Lost Gold Rush Fever Built Then Emptied This Oklahoma Ghost Town In The Wichitas
Some of the best stories in Oklahoma hide behind a crooked porch and a gravel lot you almost drive past. I went looking for leftover traces of a gold rush in the granite hills...
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A Funky Tulsa Bakery Café Worth the Holiday Drive
Some of the best breakfasts in Oklahoma hide behind a sign so small you could drive right past it. That almost happened to me, and I would have missed a sunny room, a busy pastry...
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Real Egyptian Mummies Rest On A Small College Campus In Oklahoma
I pulled off the highway in Oklahoma looking for a quick lunch and a stretch of my legs, not a brush with ancient Egypt. A short detour later, I was standing face to face with...
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Seven Thousand Years Of Mound Builder Life Wait Beneath Grassy Hills in Oklahoma
I went looking for a quiet place to stretch my legs and maybe find a decent lunch, and instead found a field of soft green hills that turned out to be one of the most important...
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Fried Catfish And Free Hushpuppies Keep Lake Eufaula Families Coming Back To This Fish House
You almost drive right past it, because there is no big sign out front telling you where you are. Then you open the door, smell cornmeal and hot oil, and realize half of Oklahoma...
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Oklahoma’s Pop Culture History Fills The OKPOP Museum In Tulsa’s Arts District
Some of the best stories in Oklahoma are hiding in plain sight, tucked into the songs, shows, and comic books we grew up loving without ever knowing they had roots right here....
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7 Oklahoma Stops Between OKC And Tulsa That Make The Turner Turnpike Worth Exiting
Most of us have driven the Turner Turnpike so many times that the exits blur together like fence posts. Then one day you get hungry, take an exit on a whim, and find a smoky shack...
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Hand-Cut Fried Catfish And Hushpuppies Draw Weekend Crowds To This Riverside Shack Near Tulsa
I almost drove right past it, a plain building with a plain sign and a parking lot that looked like any other in Oklahoma. Then I caught the smell of cornmeal and hot fryer oil...
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Prague Hands Out Fresh Kolaches By The Dozen, So Here Are 6 Oklahoma Bakeries Doing It Right
Some of the best bites I have ever eaten in Oklahoma came out of a paper sack handed across a plain counter before sunrise. A warm kolache, soft as a pillow and stuffed with fruit...
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Warm Cinnamon Rolls Wait Inside These 6 Oklahoma Small-Town Cafes
Some of my best mornings started with a wrong turn and a hand-painted sign promising coffee. Inside, the air smelled like butter, brown sugar, and something baking that I had not...
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Oklahoma’s Best Chicken And Dumplings Simmer In These 6 Small-Town Spots Every Fall
The first chilly morning of fall always sends me hunting for one thing: a bowl of chicken and dumplings that tastes like somebody's grandma made it. In Oklahoma, the best bowls...
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This Spring-Fed Oklahoma Swimming Hole Charges $3 And Is Worth Marking Down For Next Summer
Out on the open Oklahoma prairie, where the wheat fields stretch forever and the heat bounces off the highway, I found a swimming hole that costs less than a gas station coffee....
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Sunday Lunch Is A Hometown Ritual At This Southern Oklahoma Buffet With A Dessert Bar You Can’t Resist
Some of the best meals in Oklahoma happen in buildings you would drive right past without a second look. I walked in expecting a quick plate of something warm and walked out planning...
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You Drop Your Money In A Jar For Fresh-Baked Bread At This Tiny Oklahoma Farm Stand
I almost drove right past it, a little wooden stand on a quiet country road with nobody around to sell me anything. Then I saw the bread, the trays of peppers, and a box waiting...
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Some Of Oklahoma’s Best Chicken Fried Steak Hides Inside These 6 Small-Town Gas Stations
I only pulled over for gas and a bathroom break, but the smell of hot gravy stopped me cold at the door. Twenty minutes later, I was staring at a chicken fried steak bigger than...
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Most Drivers On I-40 Never Notice The Spring-Fed Canyon And Waterfalls Hiding At Red Rock Canyon In Hinton, Oklahoma
You can drive across western Oklahoma for an hour and see nothing but wheat, wind, and wide open sky. Then one quick exit and a short country road later, the ground suddenly drops...
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Vietnamese Pho, Banh Mi And Egg Rolls Draw Tulsa Families To These 5 Spots
The first time I followed the smell of star anise into a plain little strip-mall door, I expected a quick lunch and nothing more. Instead, I found a steaming bowl of broth so rich...
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Rescued Tigers, Bears And Wolves Find A Forever Home At This Sanctuary In Oklahoma
Picture a quiet country road in Oklahoma, a simple gate, and then the low rumble of a tiger chuffing somewhere past the fence. Most folks drive right by without knowing that nearly...
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Seven Tulsa-Area Museums Let You See Art, Oil History And Western Treasures Without Paying A Dime
I walked into a small brick building expecting ten quiet minutes and walked out two hours later with a head full of oil-boom stories and zero dollars spent. That kind of surprise...
