Everything is A-OK-lahoma! Everything is more than A-OK-lahoma, in fact, as you’ll discover when you road trip the Sooner State. Cruise past Oklahoma’s iconic landmarks, explore Oklahoma’s quirky museums, and spend time discovering everything that makes Oklahoma a well-rounded, fabulously fun road trip destination.
It’s not just the charming towns, fascinating attractions, and unique shopping and dining opportunities that we rate. The friendly Oklahoman vibes are not to be missed too!
Ready to get your kicks on our top two road trips?
Oklahoma’s Route 66
Route 66 is America’s most travelled tourist route. This popular drive – from Chicago to Santa Monica – passes through eight states and covers close to 4,000 kilometres. Guess which state covers the longest driveable stretch of Route 66? Sing it loud; it’s Oklahoma!
Covering some 600 kilometres, Oklahoma’s portion of Route 66 is filled with charming towns, mind-expanding museums, and more quirky-but-cool-oddities than you’d find in a Ripley’s Believe or Not Museum.
Our favourite Oklahoma-focused Route 66 itinerary takes us on a nostalgic ride along the Mother Road and through American history. Whether you’re winning the Oklahoma grand prize (read to the end to learn how) or planning your first post-pandemic big trip, there are several #OKmustdo cool itinerary stops.
- The Oklahoma Route 66 Museum Oklahoma State’s official showcase of Route 66, this informative museum offers the complete history – including transportation – of Route 66. Have fun discovering the themed exhibit rooms, as well as the ‘world’s largest curio cabinet’.
- Golden Driller You could easily make a Route 66 road trip taking selfies at quirky roadside statues. Our fave? The Golden Driller in Tulsa. He’s one of the tallest free-standing statues in the US.
- Chandler Route 66 Interpretive Center Filled with Route 66 memorabilia from the 1920s to now, this is a ‘drive’ down Route 66. Take in the Dust Bowl years, the vehicles that used to frequent the route, and even cool vintage billboards.
- Admiral Twin Drive-in A quintessentially-Route 66 visit would have to be a classic drive-in movie theatre. With dual 9-story screens and a burger restaurant, this is a definite #OKmustdo.
- The Blue Whale of Catoosa One of Route 66’s most recognisable attractions, it’s more than just a smiling Blue Whale statue; it’s symbolic of the love builder Hugh S. Davis, had for his daughter. Awww.
- POPS A stop at POPS is another do-not-miss Oklahoma Route 66 destination. With 12,000 soda pop bottles, 650 flavours of ice-cold soda, and an old-fashioned diner, this is as fun as the giant pop bottle sculpture is tall (20 metres).
- Darryl Starbird’s Museum Rod & Custom Car Hall of Fame Museum Would it really be a Route 66 road trip if you didn’t stop by a car museum? This one houses some of the most inventive cars designed by Darryl Starbird, and auto memorabilia.
- Buck Atom’s Cosmic Curios on 66 Could you be anywhere but Route 66 with a retro store located in an old 1950s gas station site? It’s dedicated to all the epic Oklahoma Route 66 attractions, and there’s even a retro-style Airbnb out the back!
Cowboys, Indians, and All That Jazz
This 18-day Cowboys, Indians, and All That Jazz itinerary is jam-packed with Oklahoma goodies. Use your prize (that’s two United Airlines economy class flights) to fly into Dallas Fort Worth, Texas, then take a short drive to your first road trip stop, Grapevine. True to its name, it delivers grape goodies (i.e., yummy wine), giving you the opportunity to kickstart your road trip taste-testing Texan vineyard wares. From there, drive to the Oklahoma state borders, the entry point to explore Oklahoma’s culture, history, and natural sights.
These are our fave destinations on this exciting road trip tour:
- Grapevine Grapevine’s charming buildings, historic Cotton Belt Railroad District, and verdant wine country are worthy of a mention, especially as it’s right on the doorstep of DFW Airport. Plus, spending a couple of days in Grapevine gives you time to deal with jet lag before you hit the road.
- Oklahoma City Oklahoma’s capital blends metropolis vibes with its cowboy heritage and Native American roots. I’s home to Historic Stockyards City, where you can see cowboys going about their daily lives. The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum complements modern Oklahoma City with its cowboy culture and history. Be sure to make time to visit the new First Americans Museum for insights into the 39 tribes based in Oklahoma.
- Tulsa Tulsa has a ton of fun activities to entertain, like the Philbrook Museum of Art, Woody Guthrie Center, Bob Dylan Centre, and the Gathering Place, Tulsa’s newest outdoor space. Lively Tulsa also woos with its energetic live entertainment, craft breweries and delectable eateries.
- Tahlequah Capital of the Cherokee Nation, head to the National History Museum to discover Cherokee tribal traditions. There is also the fascinating Prison Museum and National Supreme Court Museum in Tahlequah.
- Sequoyah State Park The best kind of road trips afford plenty of time to head into nature. Oklahoma has the gorgeous Sequoyah State Park to break up your journey. Hike, swim, fish, golf, camp, horseback ride, or just be.
Travel Advisor? Win a Trip to Oklahoma (and Sydney)
Remember we told you last week that you could WIN a trip to Oklahoma? That you could sing your way to the Sooner State? And remember the butterflies you felt as you considered rehearsing and recording a song from the classic musical, OKLAHOMA! for your competition entry video? In case you’re thinking of chickening out, we’re here to remind you why Oklahoma is worth stepping out of your comfort zone for.
In partnership with Brand USA and United Airlines, Oklahoma Tourism is on the hunt for four daring travel industry peeps to sing at their #ArrivalRevival showcase in Sydney on the 18th of March 2022 (two years on from our borders closing).
To enter, record a short 60-90 second video. It needs to include an intro on why you want to win a trip to Oklahoma (we’ve given you lots of fodder for that part), along with 30-60 seconds of you singing a song from the outstanding OKLAHOMA! musical (we can’t help you with that bit, soz). You’ve got until the 25th of February to get your entry in.
If you are one of the four lucky round one winners, you’ll head to Sydney to sing in front of 100 industry peers with the hopes of being the winner and taking that grand prize of a trip to Oklahoma.
To submit your entry or find out more about the prize and comp deets, head here.
Good luck!
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