Why visit OKC with Kids?
We think this is a must, after our recent visit.
Come along with us as we guide you through a family fun trip to the fabulous OKC – all within a 3 hour drive – Where to eat, sleep and all the best things to do in OKC with Kids!
We were hosted for this trip by Visit OKC. More details at the end of the post
Pack your Kids and go light with your luggage!
Just 195 miles from Plano, TX you can head straight up the ‘35. Many people like to stop here on a road trip on Route 66. This trip is perfect for 2 or 3 days or you can go deeper at a more leisurely pace and spend 4-5 days there.
It’s a great place to go anytime of the year but it’s really worthwhile for longer trips – Spring Break is perfect time to go with a ton of things to do in Oklahoma City.
Where to stop
Don’t forget to include the mandatory Bucees stop either on your way there or home (we stopped near Denton on the i35!)
Stop in Turner Falls Park on the way home!
Located in the Arbuckle Mountains, Turner Falls is the oldest park in Oklahoma and is worth a visit for its stunning scenery and family-friendly adventure fun. Wide, 77-ft. waterfalls plunging into a natural swimming pool, with campsites & snack bars nearby.
Awesome little getaway (even during winter hours) for folks who want to get out of the city. Very decently priced and the waterfall is beautiful. With warmer temperatures in the Spring and Summer you could also get to experience the blue hole pool.
Remember that you need to make sure you have tickets for the length of your stay in the park – adult tickets are $14, children and seniors pay $7 per day and children under 5 go free
Where to stay
There are some great hotels here but we loved the Embassy Suites at the Downtown Medical Center.
It was very family friendly, with tons of breakfast options, comfortable and spacious rooms (we stayed in a suite) and a great indoor pool and a great central location. The area around it at the weekend is also super quiet, which we loved.
It meant we could get anywhere we wanted quickly and it was really peaceful.
A quick mention here: The Embassy Suites hosted us in a Suite on their 5th floor.
Equipped with a separate sofa and TV room, desk area and tons of space, it was a perfect place for our family of 4 to relax between our daytime trips and nights out!
Where to eat
- Breakfast
OKC has a huge variety of great and unique places to eat, rivaling even the best restaurants that DFW has to offer.
We loved Hatch, Hunny Bunny and Syrup OKC.
We still talk about our lunch at Hatch, especially their “Tumblers” – amazing potato balls, fried and crispy on the outside with a soft middle. Their Avo-toast and omelettes were to die-for.
- Lunch
If you do have space after your breakfast, we loved the Soup and Salads at The Mule OKC with dessert at Roxy’s Ice Cream, which is right by the Plaza Walls. We would also recommend Hideaway Pizza and the Bricktown Brewery for lunch too. The Hideaway pizza choices are really unusual and it has a real hippie, laid-back vibe which is fun to experience. The Beer choices they had at the Brewery meant there was a great choice for both adults!
- Dinner
This is where we had too many choices! Luckily the team at Visit OKC made the recommendations for us and we were hosted by Cattlemen’s Steakhouse in Stockyards City. An eatery with as much history, stories and celebrity visits to last a lifetime.
We tried the Lamb Fries (don’t ask questions, just eat them!), the kids shared Dad’s T-bone and we also enjoyed a Filet Mignon which honestly was the best I think I have ever eaten!
We also recommend Trappers OKC for great seafood and were told next time we visit to try Ted’s Cafe Escondido for Mexican food.
Where can I take the kids in Oklahoma City?
Whether it’s getting historic in Western traditions in Stockyards City, taking paddle boat rides in Scissortail Park or enjoying outdoor play at the Children’s Playground at Myriad Gardens you can put together a great itinerary of ideas to please every child of every age and interest.
We loved our adventures at iFly and Top Golf, but what we really loved were exploring spots and activities that you could only find in Oklahoma City.
Checking out the incredible mural artwork at Plaza Walls is a real treat. We even purchased some art to take home and display on our walls.
If it’s Winter, definitely head to the Devon Ice Rink – we really loved that too!
Essential to any trip with kids would be a visit to Myriad Botanical Gardens, to really surround yourself with indoor greenery in the Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory in a 15-acre space.
The photo opps here are endless, especially in front-of and behind their indoor waterfalls.
Tickets:
Free for 3 and under
$5 for children aged 4-12
$7 for seniors, active military and students aged 13-19
$8 for adults.
Hours: Monday – Saturday until 5pm
Scissortail Park is the newest fun addition to Downtown OKC – Beautifully designed, the 40-acre urban park only opened late 2019.
They have boating and water activities (including splash pads), live music events, children’s playgrounds, tons of space to lounge on the lawn or stroll through gardens.
We spotted tons of dog walkers and other families with kids of all ages enjoying it on a Saturday afternoon.
Take a whole day and split it between the Science Museum and the OKC Zoo. You could easily take a day for each, but if you don’t have any days to spend in Oklahoma City, then a morning at the Zoo with lunch and then afternoon at the Science Museum would work well (as it’s open later)
Science Museum OKC
Head to the Adventure District area of OKC where you’ll find the Science Museum. You could easily spend hours here and it doesn’t surprise me that many first time visitors become members.
