Since Oklahoma was the fiftieth state that I visited, I didn’t need to simply dip out and in. I wished to take a street journey to actually expertise the small cities, out of doors recreation, and indigenous tradition of Oklahoma. With a protracted weekend, a tankful of gasoline, and a watch to discover, I set off to find the highlights of Chickasaw Nation.
Chickasaw Nation covers greater than 7,600 sq. miles in 13 counties in south-central Oklahoma, from the Texas border north to Norman. Interstate 35 is the first thoroughfare by way of Chickasaw Nation, however you will need to get off the interstate and discover among the backroads too.
A couple of of the principle cities in Chickasaw Nation embrace Sulphur, Ada (headquarters of the Chickasaw Nation), Tishomingo (the place Blake Shelton lives and residential to the unique Ole Purple, his bar and restaurant), Chickasha, Pauls Valley, Duncan, Ardmore, and Davis. I used Sulphur as my dwelling base because it was near each the Chickasaw Cultural Middle and the Chickasaw Nationwide Recreation Space and is pretty centrally-located for taking day journeys.
Attending to Chickasaw Nation
Be aware: This text was written as a part of a paid partnership with Chickasaw Nation. All opinions are my very own.
If you’re flying in, Sulphur is about two hours north of Dallas Fort Price and one and one-half hours south of Oklahoma Metropolis. I flew into Dallas and out of OKC, however in case you have by no means been to Oklahoma Metropolis, I’d advocate flying out and in of there and tacking on a few days to discover this enjoyable metropolis. You’ll undoubtedly need to take pleasure in Bricktown and cease to see the Exhibit C Gallery, a Chickasaw Nation-owned gallery, go to the First Individuals Museum and the Nationwide Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. Each are nice to pair with locations you’ll go to in Chickasaw Nation as effectively.
You have to to lease a automobile and be ready to placed on some mileage exploring the nooks and crannies of Chickasaw Nation.
The place to Keep in Chickasaw Nation
There are two nice lodging choices in Sulphur. The Artesian Lodge On line casino and Spa, owned by the Chickasaw Nation, is situated proper in Sulphur’s historic downtown and is a good selection for individuals on the lookout for extra meals choices, buying, and leisure.
If you happen to desire a extra stress-free, countryside setting, the Chickasaw Retreat and Convention Middle, additionally owned by the Chickasaw Nation, is an effective selection. With spacious suites, an indoor pool, strolling trails, and even an out of doors journey course for teams, its hilltop setting is an effective selection for households.
Chickasaw Nation Street Journey Itinerary
Plan to spend three or extra days exploring Chickasaw Nation, relying on how a lot time you need to spend at every cease.
Day 1: Davis & Sulphur
Nevertheless you might be arriving into Chickasaw Nation, make certainly one of your first stops at Arbuckle Mountain Fried Pies in Davis. This roadside attraction slash restaurant is understood for its over 20 flavors of fried handpies, with each candy and savory (and sugar free) choices. I sampled each the peach and the cherry and each had been scrumptious, with a light-weight, flaky crust that isn’t overly greasy. The place is a hoot with a dinosaur and rooster on high of the gasoline tanks out entrance, an indication for picture opps, and even a cardboard cutout of Huge Foot within the church-like eating room.
Your subsequent cease needs to be downtown Sulphur. You’ll be able to try the Chickasaw Customer Middle and spend a while buying alongside West Muskogee Avenue. Make sure to cease into the ARTesian Gallery & Studios, which represents Chickasaw and different artists and is dwelling to studios of weavers, quilters, potters, and different artisans.
For inexpensive however fashionable boutiques, pop into the lovable The Combine Mercantile and The Prairie Thicket. One other should go to is the Mahota Textiles dwelling items retailer, the primary tribally-owned textile firm in the US that options lovely textiles designed in Oklahoma by First American Artisans.
If you’re hungry, take pleasure in some breakfast and lunch or espresso and ice cream at BedrĂ© Cafe or decide up some locally-made goodies. Or, for positive eating go to Springs on the Artesian, which options homestyle-inspired fare in beneficiant parts. I’ve to say that the country-fried steak is kind of tender and scrumptious!
