Wheeler District. Oklahoma City, OK. All photography is ours.
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Oklahoma with Kids
Oklahoma is home for us, so this is the one state where we can tell you exactly what a weekend looks like. If you’re planning Oklahoma with kids, start in Oklahoma City. The zoo, Science Museum Oklahoma, whitewater rafting downtown at Riversport, and the National Memorial are all within fifteen minutes of each other. It’s a much better family city than most people expect.
Beyond OKC there’s Tulsa and Route 66, bison in the Wichita Mountains, spring-fed swimming holes at Chickasaw and Turner Falls, and cabins in the pines at Broken Bow. Most families see all of it through a windshield on the way to Colorado or Texas, so build in a day for some time to explore.
Destination guide · Updated October 2026 · We live here
Best months
April–May, Sept–Oct
National parks
0 + 4 NPS sites
Fly into
OKC · TUL
How long
A long weekend, 5 days with the mountains
Book ahead
Broken Bow cabins · Turner Falls · Chickasaw campsites
Previously, Oklahoma City was mostly a rest stop on the way to somewhere else. It isn’t anymore. On our most recent OKC trip we spent a full day at the zoo doing the behind the scenes Wild Encounters, rafted whitewater at Riversport, rode the Bricktown water taxi, and ate our way through Midtown and the Plaza District. We were surprised by what we found. OKC can hold its own with any city, and Riversport was the highlight of the visit.
Tulsa has a nationally-recognized park (Gathering Place), some of the coolest art deco architecture anywhere, a buzzing food scene, and lots of Route 66 nostalgia.
Your Oklahoma guide
Enjoy exploring Oklahoma with kids!
Keep scrolling for the essentials, three road trips, and where to stay.
Essential Oklahoma
Why we love Oklahoma
We think you’ll love it too.
Oklahoma is where we’d send a family that wants to get its kicks on Route 66 and its thrills on real whitewater in the middle of the plains. It’s home, so we’ve done a lot of it. The Talimena Drive in fall, an afternoon at Gathering Place, and a morning at the Woody Guthrie Center are where we’d start. Scroll down for the Oklahoma essentials, starting with the places we know best.
Oklahoma City Guide
Oklahoma City is the one that surprises everyone, with the zoo, Science Museum Oklahoma, the National Cowboy Museum, the Wheeler Ferris wheel, and Bricktown. Our full OKC guide goes district by district.
Riversport OKC Guide
Riversport has real whitewater rafting in the middle of the plains, with Class II to IV rapids and a conveyor belt back to the top. Add some of the tallest slides in America on the sky trail, and you’ll see why we all loved it and would go back in a second.
Oklahoma City National Memorial Guide
The Field of Empty Chairs, the Survivor Tree, and the reflecting pool make this a hard but important place to visit. The outdoor memorial is free and open around the clock.
Woody Guthrie Center, Tulsa Guide
The Woody Guthrie Center is a small, beautifully done music museum in the Tulsa Arts District, right off Route 66. Our kids went straight for the interactive map and the music bar, and it’s perfect for a morning or afternoon.
And the rest we’d cross the state for
Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge
Bison and longhorns roam free, a road climbs to the top of Mount Scott, and kids can scramble over the boulders. It’s free and ninety minutes from OKC, but please don’t pet the fluffy cows.
Chickasaw National Recreation Area
Little Niagara is a spring-fed swimming hole below a small waterfall, and it costs nothing. It’s an hour and a half south of the city, and campsites open months ahead on recreation.gov. Are you looking for more national park sites? See our guide to Oklahoma national parks.
Beavers Bend & Broken Bow Lake
Beavers Bend has pine forest, a clear lake, and cabins with hot tubs, and it’s where Oklahoma goes on vacation. Book weekends months out, or go midweek for half the price and half the crowd.
Turner Falls Park
Turner Falls is Oklahoma’s tallest waterfall at 77 feet, with a swimming hole at the bottom. Summer weekends sell out under a capacity cap, so buy tickets online before you leave the house.
Tulsa and the Gathering Place Guide
Gathering Place is a free riverfront park that beats most paid attractions. Pair it with the Woody Guthrie Center and dinner in the Arts District.
Route 66 Guide
Oklahoma has more drivable miles of the Mother Road than any other state. Stop at Pops in Arcadia for the wall of soda and the Round Barn next door, then say hi to the Blue Whale of Catoosa outside Tulsa.
Frontier City & White Water Bay Guide
Frontier City and White Water Bay are OKC’s own theme park and water park, each small enough to do in a day. The water park is summer only, and Frontier City runs spring through Halloween.
Great Salt Plains
Kids can dig their own selenite crystals out of the salt flats from April through mid-October. Bring a shovel, plenty of water, and a change of clothes.
Talimena Scenic Drive AftT Visit
The Talimena Drive is fifty-four miles of ridgetop road along the Arkansas line, with overlooks every few miles. Go from late October into early November for the fall color.
Black Mesa
Black Mesa is the highest point in the state, out in the far corner of the Panhandle. The eight-mile round-trip hike is best for older kids, and the night skies are some of the darkest you’ll find anywhere.
Browse
Find your next adventure in Oklahoma
Tell us what you’re planning and we’ll match it up with some great trip ideas.
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Things to do with kids in OKC
At the intersection of Interstates I-35 and I-40, you’ll find Oklahoma City – the crossroads of America. It’s a place…
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AftT #ParkPics: Oklahoma City National Memorial Pictures
Oklahoma City National Memorial in Pictures The Oklahoma City Memorial tells the story of April 19th, 1995, and the aftermath…
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Riversport OKC – Class-IV family fun right in downtown!