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Fresh Cheese Curds Squeak When You Bite Them At This Family Creamery In Oklahoma
I only stopped because I needed milk, and I figured a small farm store would be a quick in-and-out errand. Twenty minutes later I was standing in the parking lot with a bag of...
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Every Cobbler On The Menu Is Homemade At These 7 Small-Town Oklahoma Cafes
You pull off a two-lane road in Oklahoma because your stomach is growling, and the building out front looks like it has not changed paint colors since the 1980s. Then a warm dish...
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Brushing A Shaggy Highland Cow Is Part Of The Visit At This Oklahoma Farm
I went looking for a quick roadside snack and ended up with cow hair on my sleeves and the biggest grin of the whole trip. Somewhere off a bumpy country road in Oklahoma, a little...
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Oklahoma Families Fill Their Fall Baskets With Crisp Apples At This Roadside Orchard
The road got bumpy, the fields got wider, and I started to wonder if a simple fruit stand was really worth the trip. Then I bit into an apple I had pulled off the branch myself,...
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Seven Oklahoma Museums Hand You Art, History And Trains Without Charging A Dime
Some of the best days out in Oklahoma start with a tank of gas and an empty wallet. You walk through a plain front door expecting a quick look, and two hours later you are still...
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These 5 Oklahoma Lakes Hide Whole Towns That Disappeared Under The Water
Picture yourself floating on a calm Oklahoma lake on a hot afternoon, with nothing but blue water in every direction. Now picture a main street, a schoolhouse, and a general store...
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Hundreds Of Vintage Motorcycles Fill An Old Barn On Route 66 In Oklahoma
I pulled off the old highway for a quick stretch and a cold soda, figuring I would be back on the road in ten minutes. Two hours later, I was still inside, sitting on a motel mattress...
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Forty Dollars Fills Your Whole Backseat At This Gigantic Oklahoma Vintage Store
I only pulled over because a giant rooster stared me down from the side of the road. Twenty minutes later I was holding a stack of old Valentine cards, a Depression glass bowl,...
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This Tulsa Art Deco Landmark Lets You Ride Up To A Rooftop View For Free
I went downtown for an ice cream cone and ended up craning my neck at a tower that looked like it wandered in from old New York. Heavy brass doors, a painted ceiling, and a peaked...
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Fried Catfish And Hushpuppies Taste Better At These 5 Oklahoma Lake Towns Than Anywhere Else
Some of the best meals in Oklahoma come from places you almost drive right past. A gravel lot, a plain sign, and suddenly you are holding a golden hushpuppy that tastes like somebody's...
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This Oklahoma Hill Falls Just One Foot Short Of A Mountain And The View Still Stretches For Miles
I expected a quick look at a hill and a shrug on the way home. Instead, somewhere in eastern Oklahoma, a twisty paved road carried me up to a view so wide I forgot to check the...
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Inside This Oklahoma Council House The Chickasaw Nation Tells Its Own Story Of Self-Government
Some of the best road trip stops in Oklahoma look like nothing special from the parking lot. I pulled in expecting a quick look around and walked out an hour later still thinking...
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Your Dinner Arrives On A Rolling Hot Cart At This Old-School Missouri Restaurant
A parking lot packed on a weekday afternoon is usually the first clue that a small-town restaurant knows exactly what it is doing. That is what I found when I pulled into a Missouri...
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Once You Shop This Oklahoma Meat Market, Supermarket Beef Stops Looking Like An Option
I only stopped in for a couple of steaks, the kind of quick errand you forget by dinnertime. Instead I walked out of a plain little Oklahoma butcher shop with a heavy bag, a new...
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This Oklahoma Christmas Market Fills A Historic German Hall In Tulsa With Holiday Crafts
I almost drove past it, a modest old building tucked on a quiet side street in Oklahoma, looking more like a neighborhood clubhouse than a holiday destination. Then I stepped inside...
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A Five-Patty Burger And Two Pounds Of Fries Are Free If You Finish In 30 Minutes At This Missouri Restaurant
Fifty ounces of beef, a mountain of curly fries, and a ticking clock. That is the proposition at a Kansas City burger joint that has been challenging appetites for years.
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Locals Drive Hours Across Oklahoma For The Fried Shrimp Platters At This Old-School Seafood Joint
I almost drove right past it, a plain building near an old mall lot that looked like it had kept its secrets for decades. Then the platter of golden fried shrimp hit the table,...
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This Missouri Restaurant Serves Giant Dutch Pancakes That Nearly Cover The Entire Plate
That tiny windmills tucked around the room and tin ceilings overhead were not what I expected to find in a Missouri city. A friend had told me about a place where breakfast arrives...
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This Missouri Meat Market Makes A Best-Selling Club Loaded With Four Meats And Three Cheeses
An old Tom-Boy sign hanging above a corner market that has been feeding its neighborhood since the 1930s. That is what I found when I turned onto a side street in a Missouri city,...
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More Than 175 Homemade Pies, Jams And Candies Fill The Shelves Of This Back-Road Oklahoma Amish Store
The gravel road seemed to go nowhere, and I almost turned the car around twice. Then a plain little building appeared, with a hand-painted sign and a porch that smelled like warm...
