What to Do in Oklahoma City: A Route 66 Travel Itinerary

After wrapping up an incredible week exploring Tulsa, we continued west on our Route 66 road trip and settled in near Oklahoma City for another full week of exploring. We actually visited OKC just a few months prior, but with so many museums, Route 66 landmarks, and nearby towns to discover, it was easy to build a completely new itinerary without repeating much of anything. We based ourselves in Edmond, which ended up being the perfect home base for exploring both the city and surrounding Route 66 stops.

In this post, we’re sharing our full day-by-day itinerary from our week in Oklahoma City, including a mix of major museums, quirky roadside attractions, and some honestly unexpected finds along the way. From learning about the state’s history and the 39 First American Nations, to visiting iconic stops like the Arcadia Round Barn and exploring lesser-known spots like the American Pigeon Museum, this week ended up being one of the most well-rounded parts of our trip.

If you’re looking for things to do in Oklahoma City, planning your own Oklahoma City Route 66 road trip, or just want a mix of history, food, and unique experiences, this guide will walk you through exactly how we spent our time- plus tips to help you plan your own visit, including how to save on museum tickets, when to visit certain attractions, and how to make the most of your time in the area.

Where We Stayed near Oklahoma City

For our week in the Oklahoma City area, we stayed at the Edmond Elks Lodge, which offers a small RV setup right in their parking lot.

They have 8 RV sites with full hook-ups, and we paid $30 per night (Elks members get a slight discount at $25/night). It’s definitely not a glamorous campground, it’s quite literally a sectioned-off area of the parking lot next to the lodge building, but it checked all the boxes we needed.

It was quiet, felt safe, and worked really well as a home base while we spent most of our days out exploring Oklahoma City and the surrounding Route 66 stops. If you’re looking for a simple, budget-friendly place to stay while passing through the area, it’s a solid option.

Sunday: Museums, History, and a Full First Day in OKC

After our week in Tulsa, it was time to head west for a week in Oklahoma City. We had actually spent a week here not too long ago in November 2025, but there’s so much to do that we had no trouble filling another visit without repeating anything. Both times, we based ourselves just outside the city in Edmond, which ended up being a really convenient home base.

Oklahoma City has no shortage of museums, and two of the biggest on my list this time were the First Americans Museum and the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. The only downside is that tickets for each are usually around $20–25 per person, which adds up quickly. But after a little digging, I found a pretty great tip buried on one of their websites- you can buy a combination ticket in person for both museums for $30 per person. Even better, you don’t have to visit both on the same day (though we decided to power through and do exactly that).

First Americans Museum

We started our morning at the First Americans Museum. The museum is designed to share the collective histories of the 39 First American Nations in Oklahoma today. Only a few of these tribes are originally from this region, the rest were forcibly removed from their ancestral homelands and relocated to what was then called Indian Territory. The museum does a really thoughtful job of telling those stories from a First Nations perspective, which makes a big difference in how everything is presented and experienced.

The main exhibit, OKLA HOMMA, is the museum’s signature gallery and focuses on storytelling through a mix of art, interactive media, and film. It covers a wide range of topics, from history and cultural traditions to sports, games, and even the ways Native people have been misrepresented over time. I’ll admit, it felt a little lighter on physical artifacts than I expected, but the video rooms were really well done and easy to get drawn into.

That said, the exhibit that really stood out to me was WINIKO: Life of an Object. This gallery features pieces on loan from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, many of which are being returned to Oklahoma for the first time in about 100 years. The exhibit not only showcases these cultural objects, but also digs into the complicated history of how museums acquired them in the first place, often during a time when non-Native institutions were rapidly collecting items from cultures they assumed were “vanishing.”

What made this exhibit especially powerful was how it highlighted the return of these objects to the descendants of their original makers or owners. Some pieces are marked to show they’ve been reunited with tribal members, and there are photos documenting those reunions. It adds a really human layer to something that could otherwise feel purely historical, and it’s also a reminder that conversations around museum ethics and repatriation are still very much ongoing today.

