It was a spelling bee in progress at the Rose Hill School, an historic one-room schoolhouse built in 1895, but now located behind the small Cherokee Strip Museum – all about this unique area which was partially populated by an 1893 land run – in Perry, Oklahoma.

The students I saw were from a modern school near Tulsa, but once brought by bus to Rose Hill for a day of pioneer schooling, they were transformed by period attire and their surroundings.

I almost missed this magical moment, because I was in a hurry to get down to the Oklahoma City area for a business meeting. Thank goodness I decided to hop across the little wooden footbridge over a creek and poke my head into the classroom “just for a minute.”

The real teachers were seated in the back to watch, but the starched-shirt pioneer teacher substitute seemed to need no assistance in class control as students were marched through spelling words at fourth grade level, with each word featured in a sentence that might have been used one hundred years ago in McGuffey’s Reader (sentences featured a lot of farm work, like churning butter.)

It was a lovely fall day, with leaves swirling over the period toys laying outside – like wooden hoops – and there were student bonnets neatly hung on pegs in the mudroom entrance and little lunch cans in a hutch.

For a huge American history and Little House on the Prairie fan like me, it was one of the best 20 minutes  I’ve ever spent in a museum, with its original cast-iron stove in the middle and wooden desks in tidy rows.

Visit Rose Hill School on Facebook, and if you want to see a class in session yourself, they’re held between 9:30 am and 1:30 pm Monday through Friday (but the Cherokee Strip Museum itself is closed on Mondays.) Visitors are welcome to tour the school any time, and watch a bit of any classes in progress, but for the full experience you’ll need to be brought there with a student group, arranged through the museum.

For a quick meal while in Perry, drive into town (it’s right off of Interstate 35, past the corporate headquarters for Ditch Witch construction equipment) and try the Kumback Cafe on the town square, serving thousands of customers for decades, including a visit by gangster Pretty Boy Floyd.

Pick out a sampler six-pack (or more) of cold sodas.

Great burgers in the diner.

The shake that I got with my burger was spoon-thick.

Ridiculously futuristic and cool architecture, with a giant 66-foot-tall soda pop bottle out front that lights up at night.

It’s POPS on historic Route 66 in Arcadia, Oklahoma – just north of Oklahoma City – and you HAVE to go!

(This post was included in this week’s Wanderfood Wednesday, over on Wanderlust and Lipstick.)

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.

The onions are mashed up into the burger meat while the meat cooks on the grill – you can get a burger without them if you ask.

Sides are extra, so let the waitress/waiter know if you want fries, for example.

Just to give myself a complete arterial-clogging experience, I ordered a Dr Pepper float to go with it all.

They don’t take credit or debit cards, but there’s an ATM across the street.

Get your kicks, and your onion breath….

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.

Dig for hourglass selenite crystals in the one place on earth they occur:  http://www.touroklahoma.com/detail.asp?id=1%2B5U%2B3596.  Climb the sand dunes and hit the lake at Beaver Dunes or Little Sahara State Parks. Take the kids on the guided tour at Alabaster Caverns, or be brave; go wild caving. Take them for a malt at a real soda fountain (Holder’s Drug, in Alva, Oklahoma, for one.)

In Enid, there’s Leonardo’s Discovery Warehouse, and one of the coolest small town baseball fields anywhere. And you HAVE to think about hitting a rattlesnake festival, either Waynoka or Okeene (or look around for the others.) The Freedom Museum is a client of mine, but I love their archeology exhibit!

Tour the ghost town of Avard. Then go fishing at Avard Lake, and finish up with home made fries at Vina Rae’s cafe. Even city kids enjoy horseback riding, and every kid should climb the Gloss Mountains – I did! Take part, or just watch, a real cattle drive at the Great Western Trail in Vici. Get up close with giant wind turbines 14 miles north of Woodward. Lay on your back and watch the stars at Doby Springs, in Harper County.

Finally, load up the whole family and drive through the Christmas lights displays all over the state.

Whoa….thanks, Becky!

