Midwest Road Trip: Texas through Oklahoma

A Route 66 Oklahoma landmark: Johnnie’s onion burger in El Reno

Date: October 27th, 2009 | 1 comment

While blasting north through Oklahoma enroute a speaking engagement, I saw on my map that I was passing through tiny El Reno, OK (located on historic Route 66.)

The town has three different places listed in one of my favorite references, Jane and Michael Stern’s Roadfood.

I couldn’t find Jobe’s and Sid’s was closed, but by golly I found Johnnie’s Grill so I stopped for their famous onion burger.

I adore onions. My kids aren’t really into them. Since this was a business trip, they weren’t with me to turn their noses up, so hah.  I got my onions.

Family travel in Oklahoma: the 50 state series

Date: August 19th, 2009 | 5 comments

Every Tuesday (this week I got a little behind so it’s Wednesday) until we run out of states, I plan to post about family-friendly vacation ideas, attractions and events in each one of the US states, taking input mostly from Twitter and Facebook.

Yes, I know how to search for travel ideas on a destination or attraction Web site, but a tweet or a Facebook Wall recommendation is a much more engaging and public way to spread the word.

Please don’t email suggestions to me; that’s nice but it is one-to-one communication. Tweet me and/or Facebook me, so that all of our networks can see what’s cool about your state.

We’re going in alphabetical order but started with the end, so our first state for the series was Wyoming, then we investigated Wisconsin , West Virginia , Washington, Virginia, Vermont, Utah, Texas, Tennessee, South Dakota, South Carolina, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Oregon and now we’re moving on to….Oklahoma!

Their state tourism organization is on Twitter at @OklahomaTourism and they’re on Facebook at the Oklahoma Tourism Facebook page.

When I asked for ideas, here’s what came in….

Twitter Travel Tips for Oklahoma

***  From @OklahomaTourism on Twitter  –  Family-friendly places: Jasmin Moran Children’s Museum (Seminole, OK), Leonardo’s Discovery Warehouse (Enid) and Oklahoma Aquarium (Jenks.) Oklahoma City & Tulsa Zoos are also among the top-rated. Families can order Exploring OK with Kids, a free magazine on TravelOK.com plus check out our Hot Deals section for attraction discounts/coupons http://www.travelok.com/hot_deals/index.asp.

***  From The Clarks via @Travel_Notebook on Twitter  — Just finished at Chickasaw NRA (National Recreation Area.) Great hiking and swimming, accessible to all ages. [More in their South Central OK blog post.]

***  From Lisa Gerber via @lisagerber on Twitter  –  OKC (Oklahoma City): Bricktown - ride boat, bowling and eat at Red Pin, or eat at Zio’s.  [See] Myriad Botanical Garden and Crystal Bridge Conservatory.

***  From Anne-Sophie Redisch via @SophieR on Twitter  — Children’s Cowboy Corral and interactive kids area [at National Cowboy Museum.) Got a kids' website, too: http://cowboykids.nationalcowboymuseum.org. Indians, cowboys, rodeos....what's not to like for kids.

***  From Sandra Sims via @sandrasims on Twitter  -- I've always enjoyed Turner Falls in Davis OK. Great hiking and cold spring water for a swim!

***  From Robert Reid via @reidontravel on Twitter  -- I grew up with talking buffalo at wonderful Woolaroc: http://www.woolaroc.org [Museum and Wildlife Preserve in Bartlesville.]

***  From Pam Baggett via @pambaggett on Twitter  — Area north of downtown OKC called The Paseo, the arts district, about 2 blocks of 20s & 30s Mediterranean facades. Artist studios & shops. Annual art event [there every] Memorial Day weekend called The Paseo Arts Festival. Children’s dance troupe performs Paseo weekend. Just remembered the miniature replica of Will Rogers home somewhere between Tulsa & Nowata. True name. [Also] I still remember trips to Turner Falls from when I was a kid. And that was a long time ago!

