Oklahoma, KY Road Trips

In the 1830s, Oklahoma was the end of The Trail of Tears: over 16,000 Cherokee Indian people were forced to move from their eastern homes by the United States government and were relocated to Indian Territory, now Oklahoma. In addition the Five Civilized Tribes were relocated from the southeastern United States. Oklahoma's name is taken from two Choctaw words. "okla" means people and "humma" meaning red, so Oklahoma literally means "red people". Thirty nine tribes and Indian nations have their headquarters in Oklahoma. Oklahoma was settled by non-native people later than most other territories, and has a recent pioneer past. Oklahoma became a state on 16 November 1907. There are people alive today in Oklahoma that remember it as a frontier. The cost of living is among the lowest in the US and this is also reflected in the low cost of tourist-related activities. Lodging, rental cars, fuel, and restaurants are lower in cost than nearly anywhere else in the US. Travel Oklahoma

Route 66 Oklahoma has more miles of original Route 66 road-bed left than any other state. Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum in Oklahoma City. The memorial is both one of the most visible attractions in the city as well as the saddest, which has posed some problems for the city's tourism department. The outdoor symbolic memorial commemorates the Oklahoma City bombing of 1995, in which a domestic terrorist set off a car bomb in a federal government building and killed 168 people. It is free and open 24 hours a day, while the very well done Memorial Museum, right next door, can be visited for a small fee. Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Indiahoma. More than 50 mammal, 240 bird, 64 reptile and amphibian, 36 fish, and 806 plant species thrive on this important refuge. The architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed several ... interesting ... buildings in Oklahoma and elsewhere. His tallest skyscraper is the Price Tower in Bartlesville. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. Here you can walk down the streets of Prosperity Junction, a turn-of-the-century Western town. Visit the American Cowboy Gallery, the American Rodeo Gallery, and the Western Performers Gallery. Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa. The largest collection of Western art in the world. Talimena Drive. From Talihina, Oklahoma to Mena, Arkansas. A 54-mile scenic drive in Oklahoma and Arkansas along the ridge of the Ouachita Mountains and the Ouachita National Forest. The drive has frequent turnouts so you can enjoy the scenery.

Oklahoma is known as a great place to live and visit. There are a lot of things to do in Oklahoma and it has all kinds of terrain. You will find mountains, pine woods and lakes in the eastern third of the state, plains and grasslands with rolling hills in the center of the state and plains and semidesert in the west and panhandle.Oklahoma City is also home of the Cowboy Hall of Fame. Oklahoma Aquarium, 300 Aquarium Drive, Jenks, ☏ +1 918 296-3474. Check out more than 200 exhibits featuring thousands of salt and fresh water marine species and also mammals. The aquarium also houses the Karl and Beverly White Fishing Tackle Museum, billed as "the largest and most comprehensive fishing tackle collection in the world!" There are over eighty casinos in Oklahoma including the largest casino in North America, WinStar World Casino and Resort. In addition there are three para-mutual race tracks for the horse-racing fan. In addition to slot machines, most of the casinos have gaming tables. All the casinos are on Native American Indian lands, most are run by the tribes and have tobacco shops nearby where you can purchase cigarettes cheaper, and tax free. You will also find big name live entertainment at their on-site event centers, and card tournaments at most of the casinos. Some of the biggest names in casinos for the state include, WinStar World Casino and Resort. Owned and operated by the Chickasaw Nation and the largest casino in the world, with over 500,000 square feet of gaming floor.

Oklahoma food has two main influences, both imported from neighboring regions: Tex-Mex cuisine and slow-cooked barbecue come from south of the border. These are popular and available in a range of spiciness that ranges from painfully hot down to mild enough for children (but possibly not mild enough for people from the upper Midwest). Fast food is especially popular in Oklahoma, and Tex-Mex favorites such as hard-shell tacos and burritos are well-suited to speedy service. The most popular regional chain is Taco Bueno. Barbecue joints, which are often locally owned and operated, can be found in most areas. From the foods of the southern US and Native Americans, there is another influence that brings fried chicken, cornbread, beans, and other foods. These are common in diner-style restaurants and large chains of steakhouses. Frybread, a high-fat Native American bread that resulted from the reservation system, can be bought at most large events. The popular Indian taco is frybread with taco ingredients inside it. Chicken-fried steak is a breaded beef steak, and it usually comes drowned in a thick, milk-based gravy, unless you ask for the gravy to be served in a bowl "on the side". Oklahoma's agricultural strengths are in cattle ranching and wheat farming, and the popularity of beef and carbohydrate-rich foods reflects this. As a landlocked state, seafood is available only if it's flown or trucked in. Deep-fried catfish is the most popular fish, and some restaurants raise their own to be certain of freshness.