While the rapids only get to Class-III (for mortals like you and me), the adventure gets up to VI at…
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#ExploreHome: Woody Guthrie Center – Tulsa, OK
The Woody Guthrie Center is a gem of a museum located in Tulsa, OK. Opened in 2013, the Center celebrates…
Routes
Three Oklahoma road trip itineraries
It’s one state with three very different trips. Pick the city and the mountains, Route 66, or the pine forests of the southeast. See all the best stops on a map.
Home base
Oklahoma City
Stay in Bricktown or Midtown. The zoo, Science Museum, Riversport and the Memorial are all within fifteen minutes of each other. Our OKC guide has the details, and the Riversport guide covers the rafting.
Then head to
Wichita Mountains
It’s ninety minutes southwest. Look for bison at dawn, take the drive up Mount Scott, and have lunch in Medicine Park. Stay in Medicine Park if you want a second day.
Add on
Chickasaw & Turner Falls
It’s an hour and a half south of OKC. Swim at Little Niagara, then Turner Falls is twenty minutes further down I-35.
Then head to
Route 66 west
Start at the Blue Whale of Catoosa, then stop at the Round Barn and Pops in Arcadia. That’s ninety minutes of road with a stop every twenty.
Finish
Oklahoma City
Finish in the capital and fly out of OKC, or turn around. It’s only an hour and a half back to Tulsa.
Home base
Broken Bow
It’s three and a half hours from OKC and three from Tulsa. Book a cabin months ahead, hike in Beavers Bend, and rent a kayak on the lake.
Then head to
Talimena Scenic Drive
It’s two hours north on Highway 259. Drive the ridge to Talihina and back in a day. Late October is best.
Add on
Robbers Cave
It’s another hour west. There are real caves that outlaws hid in, plus a lake with a swimming beach.
When to go
Time your visits with the weather and the region
We live here, so we’ll be honest about the weather. April and May are the greenest months, but they’re also the heart of tornado season, so watch the forecast. Summer is hot and humid. Fall is the sweet spot, and winter is quiet, cheap, and sometimes icy.
Swipe the chart sideways to see the full year.
April – May
It’s green and mild, with wildflowers in the Wichitas. It’s also the peak of tornado season, so keep an eye on the forecast and have an indoor plan B. The museums are a good one.
June – August
It’s hot and humid, with highs in the nineties. This is lake and waterfall season. Turner Falls, Broken Bow and Chickasaw are at their best, and Riversport is a great way to cool off in the city.
September – October
This is our favorite. The heat breaks, the crowds go back to school, and the Talimena drive turns gold and red by late October.
November – March
It’s quiet and cheap. Ice storms can close roads for a day or two, and most water attractions shut down. The museums, the zoo, and the Memorial are open year round, so there’s still plenty for kids.
Where to stay
Pick a good base to start your Oklahoma adventure
Oklahoma is small enough to base in one place and day trip, or to split the week between the city and the parks. Here’s where we’d stay for each.
City trips
Oklahoma City
Bricktown puts you on the canal and within walking distance of the ballpark and the arena. Midtown and the Plaza District are quieter with better food. Plenty of chain hotels, which makes this an easy points stay.
- Our OKC guide, district by district
- Bricktown for walkability, Midtown for the food
- Book refundable, then re-check monthly
Tulsa trips
Tulsa, Route 66 & Grand Lake
Tulsa is home for us. Stay downtown and you’re a short drive from Gathering Place. Route 66 runs right through town on the way to the Blue Whale of Catoosa. Grand Lake is about an hour and a half northeast for a weekend on the water.
- Downtown Tulsa, near the Arts District and Blue Dome
- Route 66 motels and neon along 11th Street
- Lake houses around Grove and Monkey Island on Grand Lake
Park trips
Medicine Park & Sulphur
Two small towns that put you at the gates of the Wichitas and Chickasaw. Both have cabins, a few motels, and campgrounds that book up on recreation.gov.
- Medicine Park for the Wichita Mountains
- Sulphur or Davis for Chickasaw and Turner Falls
- Chickasaw campsites open months ahead on recreation.gov
Good to know
Questions families ask us about Oklahoma
It’s worth a trip on its own, for a long weekend or a full week. We live in Tulsa and still find new things to do in OKC. Base in the city and day trip to the Wichitas and Chickasaw, or head southeast to Broken Bow and stay put. It’s also a natural stop on a Route 66 or Texas to Colorado drive, which is how most families first find it.
Go to Riversport. Rafting real whitewater in the middle of downtown was the highlight of our last visit. The day pass includes the sky trail and the slides. Our Riversport guide covers how to time it. The zoo’s Wild Encounters are a close second.
Fly into OKC (Will Rogers) for the city, the Wichitas and Chickasaw, and TUL for Tulsa and Route 66. Broken Bow is three hours or more from either, and Dallas is actually the closer airport for a cabin trip.
Yes, you do. Even in Oklahoma City the attractions are spread across town, and everything else on this page is an hour or more from an airport.
Peak season is April through early June, mostly late afternoon and evening. Storms are forecast days out, hotels have shelters, and locals take warnings seriously. Watch the forecast, keep one flexible day, and don’t let it put you off spring. It’s the greenest the state gets. Science Museum Oklahoma even has an exhibit on it.
The outdoor memorial is, and it’s free. The museum is excellent but heavy, and we’d save it for kids ten and up. Our photos and notes will help you decide.
Map
Essential Oklahoma, mapped
Keep exploring
Where to go next
Texas with Kids
Texas is big enough to be its own country. Big Bend, Guadalupe Mountains, and El Paso make for a great road trip.
Arkansas with Kids
Hot Springs, the Ozarks and the Buffalo River are all within three hours of Tulsa.
New Mexico with Kids
New Mexico has Carlsbad’s caverns, White Sands’ dunes, and green chile on everything.
