Making hisTOURy – A Guide to Exploring Oklahoma’s Historical Hotspots

Family activities and adventures will always be more exciting when they are enlightening and inspirational. Making history the center of these plans is not only one of the best ways to engage in an educational adventure, but also offers broadened perspectives on gratitude and fortitude, empathy and compassion. Studying history helps us to understand the world around us, sharpen critical thinking skills, and provides insight into the story of where we have been as a society and where we are going. It provides an opportunity for us to honor and understand the people who came before us, to understand the strength and humanity of those who built the foundation of the world we live in today. Visit one of these amazing destinations this summer and experience our history as it comes alive!

First Americans Museum – Oklahoma City

At FAM, visitors can experience the collective cultural histories of 39 distinctive First American Nations in Oklahoma today. An immersion into art, interactive media and film provides a journey into Oklahoma’s Native American History through sight, sound and touch. The exploration takes guests back in time to ancestral origins to present day, in tragedy and triumph. Don’t miss the 270-degree Origins theater presenting tribal stories of Native community members. Walk the interpretive trails of the Mound Builders experience and take in the architectural wonder of the museum facility. (famok.org)

Oklahoma History Center – Oklahoma City

This incredible museum is affiliated with the Smithsonian, offering the highest quality in exhibits, spanning over 50 topics with 2,000 artifacts representing Oklahoma’s story. Explore the historic past of Native American tribes of the state in the ONEOK Inc. Gallery, walk through a timeline of Oklahoma’s commerce and industry history in the Inasmuch Gallery, and discover The Kerr-McGee Gallery, featuring exhibits on the steamboat Heroine, the African American Experience in Oklahoma, military history, as well as the oil and gas industry. All of this and more provides an immersive experience that will take visitors back in time. (okhistory.org)

Sam Noble Museum of Natural History – University of Oklahoma Campus, Norman

It’s time to go way back, from the when the earth was formed, to when dinosaurs walked the planet, and on to the rise of civilization. This spectacular museum is a research division of the university, housing more than 10 million objects and specimens in 12 collections. Visitors will experience a fusion of history and science, in a captivating educational adventure in 50,000 square feet of exhibit space spanning 500 million years of Oklahoma’s natural and cultural history.

Discover a range of scientific studies, including archeology, ethnology and minerology, and be inspired in the Halls of World Cultures, Natural Wonders, People of Oklahoma and the extremely popular Hall of Ancient Life. If your kids love dinosaurs, this is a must-see! (samnoblemuseum.ou.edu)

Greenwood Rising Museum – Tulsa

Located in the historic Greenwood District, visitors to the museum are invited to explore the lives of the citizens of the Greenwood community and connect with the spirit of the people who built homes and businesses here. State-of-the-art exhibits, including project mapping, holographic effects and environmental media, create an immersive experience and an emotional exploration that will stay with guests long after they leave.

Visitors to the museum will learn about the building of the Black Wall Street community, the successes of its people and their resilience to rebuild after the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921. “Greenwood Rising is the specific story of the dignity of a people who turned trials, tribulations, and tragedy into a triumph of the human spirit.” (greenwoodrising.org)

National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum – Oklahoma City

This museum encompasses the American cowboy and life on the western frontier. Western art, artifacts and memorabilia can be found here, as well as the National Cowboy Hall of Fame, honoring men and women who, through their lives and work, embodied and perpetuated the heritage of the American West. Some honorees include Western performers and movies stars, as well as rodeo champions. Many temporary exhibits rotate through the museum, allowing for an ever-changing landscape of discovery here. There’s a special Museum Kids Guide and fun drop-in activities for the youngest visitors. (nationalcowboymuseum.org)

Woolaroc – Bartlesville

In its 100th year, this 3,700-acre property, once the retreat of oilman Frank Phillips, is home to a wildlife preserve, world-class museum, historic lodge, hiking trails and a myriad of Western events throughout the year. One of the most thrilling parts of a summer visit to the ranch is a stop at the Mountain Man Camp, a recreation of an 1840s fur trader’s encampment. Visitors can talk with traders, wander through the camp, and maybe even throw a tomahawk. The museum houses a collection of Fine, Native American and Western art, and many historic artifacts. A drive through the preserve offers bison sightings! Will Rogers once called Woolaroc “the most unique place in this country.” (woolaroc.org)