Around every corner, you’ll find hands-on exhibits that educate while you play for kids and adults. There were too many to mention, but we loved the Earthquake, every part of the CurioCity which was perfect for small kids too, the Smart Space area, Planetarium shows, the Olympics and Gymnastics exhibits and the Science Floor, where the kids got to try our Segways along a simulated track.
Within the CurioCity, they had a great Nursing room for new mothers and they had Baby changing stations everywhere. It was super family friendly!
Tickets:
$13.95 for Seniors, Children aged 3-12 and Students with ID
$16.95 for Adults
Hours:
9am – 5pm Monday to Friday
9am – 6pm Saturday
11am – 6pm Sunday
OKC Zoo
When we spent the afternoon at the OKC the sun was bright, the Sky was clear and the lake gave us great views as we explored the Zoo and its history at the ZooZeum.
Our favorites (aside from the Elephants in Sanctuary Asia) were the Gorillas and the Herpetarium.
We were hosted and invited behind the scenes to one of their Wild Encounters: Meet the Elephants – this is a must-do $45 for members/$50 for non-members! Sign up at Guest Relations.
Tickets:
General admission for adults 12-64 is $12
Kids (ages 3-11) and seniors (ages 65+) is $9.
Children two and under are free.
Packages for Wild Encounters, Ride-it All and Zoo-it-All are also available.
Hours: 9am – 5pm daily.
Bricktown Entertainment District
While some locals called it Funtown, the Brickopolis is the heart of this rejuvenated district, with great architecture and a mix of retail and fun activities (think laser tag, mini golf and arcade games) with great restaurants, including the Bricktown Brewery where we ate lunch.
At the South end of the Bricktown Canal, you’ll find the Centennial Land Monument – a unique and fascinating collection of sculptures. It commemorates the opening of the Unassigned Land in Oklahoma Territory with the Land Run of 1889.
The frenzied energy and emotion from one instant during the run is captured in bronze by artist Paul Moore. It’s best seen in Daylight – with blue skies and sun, it’s a perfect place for great photos and a moment to reflect on what life may have been life at that time.
Plaques displayed tell many of the stories and explain the history of the Land Run.
National Cowboys & Western Heritage Museum
Speaking of history, an afternoon spent at the National Cowboys & Western Heritage Museum is so much more than you may expect.
Sure, you learn about the culture of Cowboys and Native American life back in the day, but you’ll also see exhibits of Clay art, clothing and paintings and sculptures of all types as well as the fun real-life Rodeo exhibit also covering the life that women played.
Kids especially would love
- To explore the gardens, art work outside and the water features while walking the trails
- To try a pretend ride on the Wells Fargo Stage Coach (which, as explained by our volunteer tour guide was a pretty basic way to travel back in time)
- The selfie stations, especially with a huge sculpture of Abraham Lincoln behind you.
- The DIY art stations with jigsaws to play with in different ends of the museum.
- The life size Western Town replica, including a Blacksmith, Bank, Doctor’s Office, School, Church and Saloon. Listen out for voices for the time and walk the dirt road as you enter each establishment.
They have rotating exhibits, like Warhol and the West from January – May 2020 and are working on the new Children’s Corral. Life does not stand still here, so mark it on your itinerary.
One of the great things we loved about OKC was the short drive between everything!
We were able to fit so much more into our days without any worries of traffic or big distances (unlike DFW!)
Your Weekend Itinerary
Friday (drive from DFW)
- Arrive between 5 and 7 pm and check into our hotel. We stayed at the Embassy Suites (add in) Get out and explore Downtown at night.
- Dinner at Hideaway Pizza
- 8pm – 9pm – If you head to OKC during the Winter, a night skate at the Devon Ice Rink is super fun with a magical backdrop of the Downtown lights, if you visit between November and February.
Saturday
8:30am Breakfast at Hatch Chisholm Creek
10am: Head out to hit some balls at Topgolf
12pm Just across the parking lot is the legendary extreme sport – iFLY.
Lunch at The Mule
Dessert at Roxy’s Ice Cream or Pie Junkie
2pm Explore the Plaza Walls inside the Plaza District
3pm Myriad Botanical Gardens (Crystal Bridge)
4.30 Explore Scissortail Park
7pm: Dinner at Cattlemen’s Steakhouse in Stockyards City. We recommend you make reservations.
Sunday
Breakfast at HunnyBunny Biscuit Co in Uptown OKC
10am-1pm Science Museum Oklahoma
1pm Oklahoma City Zoo – with Zoo it all access and Wild Encounters. Make your appointment ahead of time for your encounter of choice.
Dinner at Tucker’s Onion Burger
Evening: Head to Oklahoma City National Memorial for a symbolic historic experience at night
If you can stay till Monday, we suggest:
Breakfast at the Embassy Suites
10am National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
Bricktown’s Land Run Monument and have lunch at Bricktown Brewery
1pm – 3pm HeyDay Bricktown. Enjoy arcade games, bowling and fun
Sob sob, time to head home… see you soon OKC!
We were hosted by Visit OKC, Embassy Suites, Hatch, Hideaway Pizza, Bricktown Brewery, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Devon Ice Rink, iFly OKC, Cattlemens Steakhouse OKC, Myriad Botanical Gardens, Science Museum OKC and the OKC Zoo.
If you liked this, you should also like our Guide to Travel around Texas and 10 Day Trips within 2 hours of Dallas too!