***  From Thomas P. Jones via @FreeWine on Twitter  — My favorite family trips are kayaking in Broken Bow, OK and Tahlequah, OK, or swimming at Turner Falls in Davis, OK.

***  From United Linen via @UnitedLinen on Twitter  — One of the best family things to do in OK is WOOLAROC in Bartlesville.

***  From Dara Quackenbush via @dquack on Twitter  — [My husband and biz colleague] Doug French went to the Cowboy Museum in OKC on his way back from Missouri. Just raved about it.

***  From Carmen Hill via @carmenhill on Twitter  –  Oklahoma City’s exotic animal park: http://www.tigersafari.us.

….And now, a massive effort by Becky McCray via @BeckyMcCray on Twitter (disclosure - she’s my business partner for Tourism Currents and also works on tourism issues with Oklahoma’s regional “Red Carpet Country” organization….)

The Honorary Northwest Oklahoma Twitter Tour Guide

***  Take the whole family swimming in the Gage, OK, pool.  It’s spring fed, with a sand bottom - http://redcarpetcountry.com/county-ellis.  Kids love to throw cow chips during the Beaver Cow Chip contest - http://www.beaveroklahoma.net. [There are] dinosaurs in the Oklahoma Panhandle.

We’re back but we’ve crashed

Date: August 7th, 2007 | 1 comment

There it is, folks.

3,061 miles round trip from our driveway in TX to Chicago and back.

The great Midwest Road Trip is finished and we’re glad to be home, but just in case we get too cocky about all the fun at the BlogHer conference and all …

So long, Frank Lloyd Wright

Date: July 23rd, 2007 | 1 comment

You never know what you’ll find on a road trip.

Did you know that architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s only skyscraper was built in 1956 in …

State Park secret: CCC cabins at Osage Hills

Date: July 23rd, 2007 | No Comments

This is a quick note about our lodgings after we stopped in Duncan, Oklahoma to see the Chisholm Trail Heritage Center.

After a drive across pretty much the entire state from south to north, we spent the night at Osage Hills State Park near Pawhuska and Bartlesville, Oklahoma.

It’s part of the Osage Nation in the northeast part of …

Getting our kicks on Oklahoma’s Route 66

Date: July 22nd, 2007 | 1 comment

In our drive across Oklahoma from Duncan to Pawhuska, we only had time for one little smidgen of the Mother Road; the famous Route 66 that runs across the United States from Chicago to Los Angeles.

We hopped off of the Interstate between Oklahoma City and Tulsa.

It was late in the afternoon, so many places were closed, but it was still a lot of fun to see the original motels and …

Riding the Chisholm Trail in Oklahoma

Date: July 21st, 2007 | 6 comments

We’re still in cattle-driving mode, heading north from Fort Worth into Oklahoma on Highway 81, also known as the Chisholm Trail Highway because it roughly follows the route taken by thousands of head of cattle from south Texas to Abilene between 1867 and 1880.

After crossing the swirling Red River on the Texas-Oklahoma border, we drove to Duncan OK and the …

One night in Cowtown: Fort Worth

Date: July 19th, 2007 | 3 comments

Well, with me running around trying to do too much, we didn’t get on the road for the Great Midwest Road Trip until late in the day yesterday.

The drive up Interstate 35 from Austin to Fort Worth was the usual freeway fare; dull but fast. Our main objective last night was to walk through the historic Fort Worth Stockyards area and have a steak dinner, and we fell into bed last night …

We’re off to explore the “Square States”

Date: July 18th, 2007 | 5 comments

Today my teenage daughter and I are launching the minivan on our US Midwest Road Trip.

I’m honored to be a Day One panelist speaker at the BlogHer blogging conference in Chicago 27-29 July, so we’re turning that into the travel writer’s mondo assignment and exploring the Midwest going and coming from central Texas.

Yes, Sainted Husband and my young son will meet us in Arkansas on the way back, and they have a full schedule of batting cages and water parks while …