Sweet drinks, including both sodas (also called "pop") and fruit juice, are popular. "Coke" is used as a generic term, rather than an indication of a Coca-cola brand soft drink. If someone offers you a coke, they may then ask you whether you would prefer a Dr. Pepper or a Pepsi. Some residents will insist that they can taste the difference between sugar and corn syrup in their carbonated beverages, and if you search a bit, you'll probably run across sugar-sweetened ones. In October 2018, the previously restrictive liquor laws changed to permit beer and wine sales (but not hard liquor) in grocery stores and similar establishments. The change also allows beer (of up to 9% alcohol by volume) and wine to be sold under refrigeration. Before then, any alcoholic beverage of more than 3.2% alcohol by weight (4.0% by volume) sold for off-premises consumption had to be sold at room temperature. The best-selling beer in the state is Bud Light. Among relatively few Oklahoma breweries, the Tulsa-based Prairie Artisan Ale produces a highly rated, high-alcohol imperial stout, and Roughtail Brewing Company in Midwest City is known for its hop-centric IPAs.

Will Rogers World Airport (OKC IATA) in Oklahoma City and Tulsa International Airport (TUL IATA) in Tulsa are the two major state airports for domestic and international air travel. Minor airports with limited domestic transport are in Lawton and (sometimes) Ponca City. The Heartland Flyer is the only train through Oklahoma between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth, Texas, passing through prairie country and along rivers, including the scenic "Big Canyon" area of the Washita River (where bald eagles can be seen during the winter). Service is daily and takes 4½ hours. It passes through Gainesville, Ardmore, Pauls Valley, Purcell and Norman in between.

The major interstates of Oklahoma include: connects Wichita, Kansas and Dallas, Texas via Oklahoma City. connects Fort Smith, Arkansas and Amarillo, Texas, also via Oklahoma City. connects Joplin, Missouri and Wichita Falls, Texas via Tulsa and Oklahoma City. Most of I-44 through Oklahoma is a toll highway on the following: H.E. Bailey Turnpike (I-44) runs from Wichita Falls to south of Lawton and again from north of Lawton into Oklahoma City. The interstate through Lawton and Oklahoma City remain toll free. Turner Turnpike The entire section of I-44 between Oklahoma City (Jct I-35, NE of OKC) and Tulsa (Jct W 61st St SW of Tulsa) is on the Turner Turnpike. The section of I-44 through Tulsa remain toll free. Will Rogers Turnpike The entire segment of I-44 between Tulsa (Jct US Hwy 412) and the Missouri state line is on the Will Rogers Turnpike. Also: & Historic US Route 66 closely parallel to I-44 between the Kansas state line to Oklahoma City and I-40 from Oklahoma City to the Texas state line. Oklahoma State Highway (SH) 66 replaces a section of the Old US Hwy 66 between El Reno (40 mi (64 km) west of Oklahoma City), through Tulsa, to its junction with US Hwy 60 near White Oak. Information on transit can be found here. Along with Texas, Oregon, and Missouri, Oklahoma is one of the few U.S. states that allow foot traffic on all toll-free Interstate highways. This makes hitchhiking relatively easy.

Crime against travelers is not a big problem in Oklahoma. It is safe to walk in the evenings in almost all Oklahoma cities. Some care should be taken in the major cities of Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Edmond, and Lawton due to a higher crime rate in some areas of these cities. There are many areas of Oklahoma City that are not well lit at night or which have no sidewalks. Travelers should exercise common sense in walking in well-lit areas, staying on busy streets, removing valuables from vehicles, and locking vehicles. Most Oklahomans will readily help anyone in need, regardless of whether they are known to them or a stranger. There is very little "ice" among people in Oklahoma. A traveler in need of assistance should expect a helpful and friendly attitude. Travelers in need of assistance on the highway may contact the Oklahoma Highway Patrol by dialing *55 on their cellphones. Oklahoma is in "tornado alley". During the spring and summer seasons, this region is often the hub of very violent thunderstorms which can quickly become life-threatening to anyone who is unprepared and in the path of a storm. If you are traveling through the state during the spring and summer months, it is crucial to be vigilant of the weather conditions because they can change rapidly. It is a good idea for the independent traveler to purchase a weather radio that receives the NOAA weather broadcasts to keep yourself regularly informed. The I-35 corridor, especially Moore, is known throughout Oklahoma for having many tornadoes.