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Twelve Dollars Buys A 45-Minute Ride Through Restored Vintage Rail Cars In Oklahoma City
I only meant to kill a slow Saturday morning, and somehow I ended up sitting in a caboose, grinning like a kid. The place looked like a quiet rail yard from the road, nothing fancy...
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Chicken Fried Steak And Homemade Cinnamon Rolls Keep Locals Lined Up At This Broken Arrow Diner
Some of the best meals in Oklahoma come from places you would drive right past without a second glance. I nearly did exactly that with a plain little diner that turned out to serve...
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The Soup-And-Salad Bar At This Rustic Oklahoma Steakhouse Is Practically A Full Supper Before The Steak
The storefront looked older than my parents, and I figured I would grab a quick steak and head home. Instead, I spent the first half hour walking back and forth to a soup-and-salad...
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This Oklahoma Drive-Through Safari Park Lets Camels And Zebras Reach Right Into Your Car
I pulled off the interstate in southern Oklahoma expecting nothing more than a gas station snack and a chance to stretch my legs. A little while later, a camel had its fuzzy chin...
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7 Small-Town Oklahoma Cafés Where The Pie Case By The Register Empties Out By Afternoon
Some of the best food in Oklahoma hides behind screen doors and hand-lettered signs on streets you'd drive past without a second thought. You walk in expecting a cup of coffee...
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This One-Room Oklahoma Jail Still Stands On Main Street With Its Iron Door Wide Open
Some of the best stops in Oklahoma are the ones you almost drive right past. I pulled off the highway expecting nothing more than a stretch of the legs, and ended up standing inside...
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A Half-Scale Lewis And Clark Keelboat Sits Inside This Free Missouri Museum
A boat inside a museum is already a good start. This free Missouri stop has a half-scale Lewis and Clark keelboat sitting right inside, and it grabs your attention fast.
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6 Oklahoma Pumpkin Patches Where Families Ride The Hay Wagon Out To Pick Their Own
Some of the best fall afternoons in Oklahoma start on a gravel road you almost drove right past. You pull in expecting a quick pumpkin grab, and suddenly you are bouncing on a...
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This Giant Blue Whale Has Smiled At Route 66 Travelers In Oklahoma Since 1972
Some of the best stops in Oklahoma are the ones nobody puts on a fancy list. You round a bend on an old two-lane highway, glance to your right, and there it is: a grinning concrete...
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This Small Oklahoma Museum Keeps Egyptian Mummies And Shrunken Heads And Opens Its Doors For Free
Some Oklahoma road trips end with a photo of a water tower, and some end with you standing eye-level with a 2,300-year-old Egyptian woman. I went in expecting a quiet little art...
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This Small-Town Oklahoma Bakery Turns Out Fruit And Sausage Kolaches That People Order By The Dozen
Some of the best food in Oklahoma hides behind a lit menu board and a row of numbered parking stalls. I drove past this one for years, figuring it was just another burger stand,...
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5 Oklahoma Ghost Towns Where Empty Storefronts Still Line The Old Main Street
Some of my favorite Oklahoma afternoons have started with a wrong turn down a county road, the kind where the pavement gives up and a row of brick buildings appears out of nowhere....
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Southern Fried Chicken Meets Mediterranean Flavor At This New Missouri Restaurant
Fried chicken gets a nice little shake-up here. This new Missouri restaurant keeps the crispy, comforting Southern side of the meal, then works in brighter Mediterranean flavors...
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Missouri’s “Little Grand Canyon” Is Actually A Collapsed Cave With 130-Foot Walls
At first glance, this looks like a canyon dropped into the middle of Missouri. The real story is even stranger. The huge chasm...
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This Oklahoma Quarter-Mile Drag Strip Lets Families Run Their Own Cars on Test-and-Tune Friday Nights
Somewhere south of the Oklahoma City metro, past the grain silos and the two-lane blacktop, there is a strip of asphalt where regular people line up their daily drivers and find...
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This Oklahoma Amish-Style Buffet Sets Out Fried Chicken, Noodles And Pie For One Flat Price
Some of the best meals in Oklahoma hide behind plain brick storefronts on Main Streets you could drive past without blinking. I pulled into one of those towns expecting a quick...
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Dozens Of Old Prairie Windmills Still Turn In The Wind At This Western Oklahoma Field
Somewhere out in the wide open corner of northwestern Oklahoma, a field full of steel and wooden wheels spins all day long, and almost nobody driving by expects it. I pulled over...
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This Downtown Tulsa Church Hides Carved Wheat And A 255-Foot Tower You Can Tour For Free
Some buildings in Oklahoma sneak up on you. You turn a corner downtown expecting brick and parking meters, and instead there's a limestone tower pointing straight up like it wants...
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Mounds Rise From The Grass At This Oklahoma Site Where A Whole Civilization Once Traded And Built
Some places in Oklahoma don't announce themselves at all. You turn off a two-lane road, park on gravel, walk out into a field of tall grass, and slowly realize the gentle green...
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More Than 60 Alpacas Roam This Missouri Farm You Can Actually Tour
It is hard not to smile when an entire field of alpacas starts looking back at you. This Missouri farm turns that into a full visit, with guided tours that let guests feed, pet,...
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