Facebook Travel Tips for Oklahoma

***  From Thursday Bram on Facebook  — The Center of the Universe is a sculpture in downtown Tulsa OK — it’s built so that sound travels strangely around it. Depending on where you stand, a whisper sounds like a shout. Park at the corner of W. Archer St. and N. Boston Ave and walk up to the bridge over the railroad tracks.  Awesome hamburgers at Ron’s Hamburgers and Chili. Huge western art collection: http://gilcrease.utulsa.edu.  I don’t think I’m allowed to not suggest catching a college football game if you’re in Oklahoma.

***  From Jeanne Cole on Facebook  — [Our local] Dairy Queen in Woodward hosted a cruise-in of classic cars and hot rods. The local radio station went live and about 80 cars came in to cruise a blocked-off section of Main St. Burnouts were allowed and police were cruising to make sure everyone stayed safe. My estimate was about 500+ people downtown to watch the cars cruise and take lots of pictures.  This was a family event….lots of kids learning about what autos used to look like, enjoying the hot rods and watching the burnouts. The DQ owner told me he would like to involve more of the downtown merchants and sponsor an event like this once a month.

(For more on US Main Street revitalization projects and efforts through the National Trust for Historic Preservation, see MainStreet.org, Main Street on Twitter, the Oklahoma Main Street Facebook page and the National Main Street Facebook page.)

***  From Sherry Miller on Facebook  –  Although Wister, OK is not a very large town, Wister Lake is nearby, with nice cabins to rent, as well as campgrounds. During the summer there is a small waterpark at the lake with miniature golf. Other interesting things are the Rune Park in Heavener, and the Worlds Tallest Hill in Poteau. Check it out. During holidays, i.e., Halloween, Christmas and 4th of July, Wister Pride sponsors parades, and activities in the Park. Wister is about 45 minutes from Fort Smith, Arkansas.

***  From Kristin Davis on Facebook  — My all-time favorite event in OKC is the arts festival which is held every spring in the downtown area. I’ve always thought it was one of the best in the country. Great music, great kids activities, and of course wonderful art from all over the state. Also in the spring is the Redbud Classic race — it used to be a 10K — I’m not sure if it’s the same distance now. That’s a great, family-friendly race held in Nichols Hills that I used to run every year when I was in high school in the early 80′s. Also, I’ve always loved the science museum (used to be called the Omniplex) — that’s a lot of fun for both kids and parents. And the National Cowboy Hall of Fame is a must for any out of town visitors: http://www.nationalcowboymuseum.org.

***  From Kimberley Clark Cooper on Facebook  — Just returned from Oklahoma as part of our Chisholm Trail itinerary that took us from Texas to the Tallgrass plains of Kansas. In Oklahoma we visited the Chisholm Trail Heritage Center in Duncan, OK. A great museum with a historic artwork, interactive things for kids and a IMAX type movie about the Chisholm Trail. Also in Anadarko, OK the American Indian Expo Parade and Exhibition is held the first week of August each year with all the area tribes attending. Daily festivities include parades, visits to camps and big dance demonstrations in the evening. Quite a good place to be for photographers searching for colorful subjects.

Here are my own Family Travel Logue posts about Oklahoma’s Osage Hills State Park, the Chisholm Trail Heritage Center and a little bit of historic Route 66 in the state.

Thanks so much for the contributions – the next state in the series is Ohio.

Send your Ohio highlights to @SheilaS on Twitter or write them on my Facebook Wall (please tell me you’re a 50 state-er if you want to friend me.)

My purpose for this series is not only to highlight worthy kid-friendly vacation destinations in all 50 states, but by using Twitter and Facebook I want to also encourage tourism organizations to learn more about connecting with their visitors using social media and online networks.

Please add your own Oklahoma suggestions in the comments below, if we’ve missed anything. Thanks!

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 the articles we have to write….the laptop crashed.

So, it’s off to call up some repair expertise now that I’ve experienced a major computer malfunction like my fellow travel writer Liz Lewis.

Yes, I had some items backed up and my email accounts and blogs are all net-based so I didn’t lose them, but I hadn’t backed up as thoroughly or regularly as I should have.

Learn from my mistake and get a big fat portable hard drive to back up your documents, photos and bookkeeping software!

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 Bartlesville, Oklahoma? 

Today the soaring, slender Price Tower with its distinctive verdigris-copper-clad exterior houses an exhibit area, a swanky restaurant and an upscale hotel.

Now you know….