We also caught a smaller temporary exhibit called Cradleboards: Crafted with Love, which displayed cradleboards from different tribal nations. It was really interesting seeing them side by side and noticing both the similarities and differences in materials, construction, and design.

Outside, the museum is home to the 21st Century Mound Builders earthwork, a massive 90-foot mound that serves as a kind of cosmological clock and honors the mound-building cultures that existed from around 3500 BCE to 1751 CE. Unfortunately, the day we visited it was closed due to strong winds, which was a bit of a bummer. We’ve visited quite a few mound sites on our travels, so it would’ve been really cool to explore this one too.

Overall, I really enjoyed our time at the First Americans Museum. It’s not overwhelmingly large, but the exhibits are thoughtfully curated and it offers a perspective you don’t always see in traditional museums.

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum

From there, we headed over to the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, and this is where the pace of the day really caught up with me. This place is huge. Like, really huge.

There’s an incredible amount to see here, from galleries on American cowboys and rodeo culture to Western art, firearms, and frontier history. There are also sections dedicated to Native American art and culture, immersive exhibits, and even a full-scale replica town called Prosperity Junction. Somewhere along the way, I definitely hit a bit of museum fatigue, there’s just so much to take in that it’s hard to give everything the attention it deserves in one visit.

One exhibit I was especially excited about was Route 66: From Trails to Truck Stops, which was created as part of the upcoming Route 66 Centennial. Since this whole trip is centered around Route 66, it felt especially fitting to see how the highway’s story is being interpreted in a museum setting.

This is definitely a museum that deserves its own full post because there’s no way to cover it all here. For now, I’ll just say that even if you’re not a huge “museum person,” there’s probably something here that will catch your interest, you just might want to plan ahead (and maybe pace yourself better than I did).

By the time we finished up, we were more than ready to head back to Edmond, grab some dinner, and call it a night after a very full first day in Oklahoma City.

Monday: Edmond History and a Return Visit to Guthrie

After a busy first day of museums, Monday was a bit more low-key as we stayed closer to our home base in Edmond.

Edmond History Museum

Our main outing for the day was a visit to the Edmond History Museum. It’s a smaller museum housed in a former armory building, with a mix of permanent exhibits on the town’s history and space for rotating displays. When we visited, they had a small Route 66 exhibit, along with a larger temporary exhibit focused on the history of Edmond’s fire department. They were also in the process of installing a new exhibit about a children’s book author, which would be interesting to see once it’s complete.

Like a lot of towns along Route 66, Edmond’s story starts with the railroad. It began in the 1880s as a coal and watering stop along the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway. The station was officially named Edmond in 1887, and by 1889 it had grown into a town. It quickly became an important place in Oklahoma Territory- home to the first church building, the first continuously published newspaper, and the first public schoolhouse in the territory.

By the early 1920s, though, Edmond still had only about eight miles of hard-surfaced roads. In the mid-1920s, local residents raised money to gravel the main streets, and when Route 66 was established in 1926, broader paving efforts followed. Edmond’s stretch of the highway wasn’t fully hard-surfaced until a few years later, but Route 66 ultimately played a huge role in putting the town on the map and helping it get through the Great Depression.

But, there’s also a much darker side to that history. Edmond was known as a sundown town well into the 20th century. From the 1920s through the 1940s, local businesses and even the chamber of commerce openly promoted the city as “100% white,” and racially restrictive covenants were used to prevent people of color from owning property. One widely circulated example is a postcard from the Royce Cafe advertising Edmond’s population as “6,000 live citizens, no negroes,” and a 1942 chamber of commerce letterhead describing the city as being located in the “white spot of the universe.” It’s difficult but important history to acknowledge, especially when looking at how places have evolved over time. As of the 2020 census, Edmond is a bit more diverse than it once was, though still majority white, with a growing population that includes Black, Hispanic/Latino, and other communities.