Day 2: All the things Chickasaw!
Morning
In your first full day, it’s time to dive into Chickasaw historical past and tradition. Your first cease must be the Chickasaw Cultural Middle. This lovely facility does a superb job of condensing hundreds of years of Chickasaw historical past into digestible displays within the Chickasa Poya Exhibit Middle.
The Chickasaw individuals had been initially nomadic however settled within the Southeast, together with Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky.
The Chickasaw, together with the Choctaw, Seminole, and Cherokee, had been forcibly faraway from their homelands to Indian Territory, which is now Oklahoma, throughout what is called the Removing.
Along with the Chikasha Poya Exhibit Middle, the Anoli’ Theater is used for telling First American tales by way of documentary movies, cultural shows, lectures, and stomp dance demonstrations. One of many highlights is the Chikasha Inchokka’ conventional village, which incorporates recreations of a Council Home, summer season homes, winter homes, a reproduction mound, a corn crib, a standard backyard, and a stickball area. There’s even a butterfly backyard designed with pollinators to assist the migration of monarchs and a spiral backyard with flowers, herbs, and conventional vegetation. Â
It’s simple to spend not less than half a day on the Cultural Middle, particularly as a result of it would be best to take pleasure in lunch on the Aaimpa’ CafĂ©. Order the Chickasaw Particular, which features a conventional Indian Taco, conventional pashofa (made with cracked hominy and pork), and grape dumplings (dough in a candy grape juice.)
Afternoon
After lunch, work off that scrumptious meals on a go to to the Chickasaw Nationwide Recreation Space, certainly one of solely three Oklahoma parks affiliated with the Nationwide Park Service. The park presents six campgrounds, 20 miles of trails, and loads of alternatives for boating, swimming, and fishing.
Coming from downtown Sulphur, begin off your go to at both Pavilion Springs, the place you’ll be able to fill your water bottle with the sulphur tinged waters from a pure sizzling spring, or on the Travertine Nature Middle. Right here, the park rangers can acquaint you with the park and inform you the perfect trails to seek out the park’s personal bison herd! You’ll be able to sometimes view the herd from Veteran’s Path however you’ll be able to typically spy them from the pullouts alongside Freeway 177 as effectively.
From the character heart, it’s a quick stroll over to Little Niagara Falls…simply be forewarned that that is extra of a swimming gap than a thundering waterfall. If in case you have the time, a stroll alongside the lakefront at Veteran’s Lake is a fairly stroll, however in case you are seeking to go boating, you might desire the bigger Lake of the Arbuckles.
To get a view of the park and downtown Sulphur from above, drive as much as the Bromide Hill Overlook.
End your day with a barbecue dinner at Smokin’ Joe’s Rib Ranch in Davis. Attempt to go early earlier than the road will get lengthy and your favourite meats promote out. Simply make sure that to carry an enormous urge for food as a result of the parts are hearty.
Day 3: Cowboys & Artwork
Morning
Now it’s time to drive one and one-half hours to Duncan, Oklahoma to dig into Western historical past and tradition in Oklahoma with a go to to the Chisholm Path Heritage Middle. Children love this museum too as a result of there are such a lot of enjoyable interactive displays and multi-sensory theater shows.
The Chisholm Path was utilized by cowboy to drive Texas Longhorns from South Texas as much as the stockyards in Abilene, Kansas, the place they could possibly be offered and loaded onto the railroad. The Heritage Middle does a superb job of instructing you the path, the assorted kinds of cowboys that had been a part of the cattle drives, animals they’d encounter alongside the way in which, and the hardships of life on the path.
The Heritage Middle additionally contains the Garris Gallery of the American West, which incorporates one of many largest collections of western and Native American artwork within the West. When the children are carried out pretending to rope steer or store on the common retailer inside, the Heritage Middle additionally connects to varied strolling trails and parks.
