates the collective histories and impact of 39 Indigenous nations that live in Oklahoma today.

The museum itself has exhibits ranging from historical artifacts, works of art, pottery, textiles and more that all tell stories from the perspective of First Americans. Outside is the FAM Mound — a 90-foot-high earthwork that serves as a cosmological clock, and honors the mound-building ancestral culture of tribal nations.

Admission is $15 for adults, $5 for children ages 4-12, $10 for tribal citizens, seniors, military and students.

Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. It's located just southeast of downtown at 659 First Americans Blvd., Oklahoma City. Information at famok.org.

More: Tourism destination planned by Chickasaw Nation has a new name: the Horizons District

Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum

The Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum commemorates those who died as a result of the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.

The memorial museum takes visitors on a self-guided tour through the story of the bombing, as well as the world's response in the aftermath.

The campus includes the Outdoor Symbolic Memorial, which is located where the Murrah Building once stood. Outdoor elements include a reflecting pool, survivor wall, Gates of Time, Field of Empty Chairs and Survivor Tree, which remained standing after the blast.

Admission is $15 for adults, $13 for seniors and military, and $12 for students.

Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays at 620 N Harvey Ave., Oklahoma City. However, the outdoor elements are open 24/7, year-round.

Oklahoma City bombing: the attack, the aftermath, and a city's resilience

Remington Park horse races

Remington Park is a horse racing track and casino in Oklahoma City's Adventure District.
Remington Park is a horse racing track and casino in Oklahoma City's Adventure District.

Remington Park is a horse racing track and casino in Oklahoma City's Adventure District where visitors can see live horse races with no admission cost.

The track features an American quarter horse, paint and Appaloosa season from March through June, and the thoroughbred season runs from August through December.

Live racing events are held at 7:07 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, with special races in November and December.

Open 24 hours, and admission is free. Located at 1 Remington Place, Oklahoma City, which is right by the Oklahoma City Zoo and USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex.

Oklahoma City Zoo

Baby Red Panda, Kiran, is pictured on Oct. 26 in his habitat at the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden. The endangered animal was born to first-time parents Khyana and Benjamin.
Baby Red Panda, Kiran, is pictured on Oct. 26 in his habitat at the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden. The endangered animal was born to first-time parents Khyana and Benjamin.

The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden features a range of animals and up-close experiences.

Open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, and closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Located at 2000 Remington Place, Oklahoma City.

Admission is $16 for adults and $13 for children ages 3-11 and seniors.

Have a suggestion to add to our list? Email cderksen@oklahoman.com

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Things to do in OKC: The best places to take your out-of-town guests