Guthrie Brewing

After the museum, we did the very unglamorous but necessary task of grocery shopping before heading back to camp to put everything away. Later that evening, we drove over to Guthrie for dinner at Guthrie Brewing Company, a spot we had tried on our last visit in the fall.

We had been thinking about their chicken and waffle pizza ever since, so we knew exactly what we were ordering. And to be fair, it was still really good- definitely as indulgent and unique as we remembered. That said, we had also forgotten just how expensive it was. Now that we’ve had it twice, I think we can officially say we’re good. Josh also tried the s’mores themed dessert pizza slice- the toppings were really good, but the crust was definitely burnt.

The beer was solid as well, but we ran into the same issue we had last time: they were out of several of their own brews. It’s a little surprising, especially for a brewery that doesn’t have a huge menu to begin with, and not something we’ve really experienced elsewhere.

Tuesday: A Deep Dive into Oklahoma History

Oklahoma History Center

Our main plan for Tuesday was a visit to the Oklahoma History Center, which sits right next to the state capitol and serves as Oklahoma’s official state museum.

When we arrived, one of the volunteer docents gave us a quick overview of the museum, which was super helpful for getting our bearings before heading off to explore on our own. They’re also in the process of adding a temporary exhibit for the Route 66 Centennial, which we were really excited about, but unfortunately, it won’t be opening until later this year. A bit of a bummer considering that’s basically the theme of our entire trip.

We started in Crossroads of Commerce, an exhibit focused on the economic development of Oklahoma across five different time periods. This ended up being one of my favorites right away. A lot of the displays are designed to feel immersive, like you’re stepping into different moments in time rather than just reading about them, which made it really engaging.

From there, we moved into We Are Who We Were, which highlights the 39 federally recognized tribes in Oklahoma. After visiting the First Americans Museum the day before, it was interesting to continue learning about Native history and culture from a different perspective. This exhibit had a really strong mix of objects, artwork, and storytelling that covered both the past and present.

One of the larger sections of the museum is the Kerr-McGee Gallery, which flows through several connected exhibits. It starts with the story of the steamboat Heroine, which sank in the Red River in 1838 and was excavated beginning in 1999. The exhibit covers everything from the role of steamboats in early transportation to the actual discovery and recovery of the ship, including the field of underwater archaeology.

From there, the exhibits transition into Realizing the Dream, which focuses on the Black experience in Oklahoma. This section stood out for its recreated spaces based on real homes and businesses, which made it feel especially personal and immersive. The gallery continues through Oklahoma’s military history from the 1830s to the present, and then wraps up with Power to Grow: The History of Oil and Gas in Oklahoma, which ties back into the state’s economic development and identity.

There were also several temporary exhibits during our visit. Collect. Preserve. Share. 20 Years at the Oklahoma History Center was a look at the museum itself, always something I enjoy, featuring a wide range of objects collected over the past two decades to show just how broad their collection is.

Beyond the Sash: Reflections on Oklahoma Pageants was a smaller but fun exhibit, filled with crowns, sashes, and stories from various pageants across the state. It went beyond just the well-known Miss America system and included representation from cultural pageants like Little Miss India Oklahoma and the Muscogee pageant.

There was also Oklahoma Sports Heroes, which we mostly skimmed (we’re just not big sports people), and an exhibit on Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!, which I was actually really excited about. It dives into how the musical was created, its impact on modern theater, and how it helped shape Oklahoma’s image, even becoming the state song. Unfortunately, right as we got there, an announcement came over that the museum was closing soon, so we had to rush through the rest.

Overall, it’s a really well-done museum and one I’d definitely recommend, especially if it’s your first time in Oklahoma. It’s the kind of place you could easily spend several hours in, and honestly, I wish we had more time. Between the exhibits inside and the artwork around the grounds, plus all the programming they offer, it’s worth planning ahead for.

Threshold Climbing

Later that evening, after dinner, Josh headed out to check out Threshold Climbing.

