12 Oklahoma autumn road trips you should take, from fall foliage to Route 66 landmarks
It's fall, y'all, and whether you're planning for fall break or looking forward to fall foliage, there's plenty to see and do across Oklahoma.
Mile for mile, Oklahoma offers the nation's most diverse terrain, with a plethora of state parks, museums and attractions.
So, pack up some snacks, gas up your vehicle and plot a course for one of these Oklahoma autumn road trips.
1. As seen on screen in Osage County
Martin Scorsese's fact-based epic "Killers of the Flower Moon" was released in theaters on Oct. 20, and movie fans can head to Osage County to check out where the Oscar winner filmed the historical drama in 2021.
Attractions on location in the northern Oklahoma county also include The Ben Johnson Cowboy Museum in Pawhuska, Woolaroc Museum & Wildlife Refuge near Bartlesville and the New Territory Sculptures in Hominy. The picturesque Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve is where Bartlesville-bred Oscar-nominated filmmaker Terrence Malick lensed part of his 2012 film "To the Wonder."
Of course, one of the area's biggest draws is Food Network star Ree Drummond's popular restaurant, bakery and store The Pioneer Woman Mercantile, where you can find out if The Pioneer Woman Lodge on Drummond Ranch is open for tours on the day of your visit.
2. Fall is for foliage
Nothing says autumn like leaves changing colors. Although the peak time for fall foliage in Oklahoma typically runs from the last week of October through the first week of November, the 54-mile Talimena National Scenic Byway offers stunning views pretty much any time of year. The drive from Talihina to Mena, Arkansas, meanders along the crest of Rich Mountain and Winding Stair Mountain in the Ouachita National Forest, offering numerous stupendous vistas and turnoffs. If you want to add some exercise to your leisurely drive, hiking and backpacking trails throughout the Ouachita National Forest start in Talimena State Park.
Other pretty spots where you can enjoy the fall foliage include Woodward's Boiling Springs State Park, where the towering cottonwoods turn to gold in fall; Broken Bow's Beavers Bend State Park, where Broken Bow Lake and the Mountain Fork River provide scenic backdrops for the pine and hardwood trees; and Wilburton's Robbers Cave State Park, which is tucked into the wild woods of the San Bois Mountains.
3. Get your kicks on Route 66
Oklahoma is home to the country's longest driveable stretch of Route 66: More than 400 miles of America's most iconic highway cuts through the Sooner State, with 60-plus attractions lining the Mother Road, from familiar favorites like the Catoosa Blue Whale and the Arcadia Round Barn to oddities like the Ed Galloway Totem Pole Park in Foyil and the One Room Jail in Texola.
Route 66 will mark its 100th anniversary in 2026, and you can prep with a visit to one of several museums and historic sites along the way.
4. Hit the high point in the Panhandle
The only town in Oklahoma on Mountain Time, the Panhandle hamlet of Kenton is tucked among mesas formed by ancient lava flows. The most famous of these is Black Mesa, Oklahoma's highest point at 4,973 feet above sea level.
While in the Black Mesa Nature Preserve, visitors can hike to the top of the towering plateau, bird watch for golden eagles, scaled quail and pinyon jays and keep an eye out for other wildlife like black bears, bighorn sheep and antelope. On the east end of Black Mesa, check out preserved dinosaur tracks by Carrizo Creek.
The nearby Black Mesa State Park is the place to be for stargazing, with some of the darkest nighttime skies on publicly accessible land in the entire USA.
5. A capital trip to Guthrie
A short trip from the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, Guthrie offers plenty of vintage charm as the state's original capital, including the Oklahoma Territorial Museum, Territorial Capital Sports Museum, Oklahoma Frontier Drugstore Museum and many antique shops.
Although legendary fiddler Byron Berline died last year, his Double Stop Fiddle Shop & Music Hall lives on, selling and repairing instruments and hosting bi-monthly shows.
For family fun, check out the all-ages Level Up Arcade, the First Capital Games collectible shop and the Avid Extreme Paintball Field and Sports Park.
6. Due east to Shawnee
A quick jaunt east on I-40 just outside of Oklahoma City, the Shawnee area offers plenty of intriguing attractions. Oklahoma's oldest art museum, the more than 100-year-old Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art is a veritable treasure trove that includes shrunken heads, a full suit of armor and the state's only mummies. For action-packed entertainment, ready for foam warfare at the Nerfed Indoor Battle Arena or take aim at Lumberjack Johnson’s Axe Throwing.
In Seminole, Jasmine Moran Children's Museum offers an array of hands-on fun, including a 13,500-gallon aquarium filled with Oklahoma aquatic life, a 12,000-square-foot Castle Maze and a sprawling outdoor play area with miniature houses and a riding train.
The Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Heritage Center and Seminole Nation Museum in nearby Wewoka offer insights into Native cultures. History buffs also can check out Oklahoma Veterans Memorial and the grave of Brewster Higley VI, who wrote the poem that became "Home on the Range."
7. Go West to Great Plains Country
Known as Great Plains Country, the southwest corner of the Sooner State has abundant small-town charm, interesting attractions and natural wonders. Cheyenne boasts the Washita Battlefield National Historic Site, Black Kettle National Grassland and Red Hills Country, while Lawton is home to the Fort Sill National Historic Landmark & Museum, Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge and Museum of the Great Plains.
