Planning a Trip to OKC

Tara Rittler,

A couple weekends ago – before our household all came down with COVID – I got to go to Oklahoma City for a quick overnight. Despite an iffy forecast – it ended up snowing one evening but was clear the next day – it was a lovely, if brief, time! Since the trip was only about 24 hours, there wasn’t time to do ALL the things I’d found to do whilst trip-planning. But I wanted to save some here in case that helps anyone else planning an OKC getaway.

Where to Stay

Of course, this depends on what you’re looking for. There are some very fancy hotels in OKC, which did not fit the budget. However, the Sheraton in downtown OKC proved to be a good choice. It is located practically across the street from the Thunder stadium and Myriad Botanical Gardens, and within walking distance of many shops and restaurants. The restaurant food was good, too. So definitely a place to consider, and I’d be happy to stay there again.

Bookstores

For a quick trip, bookstores ended up being a priority. A friend owns Literati Press in the Paseo District, so we met them there first thing. Literati had changed locations since I’d been there last, and their new space has wonderful storefront windows! Plus, it’s a great selection, and I found many books I’d love to buy or gift.

We also walked past The Floating Bookshop on the way back to the hotel after getting coffee. This bookstore is located inside Sailor and The Dock, “a local market, bar, arts and events venue in an eco-conscious conversion of a 1920s urban warehouse.” Sadly, most of the other businesses housed within Sailor and the Dock were closed (so many stores closed on Mondays!). But it looked like a fun place to go back to. Again, a great selection of books for a not-very-large space.

Finally, after two recommendations, we went to Second Story Books & Cafe, which is located closer to the Capitol building, if you’re familiar with the area. This was the largest of the three we went to, and was absolutely charming! They had a great kid’s section – all the covers were appealing, IMO, and I wanted to buy all of them! They also have a full coffee and tea menu, although we didn’t get to try it at the time.

Other OKC bookstores include Full Circle – the largest independent bookstore in OK. As well as Commonplace Books (which we almost went to, but they closed early due to the weather); and Pear Street Books & Plants. If you know of others to recommend, please give them a shout-out in the comments!

Escape Rooms

We didn’t do any escape rooms, but I was thinking about it. So here are my Google research results:

  • Breakout Games: Over 4,000 Google reviews, with a 4.9 star rating. Rooms (as of Feb. 2024) include Runaway Train; Island Escape; and Museum Heist
  • Red Door Escape Rooms: Has two locations in the OKC area. I like that their different rooms are graded based on “Challenge level,” which is easy to see on their website. So, as someone who’s never done an escape room before, starting off with an easier option might be nice.
  • Baker Street Escapes: I like the idea of Sherlock Holmes/literature-inspired escape rooms. Available escape options include “The Hound Adventure,” “Return to Sleepy Hollow” and more.
  • The Escape OKC: The Escape OKC’s website does a nice job of outlining each room option. It tells you if they’re good options for beginners, families, etc.

Coffee and Dessert

I was very excited to try Don’t Stress Meowt – Cat Cafe (which is supposed to open a Tulsa location soon-ish!). However, again – because it was Monday – it was closed. So this remains on the list for next time.

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We did end up getting coffee and a pastry at Clarity Coffee, which was conveniently located to the hotel and also came highly recommended by a friend. I tried the blood orange latte, and it was incredible! Literati bookstore is located a few doors down from Holey Rollers, a delicious donut shop – and now I can recommend personally their chai donut as well. A great option for breakfast or a snack.

And I was especially excited to try Boomtown Creamery because I like ice cream and their flavors sounded incredible. It did not disappoint, at all! The 6-scoop flight is definitely the way to go if you’re having trouble making a decision – and have someone to share it with. They are always coming up with new flavors, but one I tried was the Cherry Goat – which had goat cheese, salted fudge and delicious roasted cherries. Sooo good.

Some OKC local also highly recommended Perets, a coffee/dessert place that is only open from 3-11 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. So we didn’t have time for a visit, sadly. Check out their menu because it’s making me want to go back and try it ASAP. Especially their special affogatos.

Other places I’d found or had recommended to me during my trip brainstorming include:

Dining

Boomtown Creamery was across the street from Thai House Restaurant, which sounded like a good choice, so we ended up just eating there! The food was very good, and the atmosphere casual yet nice.

For breakfast/lunch the next day, I wasn’t feeling super hungry. But after buying a book at Second Story and looking for healthy options in the area, we realized that the Capitol building housed a cafe and smoothie restaurant. So we went on a little adventure to the capitol, which I’d never been to! The smoothie was just okay – and it was kind of hard to figure out where to park (Google Maps was being confusing). But it was still fun to say we went.

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Other places on my radar for future trips:

Museums and Attractions

The last time I went to OKC, we hit up several of the larger attractions, including the National Cowboy Museum, Science Museum Oklahoma, Myriad Botanical Gardens and Oklahoma City Museum of Art. Both times, the glass conservatory at Myriad was closed, sadly, so I’ve yet to see that, sadly!

This time, people recommended Oklahoma Contemporary – which is free, so we opted for that. Their main exhibit floor was closed due to installing their next exhibit, so there were only two smaller exhibitions open. But it was still a very nice space. I believe they have a lot of programming for all ages, so check out their website before you go to see if anything special is coming up.

People also have recommended Factory Obscura, an immersive art experience similar to Meow Wolf or the one that used to be at ahha.

And of course, First Americans Museum is on our list for future visits.

What are your favorite places to go and things to do in Oklahoma City? Let me know in the comments!

Categories: Spaghetti on the Wall

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