He said it was a solid gym, not quite as big as his home gym back in the Chicago suburbs, but still a good size. There was a lot of great bouldering, plus 50-foot walls for rope climbing. It was a little light on auto belays, but still enough to get in a good session.

One thing he noted was that some of the extra amenities, like the fitness room, are members-only rather than included with a day pass, which is a little different from some other gyms. That said, the staff were very friendly and gave a full orientation, and he had to complete a quick safety test for both bouldering and auto belay before getting started. There are also nice lounge areas for spectators, which is always a plus.

Wednesday: Working Late and Cooking Route 66

After a pretty packed start to the week, Wednesday ended up being a much slower day, the kind you don’t always plan for, but definitely need. Josh had to help run a webinar for work that evening, so we decided to stay back in Edmond and use the day to catch up on a few things around the RV. It turned into a mix of productivity and downtime. I finally finished a puzzle I’d been working on, which always feels way more satisfying than it probably should, and then decided to try something new from one of my favorite recent purchases.

When we visited the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum earlier in the week, I picked up a Route 66 cookbook from the gift shop. I’ve been really excited about the idea of cooking my way along Route 66, trying recipes tied to different stops along the route, so this felt like the perfect chance to start.

The first recipe I tackled was The Vernon- The Ultimate Route 66 Burger from College Street Cafe. It’s a pretty over-the-top burger, the kind that fully leans into classic roadside comfort food. Think a burger on Texas toast, topped with a pile of french fries and smothered in nacho cheese. If that sounds familiar, it’s actually pretty similar to a horseshoe sandwich, which is famously associated with Springfield- not Missouri, which makes it kind of funny to see a version pop up here along Route 66.

It was definitely messy, definitely indulgent, and honestly exactly what I was hoping for. There’s something really fun about bringing a little piece of the road into your own kitchen, especially on a day when you’re not out exploring.

I’m really excited to keep working my way through the cookbook as we travel, it feels like a different way to experience Route 66 beyond just the stops and attractions, and I have a feeling it’s going to lead to some pretty memorable meals along the way.

Thursday: Myriad Botanical Gardens and Arcadia Chicken Shack

After a quieter day at the RV, we headed back into the city on Thursday to do a little more exploring in Oklahoma City. Our main stop for the day was the Myriad Botanical Gardens, specifically to visit the Crystal Bridge Conservatory. The conservatory itself is really cool- a large, enclosed tropical space with winding paths, water features, and a good variety of plants. It’s definitely a well-done space, but for the size, it did feel a little pricey.

The outdoor gardens surrounding it are free to visit, which is a nice bonus, but since we were there in the off-season, there honestly wasn’t a whole lot to see outside. I think this is one of those places that would really shine in warmer months when everything is in bloom and you can fully enjoy both the indoor and outdoor spaces together. If you’re planning a visit, I’d probably recommend timing it for spring or summer to get the most out of it.

What we really didn’t expect, though, was the traffic downtown. Oklahoma City has never been particularly bad for us in that regard, so we were a little caught off guard sitting in it. After a quick search, it all made sense- NCAA March Madness games were happening nearby at the Paycom Center, and we had unknowingly driven straight into the middle of it.

Chicken Shack

After navigating our way back out of the chaos, we made our way to Arcadia for a proper Route 66 dinner at Chicken Shack.

We happened to get there during happy hour, which worked out perfectly. We started with an order of pork chop bites and fries for just $5, then split one of their broasted chicken meals. It might not top our list as the absolute best fried chicken we’ve ever had, but it was still really good. Splitting a whole chicken instead of ordering separate entrees also ended up being a great move. It kept things pretty budget-friendly, and we walked away with enough leftovers for a couple of lunches, which is always a win when you’re traveling.

After dinner, Josh headed back to Threshold Climbing for another climbing session while I stayed back at camp for a quieter night in.

