OKC road trip

Photo: Traci Hayes

It is easy to tell that we love Oklahoma City. But when we talk about Oklahoma City, we aren’t just talking about the 621 square miles that make up OKC proper (yeah, that is a lot of miles). No, we are talking about the entire Oklahoma City region. The Oklahoma City MSA is home to more than 1.4 million people and many communities that are worth a visit. Here are some of our favorite to-dos in nearby cities. And to be clear, this is far, far from an exhaustive list. This is just a sampling of places and festivals to visit. What else should newcomers to OKC know about? Leave a comment below to let everyone know.

• Edmond: Edmond Railyard is a new indoor/outdoor food hall next to the Farmers Market that features 7 restaurants and a two-story bar. Perfect for date night and family time when you have different food tastes. November is also a perfect month for walking and biking on Edmond’s new paved trails.
• Guthrie: Anyone who’s taken a stroll through Guthrie’s Historic District will vouch that it’s one of the most gorgeous neighborhoods in the nation and easily one of the most underrated attractions in Oklahoma .
• Mustang: The annual Western Days festival, held every September, draws 30,000 folks enjoying a parade, a chili cook-off, a car show, arts and crafts, local entertainment, the Western Stampede Run, a rodeo and more during this time-honored celebration of the pioneer and western spirit.
• Norman: Two must-see museums are the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, which houses the largest collection of Impressionist paintings at a public university including works by Degas, Renoir, Van Gogh and others, and the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History which has been presented with the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences medal as one of the top five museums honored in 2014.
• Shawnee: The Citizen Potawatomi Cultural Heritage Center exists to educate tribal members, the greater Native American community, and other visitors about the historical and contemporary aspects of the tribe.
• Stillwater: The National Wrestling Hall of Fame – this “shrine to the sport of wrestling” should be on your to-do list. Full of memorabilia and history, “mankind’s oldest and most basic form of recreational combat” is celebrated here.
• Yukon: This town has the largest drive-thru holiday light display in the state. The lights turn on each year the Saturday before Thanksgiving and will stay lit through New Year’s Eve. You can check out the display safely from your car from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. each night or you can walk around the area. There’s also a Santa Express Train to ride for a small fee. (Pro tip: Visit the lights on a weeknight because weekends get busy with travelers from outside the area.)