Check out the exhibits at the Stafford Air & Space Museum in Weatherford, Chisholm Trail Heritage Center in Duncan, General Tommy Franks Leadership Institute & Museum in Hobart and Southern Plains Indian Museum in Anadarko. Splash into family fun at the Water-Zoo Indoor Water Park in Clinton, explore Red Rock Canyon Adventure Park in Hinton and stroll through picturesque Medicine Park.
8. Try out Tulsa time
For OKC residents looking for a quick getaway, Tulsa is just 100 miles up Interstate 44 — or U.S. Route 66 if you want to take the iconic scenic route — and boasts an array of attractions for arts, animal and outdoor lovers.
Cultural attractions include the Bob Dylan Center and its neighbor the Woody Guthrie Center, the vast Philbrook Museum of Art and the cinematically inspired Outsiders House Museum. The recently reopened The Church Studio, the historic church the late Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Leon Russell turned into a recording studio and home office for Shelter Records in 1972, is again functioning as a music studio, as well as a shelter for rock 'n' roll history.
A prominent destination for Black history and culture, the Greenwood District features many must-see landmarks, including the Greenwood Rising Black Wall St. History Center, John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park, the Vernon AME Church and more.
Plus, check out the wildlife at Jenks' Oklahoma Aquarium and the Tulsa Zoo, hike through Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness and Oxley Nature Center and check out the nearly 100-acre park The Gathering Place.
9. North by Northwest to Enid
In Enid, Oklahoma history meets a lively emerging arts scene, including an array of new murals and local artist Romy Owens' epic public art project "Under Her Wing Was the Universe." Get immersed in history at the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Railroad Museum of Oklahoma and Simpson's Old Time Museum & Movie Studio and get interactive at Leonardo's Children's Museum & Adventure Quest, a three-story play castle and hands-on museum.
Even better, Enid is only about 45 minutes away from two of the state's natural wonders: Fairview's Gloss Mountain State Park, where the high selenite content makes the peaks sparkle in the sun, and Jet's Great Salt Plains State Park and National Wildlife Refuge, where people can dig for selenite crystals through Oct. 15 and watch for the more than 300 species of protected birds. Digging is now closed for the season.
10. Double park at Alabaster Caverns and Little Sahara
Northwest Oklahoma is home to two more divergent and delightful state parks: Alabaster Caverns State Park in Freedom and Little Sahara State Park near Waynoka. They may be only about 40 miles apart, but the two are like entirely different worlds.
Alabaster Caverns State Park boasts one of the largest natural gypsum caves in the world, which visitors can enter on guided tours.
As the name implies, Little Sahara State Park is a miniature desert with more than 1,600 acres of sand dunes. Ranging in height from 25 to 75 feet, the dunes are ideal for traversing on dune buggies or ATVs.
11. Head south along I-35
Follow I-35 toward Texas and you'll find a mix of outdoor beauty, upscale luxury and good-time grandeur in Chickasaw Country. Davis alone features the towering Turner Falls Park and Collings Castle, Arbuckle Wilderness drive-thru exotic animal park, the Forgotten Wheels Museum, Arbuckle Historical Society Museum and Bedré Fine Chocolate.
The Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge, Lake Murray State Park and Lake Texoma all are clustered in the south-central part of the state. Sulphur is the gateway to the "Oklahoma oasis" that is the Chickasaw National Recreation Area, as well as the home of the beautiful Chickasaw Cultural Center, classy Artesian Hotel, Casino & Sole'renity Spa and plush Echo Canyon Manor Spa Resort.
In Thackerville, the more than 600,000-square-foot WinStar World Casino & Resort is the largest casino in the United States, while country music star Blake Shelton's original Ole Red restaurant, bar and live music venue makes one of the country's biggest and baddest bloody Marys, topped with olives, peppers, pickled okra, fried chicken strips and whatever else catches the kitchen staff's fancy.
12. Explore sprawling OKC
Oklahoma City is one of the biggest cities in the country by square miles, measuring a whopping 621 square miles. That means you can take quite a road trip while staying right in OKC, which boasts an array of attractions from the Oklahoma City Zoo to the Paycom Center, home of the OKC Thunder. From Bricktown and the Paseo District to Automobile Alley and the Plaza District, there's plenty of history, art, entertainment, dining and shopping to be found all across the city.
The OKC metro area also is home to an astonishing array of museums, including the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Science Museum Oklahoma, Museum of Osteology, First Americans Museum and Oklahoma History Center. The Oklahoma City Museum of Art is hosting the exclusive exhibit "True Nature: Rodin and the Age of Impressionism," featuring about 50 sculptures by legendary French artist Auguste Rodin, as well as paintings and sculptures by his now-iconic Impressionist contemporaries, including Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas and Paul Cézanne.
Outdoor attractions range from the Scissortail Park, Myriad Botanical Gardens and RIVERSPORT Rapids & Adventures in the downtown area to the Stinchcomb Wildlife Refuge on the west side of the metro to Lake Hefner and Martin Park Nature Center to the north.
Features Writer Brandy "BAM" McDonnell has covered Oklahoma's arts, entertainment and cultural sectors for The Oklahoman for 20 years. Reach her at bmcdonnell@oklahoman.com,www.facebook.com/brandybammcdonnell and twitter.com/BAMOK. Support her work by signing up for her See & Do Oklahoma newsletter and subscribing to The Oklahoman.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: 12 Oklahoma fall road trips, from autumn leaves to Route 66 landmarks