I decided to keep working my way through the Route 66 cookbook and tried another recipe, this time, root beer bread pudding inspired by POPS 66. We had actually visited POPS on our last trip through the area, so we skipped it this time, but it was fun revisiting it in a different way.

The recipe called for root beer syrup, which I didn’t want to buy just for one use, so I improvised by boiling down regular root beer to create a more concentrated version. It worked well enough as a substitute, and the final result turned out really good. That said, I’m not sure I could actually taste much root beer in it. It leaned more toward a really solid, classic bread pudding rather than something distinctly Route 66-inspired, but still a fun experiment and a good way to end the day.

Friday: A Route 66 Icon and a Night of Arcade Games

Arcadia Round Barn

We started Friday back in Arcadia to check off one of the most recognizable stops along Route 66: the Arcadia Round Barn. This is one of those places you’ve probably already seen without even realizing it, it shows up on all kinds of Route 66 merch, postcards, and travel guides.

The barn dates all the way back to 1898 and was built by local farmer William Harrison Odor. According to his son in a later interview, Odor chose the round design because he believed it would help tornadoes pass around the structure instead of tearing through it. Whether or not that actually worked, it definitely made the barn stand out. Like a lot of Route 66 landmarks, the Round Barn went through a long period of decline before being restored in the early 1990s. The restoration was so well done that it even received a National Honor Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1993, recognizing the craftsmanship and effort that went into bringing it back to life.

Today, the ground floor serves as a mix of museum and gift shop, while the upper level is used as an event space. It’s not a huge stop, but it’s a really cool piece of history to walk through, and definitely one of those classic Route 66 photo ops.

American Pigeon Museum

After the Round Barn, we made a quick stop at one of the more unexpected attractions of the trip: the American Pigeon Museum & Library.

Founded in 1973, the museum is dedicated to preserving the history and culture of pigeon fanciers, and it ended up being way more interesting than I expected. Inside, we learned about different types of fancy pigeons, the role of carrier pigeons during World War I and World War II, and even the world of pigeon racing.

One of the highlights, though, is that the museum is home to live pigeons representing a variety of breeds, which made it feel a lot more interactive and unique compared to a typical museum. It’s definitely on the smaller side, but it’s free to visit and such a niche, quirky stop that I’d say it’s absolutely worth it if you have the time and are looking for something a little different to add to your Route 66 itinerary.

Up-Down OKC

Up-Down is a 21+ arcade bar packed with vintage games, and it ended up being such a fun stop. There’s a huge variety of games, but we were especially excited about the pinball machines (our favorite). Even better, every game only costs a quarter, which feels almost unheard of now.

We happened to visit on a Friday, which worked out perfectly- the first 200 people get 20 free tokens, so between the two of us, we had 40 tokens to start. That was honestly more than enough. We played for over an hour, maybe closer to an hour and a half, without ever feeling like we needed to buy more. They also have food and drinks, and Fridays come with $2 pizza slices, which ended up being way bigger than we expected. I went with mac and cheese, Josh got jalapeño popper, and both were solid choices. We grabbed a couple of beers too, they usually have a big tap list, though their main board was down while we were there, which was a little disappointing since we were hoping to try their Frogger Lager to stay on theme.

Up-Down actually has a few other locations around the country, so it’s definitely a spot we’ll keep an eye out for as we travel. Between the games, the deals, and the overall vibe, it ended up being one of the most fun (and surprisingly budget-friendly) afternoons of the week.

Saturday: Crossing into Texas and a Classic Route 66 Stay

Saturday was our move day as we wrapped up our time in Oklahoma City and started heading toward Texas. Like most travel days on this trip, we turned it into a bit of a Route 66 adventure with a few stops along the way before settling in at our Harvest Hosts for the night.

Bridgeport Bridge

We did a quick stop at one of the iconic bridges on Route 66. This is the Bridgeport Bridge, also called the Pony Bridge. It was built in 1933-34 and is almost 4,000 feet long. It’s most known for its unique 38 “camelback” truss spans. It’s actually pretty unreal to see in person. You expect there to be a few trusses, but it just keeps going and going.