Lunch
When you find yourself carried out on the Chisholm Path Heritage Middle you’ll be able to discover downtown Duncan (cease in to the Crossed Arrows store for locally-produced merchandise constructed from alpaca wool!) or, take pleasure in a bit of extra barbecue at Camelback Nook Comfort Retailer & Smokehouse.
From the skin, this appears like an unassuming comfort retailer however when you step exterior the automobile, you’ll scent the smoky aromas of cooking beef and pork. There are tables to eat in or you’ll be able to take it to go. The brisket sandwich is delish however save room for the selfmade truffles. I attempted a slice of banana and it tasted identical to my mother would make, however you can additionally strive strawberry, lemon, or different flavors.
Subsequent, drive one other hour over to Pauls Valley. This artsy city has some actual gems in the event you take the time to look under the floor. Each time there are 5 Fridays in a month, Pauls Valley hosts an Artwork Stroll on the fifth Friday night. If you happen to can go to in mid-October, you too can attend the Purple Brick Street Movie Competition happening round city.
However even in the event you go to at one other time, be sure you try the native artwork at The Vault Artwork Area and Gathering Place. This lovely house showcases quite a lot of artwork of assorted mediums and has a beautiful mural on the alley wall titled The Butterfly Mandala, by Oklahoma artist Rick Sinnett.
You even have to satisfy native creative genius Kevin Stark with a go to to the Stark Artwork Gallery. Kevin is a multi-talented artist that paints beneath six completely different personas, every with a singular fashion. His work is accessible, and inexpensive, to all and a real pleasure to understand.
Kevin can also be the proprietor of the Toy and Motion Determine Museum — a should go to for any tremendous hero, sci fi, fantasy, or cartoon followers! The museum was created utilizing Kevin’s private assortment of tens of hundreds of toys and motion figures. His ardour for amassing began early and he was the designer behind the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and The Simpsons motion figures. You’ll find shows for Star Wars, Star Trek, Godzilla, Lord of the Rings, Barbie, and extra.
End up in Pauls Valley with dinner at Norma’s for scrumptious (and really inexpensive!) El Salvadoran meals together with pupusas.
Day 4: Oklahoma Metropolis
If in case you have the time, you’ll be able to spend it exploring extra of Chickasaw Nation or head again to Oklahoma Metropolis for a few days. The drive from Sulphur to OKC is about one and one-half hours, however you can also make a bit of detour to the city of Chickasha.
Chickasha is understood for its big leg lamp sculpture, which followers of the film “A Christmas Story” may acknowledge. The backstory is that Chickasha native Noland James created a leg lamp from an outdated model whereas in artwork college. That lamp was admired by somebody who later was on the manufacturing staff that produced the leg lamp for the 1983 film. Because of this locals like to assert a connection to the Christmas Story leg lamp.
The Leg Lamp sculpture stands over 50 ft tall in a downtown park close to the Rock Island Depot, solely minutes off of the interstate. Simply throughout the road, pose in entrance of the “Land that I Love” mural, painted by artist Jessica Skinner and situated on the aspect of Brandi’s Bar & Grill at 1st and Chickasha Avenue. Then seize some pizza and wine at The Flower Store Pizzeria.
As I discussed early, when you arrive in Oklahoma Metropolis, I’d extremely advocate a go to to the First Individuals Museum, the Nationwide Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, and the Exhibit C Gallery in Bricktown. All will complement your experiences on the Chickasaw Cultural Middle and Chisholm Path Heritage Middle earlier within the journey!
I hope I’ve satisfied you to go to Chickasaw Nation and don’t depart Oklahoma to be your fiftieth state the way in which I did!
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Tamara Gruber is the Founder and Writer of We3Travel. A former advertising government and journey advisor, Tamara is an award-winning journey author and acknowledged skilled in household journey. Tamara is a member of SATW and the Journey Journey Commerce Affiliation, and serves on the Board of the Household Journey Affiliation. She can also be the writer of YourTimetoFly.com and the co-host of the Trip Experts journey podcast.