Chickasaw Cultural Center – Sulphur

The museum offers a cultural immersion into First Americans history and their story, including daily stomp dances for public viewing. Native American artwork can be discovered, as well as exhibits honoring the Chickasaw Lighthorse Police and Native American children who attended boarding schools. Educational films and documentaries are offered in the Anoli’ Theater, and a schedule of classes is available throughout the year. The 184-acre campus is open for exploring with beautiful gardens and landscaping. Aaimpa’ Cafe is a decadent and tasty option for dining while visiting, with some indigenous recipes on the menu. (chickasawculturalcenter.com)

Hunter’s Home – Tahlequah

Built in 1845 by a prominent Cherokee family, this site is the only antebellum plantation home left standing in the state. The house is furnished in the style of the time and open to the public with scheduled events for historic interpretation by reenactors throughout the year to educate guests and school groups. The grounds are beautiful to stroll, with cabins, a smokehouse, an icehouse and a babbling brook that runs serenely behind the home. Nestled in the lush hills of the Cherokee Nation, visitors will feel as though they have stepped back in time.

Courtesy Oklahoma Historical Society

Drive into Tahlequah’s historic district while you are in the area. Visit the old Cherokee courthouse, as well as other locations in town to discovery the tribe’s history after removal to Indian Territory in the 1830s. (okhistory.org/sites/huntershome)

Honey Springs Battlefield – Checotah

It’s hard to imagine, but the American Civil War touched Oklahoma in what was once Indian Territory in ways that rippled into the outcome of our country’s history during that time. A climactic engagement took place on this site on July 17, 1863. Honey Springs was the largest battle in the territory with a diverse composition of forces and played a pivotal role in the Trans-Mississippi theater. Just two weeks after Gettysburg and Vicksburg, 9,000 troops converged on the small farming settlement that once existed here, and hundreds are believed to have perished in the battle.

Photo courtesy Oklahoma Historical Society

A newly built Visitors Center houses artifacts, a theater and educational resources to research the event. The battle grounds are open for exploring, with informational signage to learn more. The Battle of Honey Springs reenactment will take place on Nov. 8-9, 2025, where visitors can experience the spectacle of a Civil War battle. (okhistory.org/sites/honeysprings)

Spiro Mounds Archeology Center – Spiro

An ancient civilization once thrived on this site from approximately 800 A.D. to 1450 A.D., and it is the only prehistoric archeological site in the state that is open to the public. Archeologists have discovered that the Spiro people created a sophisticated culture that influenced the entire Southeast. Artifacts discovered at this location exhibit an extensive network of trade in proximity to the Arkansas River, and a highly developed religious center. They possessed an advanced political system that controlled the region. Still a mystery and under investigation by archeologists, the site is protected 150 acres of land and encompass 12 burial mounds. The visitors center houses some artifacts and an educator to answer questions and give some insight. (okhistory.org/sites/spiromounds)

Photo courtesy Oklahoma Historical Society

Choctaw Cultural Center – Calera

Visitors can immerse themselves in Choctaw culture and history at the center’s Living Village and Museum. Other highlights include beautiful scenery, an exhibition of winter houses, stickball demonstrations, exhibitions of the mound, garden, earth ovens and a dancing circle. In honoring the oral histories of the Choctaw people, the Kowi Chito Theater offers informative films at scheduled times in a variety of themes. Diners at the Champuli Café will find some authentic offerings, including fry bread.

Permanent exhibitions transport visitors back in time to the way of life of the Choctaw before removal from the Mississippi homelands, and into modern times in Oklahoma. Arts and culture abound here, with daily activities and special events during the year. (choctawculturalcenter.com)

Tulsa City-County Library, Genealogy Resource Center – Hardesty Regional Library

Connecting to history is rewarding, but even more so when those connections become deeply personal. Genealogical research can be as intensive as one makes it, but a word of caution: It becomes addictive very quickly. The Tulsa City-County Library offers free genealogical resources for anyone wanting to learn more their own history. Sometimes, making those discoveries about our ancestors reinforces what we have learned or already know about history. Online or in-person resources are available with the library, and staff are available at the Hardesty Regional location to assist in your historic quest.

For kids, a great project begins with recording interviews with parents and grandparents and then building a family tree from those points. Children will enjoy making personal family connections to visits to historic sites. Pay attention to timelines when visiting sites, and make those parallels to ancestors who lived during those times. Ask questions: What was life like for them? Where were they and what were they doing during historically significant events? Studying our history is not only fascinating, but it is vastly enlightening, and, honestly, there is no greater reward in studying history than to discover our own. (tulsalibrary.org/research/genealogy-center)

Macy Goodnight is a freelance writer and photographer from Broken Arrow. She loves spending time with her family and friends, and has a keen interest in studying history, gardening, hiking, and traveling.