How to Visit the Bridgeport Bridge

Address: On Google Maps as “Historic Route 66 Bridgeport Bridge,” US-281, Hinton, OK 73047

Oklahoma Route 66 Museum

Our first stop was the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton, which is run by the Oklahoma Historical Society (the same group behind the Oklahoma History Center). This is a really well-done museum and definitely one I’d recommend if you’re doing a Route 66 road trip. The exhibits walk through different eras of the highway, and it does a great job of bringing the history of the Mother Road to life.

66 on the Go

From there, we made a quick lunch stop in Elk City at 66 on the Go, a place we had actually come across earlier while looking at Harvest Hosts options. Unfortunately, this ended up being one of those rare misses for us. The chicken tenders I ordered were honestly some of the worst restaurant food I’ve ever had, which was disappointing but at least memorable in its own way.

Conoco Tower and U-Drop Inn Cafe

After lunch, we officially crossed into Texas and made our next stop in Shamrock at the Conoco Tower and U-Drop Inn Cafe. This might be one of the coolest vintage Route 66 buildings we’ve seen so far. Built in 1936, it was the first commercial business in Shamrock along Route 66 and has been beautifully preserved. Today, the building is owned by the city and functions as a combination visitor center and gift shop, while the U-Drop Inn Café is still operating. Even if you don’t go inside, the architecture alone is worth the stop, it’s such a striking example of Art Deco design. It also has a fun pop culture connection: it served as the inspiration for Ramone’s Body Shop in the Cars movie, which makes it even more fun to see in person.

Harvest Hosts Stay at Cactus Inn Motel

For the night, we stayed at a Harvest Hosts location in McLean: the Cactus Inn Motel. This is a vintage Route 66 motel that’s been refurbished, and it ended up being one of those stays that’s memorable for all the right reasons.

We had originally booked an RV site with electric through Harvest Hosts, but when we arrived, the owner surprised us by offering one of their newer full hook-up sites for the same price. She also gave us a tour of the property, and you can tell how much care has gone into preserving and updating the space. It felt really good to support a historic Route 66 business in this way, and even though we didn’t stay in one of the rooms, it still gave us a bit of that classic roadside motel experience. If we ever do Route 66 again without the RV, this is absolutely a place we’d come back to and book a room.

All in all, it was a full travel day with a mix of great stops, one not-so-great meal, and a really memorable place to end the night- a pretty fitting way to wrap up our Oklahoma City week and head into the next leg of the trip.

What is Harvest Hosts?

If you’re not familiar with Harvest Hosts, it’s one of our favorite ways to find unique overnight stays while traveling. Harvest Hosts is a membership program that gives RVers access to stay overnight at wineries, farms, breweries, museums, and small businesses across the country, including places like the Cactus Inn Motel. Instead of paying traditional campground fees, you’re encouraged to support your host by making a purchase, which makes it feel like a more personal and meaningful way to travel. We’ve found some really memorable spots through Harvest Hosts, and it’s a great way to mix in more unique experiences alongside standard RV parks.

More to Do in Oklahoma City

In our recap of our November 2025 stay in Edmond, we covered:

• POPS 66
• Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum
• Warehouse Antique Mall
• Antiques in Moore
• Oklahoma City Zoo
• Arcadia Lake Disc Golf Course
• Outlaw graves in Guthrie, OK
• Wanderfolk Distilling

I also have a full guide and review: A Powerful Visit to the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum

Still on our list to visit in the OKC area:

• State capitol tour
• Oklahoma Firefighters Museum
• Oklahoma Railway Museum
• Rose Hill Burial Park
• Will Rogers Gardens
• Federal Judicial Learning Center and Museum
• Wheeler Ferris Wheel
• Riversport Rapids
• Kitchen Lake Park
• Cactus Jack’s Family Fun Center
• Centennial Land Run Monument
• Prairie Artisan Ales Brewery

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