Technorati tags: travel, family travel, Frank Lloyd Wright, Oklahoma, skyscraper, architecture, Price Tower Arts 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 the state.

I picked that park because it has little cabins built during the 1930s Great Depression by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC,) just like the “Hobbit Cabins” that my family enjoyed so much at Bastrop State Park in Texas.

Our Osage Hills cabin was comfy and modernized with a kitchen and bathroom; it was very pleasant to be disconnected from the phone, TV and Internet for one night.

My daughter practiced her guitar and actually let me read out loud to her from the Little House on the Prairie book, in preparation for our visit the next day to the original Little House near Independence, Kansas.

If you ever find a park with CCC cabins, make a point to stop for the night. I think you’ll enjoy them.

Technorati tags: travel, family travel, Oklahoma

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 vintage gas stations, and drive a nice, curvy, pretty road instead of the ugly freeway.

Check out this Legends of America Web site for detailed info on each part of Route 66, and drive a bit of it if you ever have an opportunity.

Technorati tags: travel, Route 66, family travel, Oklahoma

After crossing the swirling Red River on the Texas-Oklahoma border, we drove to Duncan OK and the Chisholm Trail Heritage Center for an in-depth look at the Trail and its role in creating the American cowboy mystique that lives on today.

The Heritage Center is not very big but is nicely done; there is a room with plenty of buttons to push and interactive exhibits for kids, a Western art gallery and a really great multimedia film that makes the audience truly experience the Trail (stampeding cattle and all!)

I asked a passing museum official a question about the remuda, or group of spare drover/wrangler horses that accomplanied a cattle drive, and the man I asked happened to be Bill Benson, the enthusiastic Executive Director of the Center.

He was kind enough to give us some more historical background and detailed current information; did you know that there are still cattle rustlers today? Some cowboy-owners drive trucks to check and feed their herd, so the animals are used to coming to eat when a horn is honked or metal bucket rattled.

Guess what — the rustlers just do the same thing (honk or rattle) and when the cattle come running the docile bovines are loaded onto big trailers or trucks and taken away.

There’s a special section of Texas Rangers who do nothing but try to track down stolen livestock.

Bill took us out to a new semi-scale-model pathway of the Chisholm Trail, laid out along the ground from a marker representing the South Texas King Ranch to another marker representing the railhead at Abilene, Kansas, with explanations of major Trail stops along the way.

It certainly gave me and my daughter a clearer view of the sheer distance involved, especially when you aren’t getting from TX to Abilene in a 60-70 mph car (the pathway was patterned after a scale model of the Mississippi River on Mud Island in Memphis, Tennessee.)

We spent more time than we’d intended in Duncan, but it was worth it to linger and learn more about the history of the Wild West.

Technorati tags: family travel, Chisholm Trail, Oklahoma, travel

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 after accomplishing both.

The Cattlemen’s Steakhouse has been serving up the sirloin since 1947, and last night my teenager and I wolfed down a NY strip and “Heart o’ Texas” ribeye between the two of us (with a Shiner Bock on draft for me, of course.)

They were incredibly tender and juicy, although my daughter struggled a little with her newly-installed braces. Just don’t look into the gaping, chewing mouth.

I recommend our hotel, the AmeriSuites, which is well-located in the Stockyards and quite comfortable, although currently under renovation to become a “Hyatt Place.”

There are some fun shops and saloons, but we’ll have to come back someday to see the daily (11:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.) small herd of Longhorn cattle that they run down the middle of the Stockyards main drag. Sure, it’s touristy, but I want to see it sometime.

We actually “met” the herd last night while walking around the district; the Longhorns were hanging out behind the building where the weekend rodeo and Wild West Show are staged, so we went up to the fence and said hello. I don’t think I’ve ever been that close to a Longhorn — they really are pretty impressive.

On weekends, there is a year-round rodeo, and a short version of Pawnee Bill’s Wild West Show. For an Annie Oakley fan like me, that would be great!

Now we need to get on the road for Oklahoma. After crossing the Red River and a stop at the Chisholm Trail Heritage Museum in Duncan, we’ll take part of old Route 66 from Oklahoma City to Tulsa, then up to Osage Hills State Park, where we’ll stay in small cabins built during the Depression by the Civilian Conservation Corps.