The Modern Frontier
With its brand-new First Americans Museum, host of cultural attractions and ingrained ‘cowboy culture’, ‘OKC’ has a unique appeal for visitors
From its vast open skies to its topclass cultural venues Oklahoma City is a state capital that is overflowing with potential and energy.
Every destination has a story to tell and Oklahoma City’s began with the several tribal nations who inhabited the area long before it was officially designated a ‘city’.
This First Nations heritage not only lives on in Oklahoma City (or OKC) today but is one that the city ’celebrates and honours’.
Visitors can learn about the collective histories of the 39 distinctive First American Nations residing in Oklahoma at the brand-new First Americans Museum.
Through art, interactive media, and film, the museum’s main hall, OKLA HOMMA, engages visitors of all ages through sight, sound and touch as they are immersed in the tribal, historic and personal stories of generations of First Americans.
Culture and heritage
Oklahoma City embodies the ‘Modern Frontier’, its Western culture and heritage woven across everything from the city’s much-acclaimed public art programme to its first-class collection of museums - such as the impressive Oklahoma City Museum of Art, with highlights from North America, Europe, and Asia but with particular strengths in American art and post-war abstraction – and several cultural venues.
Its cowboy culture lives on in America’s premier institution of Western history, art and culture at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.
The museum’s exhibition wing houses a turn-of-the-century town and interactive history galleries that focus on the American cowboy, rodeo and Native American culture.
There are also less-traditional, quirky hidden gems, such as the American Banjo Museum, a world-class facility dedicated to preserving and promoting the music and heritage of ‘America’s instrument.’
A must-stop for anyone interested in military history is the 45th Infantry Division Museum with its tanks, planes, helicopters, trucks and other army vehicles. Exhibits start with WWI and continue through to the modern day and tell the story of a division that is most famous for liberating Dachau and taking over Hitler’s bunker.
Neighbourhoods
Getting around is easy: the city’s modern streetcars connect six miles of the urban core, making it easy for locals and visitors alike to access a wide range of dining, retail and entertainment options.
The streetcars are an ideal way to experience its many distinct neighborhoods and districts, with their unique personalities, local restaurants and craft breweries, such as Bricktown, an entertainment district with a canal area that features a water taxi.
This former warehouse district is filled with restaurants, nightlife and family-friendly entertainment options, with several hotels within easy walking distance of many fun activities.
Or take a cruise on the Oklahoma
River for more ‘hidden treasures’ such as access to Historic Stockyards City, the bustling Meridian Corridor and the lush Regatta Park/Boathouse District.
Outside of the city visitors can drive down the longest stretch of Route 66.
Find itineraries and trip planning resources at
“Oklahoma City embodies the ‘Modern Frontier’, its Western culture and heritage woven across everything from the city’s muchacclaimed public art programme to its first-class collection of museums”