Wish You Were Here: Oklahoma City from museums to Bricktown

Globetrotting readers have been making up for that long, pandemic-era dry spell by traveling all over the place this year. They’ve gazed upon Rio’s sights, strolled Australian beaches and explored British naval history at Portsmouth’s docks. And they’ve shared their stories — and practical travel tips — along the way.

Today, we’re hearing from a Berkeley couple who took a cross-country road trip this spring.

Wish You Were Here

OKLAHOMA: Berkeley residents Reed Holderman and Rissa Coplan took an epic road trip this spring — in their Subaru plug-in hybrid, proving that eco-friendly cross-country travel is do-able. “After covering 7,000 miles and 24 states, it’s surprising that Oklahoma City was one of our favorite stops,” Reed says. “Sure, Glacier National Park, Zion and the Grand Canyon, Chicago, and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula were incredible, but OKC held its own and was full of surprises.

“The Wichita Mountains, an hour south of OKC, was the biggest surprise. The wildlife refuge is
full of lakes, rocky mountains, buffalo, prairie dogs, longhorns and more. It’s a must-see destination, but bring your chairs and food because services are limited. There is very nice visitor center run by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, but not much else.”

TRAVEL TIPS: “We stayed at The National Hotel in OKC, which is a beautifully restored former bank and art deco masterpiece located downtown and a short walk to ‘Bricktown,’ another must-see — a converted industrial area (with) 39 restaurants, a minor league baseball stadium, a plaza devoted to local hero Mickey Mantle, and a river walk and canal rides. We ate at the Bricktown Brewery (pictured above), which was really good.”

More must-sees: The Oklahoma City National Memorial, dedicated to the 1995 bombing victims, and the Myriad Botanical Gardens, a 15-acre expanse with a Crystal Glass Bridge, an immense, temperature-controlled conservatory that will reopen in August after a month’s renovation. “Don’t miss the First Americans Museum,” Reed says.  “It’s one of the best Native American museums in the country.”