10 Whimsical Towns to Visit in Oklahoma

Feel the whimsy and wonder of the Sooner State of Oklahoma from its most whimsical small towns to visit this year. Historically, this land has a deep connection with the Osage nation. Today, you are sure to be impressed by historic landmarks such as Broken Bow and Pawhuska or calming dwelling places such as Eufaula and Sulphur. Veer away from the tornados that form in this corner of Tornado Alley and seek out new experiences and delights from the whimsical towns to visit in Oklahoma.

Bartlesville

Bartlesville may seem like any ordinary small town in Oklahoma, but this small town has some of the most dynamic and historically intriguing landmarks for you to admire. Among them is the Woolaroc Museum in the Osage Hills, which is part wildlife preserve, part museum, and part wedding venue. Most of all, this part of the Osage Hills was owned by Frank Phillip, the entrepreneur who established Phillips Petroleum Company, Phillips 66, and ConocoPhillips. There is also the Price Tower, the only skyscraper in the state of Oklahoma created by Frank Lloyd Wright. Last but not least, the OK Mozart hosts numerous events and concerts, primarily in the month of June. There are many more fantastic and fanciful amenities to savor in Bartlesville, so do not be so shy to uncover more from this underrated small town.

Stillwater

Approximately 66 miles from Oklahoma City lies the small town of Stillwater, America’s friendliest college town. Students from all over the Sooner State improve their education at Oklahoma State University. Stillwater is famous for its Heritage Hall Museum and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, whose champions are mainly hailed from Oklahoma State University. Marvel at camels and kangaroos at the Lost Creek Safari or go fishing at Boomer Lake, McMurtry Lake, and Carl Blackwell Lake. While you are going about your business in Stillwater, stop and listen to the beautiful cadences and rhythms of Red Dirt, a music genre created by Bob Childers in Stillwater to better express the town’s whimsical nature.

Muskogee

Muskogee, about 50 minutes from Tulsa and situated beside the Arkansas River, used to be part of a settlement belonging to one of the five indigenous cultures in Oklahoma. These five tribes—Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee, and Seminole nations—are better known at the Five Civilized Tribes Museum. A different period of history—specifically World War II—can be explored inside the USS Batfish, an old submarine from the war that can be found at the Muskogee War Memorial Park. More relaxing and soothing destinations in Muskogee include the arboretum, the trails and treks of Honor Heights Park, and finally, the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame with its many concerts and performances. Last but not least, head over to the Castle of Muskogee for its medieval atmosphere and its Renaissance fairs.

Broken Bow

Feel renewed and unbroken in the rejuvenating small town of Broken Bow. From black bears and bald eagles in the Beavers Bend State Park to informative lessons of the Hochatown area at the Forest Heritage Center Museum, these enlightening attractions in Broken Bow are sure to remedy your anxieties and worries. Take a boat ride through the Mountain Fork River and the Broken Bow Lake, where dozens of explorable islands each have their own unique ecosystems to explore. If you are curious to know what life for Native Americans looked like in the year 1884, then see the many exhibits and articles at the Gardner Mansion & Museum.

Medicine Park

As the first resort town in Oklahoma, Medicine Park has accommodated several notable individuals such as Bonnie and Clyde, Jack Abernathy, President Theodore Roosevelt, and Al Capone. These days, Medicine Park continues to satisfy many more customers, especially soldiers who have completed their Basic and AIT training in Fort Sill. The two main lakes near Medicine Park—Bath Lake and Lake Lawtonka—are an oft-desired destination to lounge about. Meanwhile, the forests around the Wichita Mountains, the Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge, and Bison Mountain are excellent routes and regions for you to engage in Oklahoma’s breathtaking wilderness. Wherever you go in Medicine Park, let the town’s remedial atmosphere soothe your angst away.

Eufaula

Eufaula, approximately 32 miles south of Muskogee, is a town of arboreal splendors and simplistic delights. All around Lake Eufaula—known admirably as the Gentle Giant—are several venues and areas that are perfect for picnics and carnival rides, as best seen in both the Lake Eufaula State Park and Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park. Whole Hawg Days, occurring in the last weekend of July, is one of the best times to visit Eufaula for fun festivities. There is also Eufalafest, which you might be interested in, as well as Barktoberfest, where some dogs will even be dressed up for a costume contest. For more fun and games, head over to the Creek Nation Casino Eufaula. And for lodgings, look no further than the Lakeside Inn, Snug Harbor Cabins, or Huckleberry Lodge on Lake Eufaula.

Guthrie

Since the 1800s, the town of Guthrie—only around 35 minutes from Oklahoma City—has preserved much of its historic structures and edifices in its downtown. As such, Guthrie has the largest Historic Preservation District in the US, ranging from the old-school Frontier Drugstore Museum to the Oklahoma Territorial Museum & Carnegie Library. Guthrie’s many homes and hostels are also haunted by phantasms and goblins aplenty. The Guthrie Ghost Walk is one of the best programs you can partake in to tour the many apparitional grounds and domiciles that Guthrie possesses. Oddly enough, you can always opt out of the past and experience the exhilarating joys of the present at the Avid Extreme Sports Park, where paintball fights and other sports are highly encouraged.

Sulphur

In what the Native Americans used to call “the land of rippling waters,” the cleansing town of Sulphur indeed has several rippling waters as seen in the Little Niagara Falls, the Lake of the Arbuckle in the Chickasaw National Recreation Area, and especially in the many sulfuric springs in the Cold Springs Campground. On dryer land, you can find all sorts of exhibits and artifacts at the Arbuckle Historical Museum. Most of all, you can enjoy the dozens of trekking routes and avenues in Sulphur’s outdoors. You won't feel lost and alone in this wild town since Sulphur’s not-so-sulfuric springs and other relaxing destinations will wash away all your doubts about the town.

Pawhuska

Pawhuska thrives as the tribal capital of the Osage Nations, so named after an Osage chieftain called Paw-Hiu-Skah which translates to “White Hair.” From Osage Hills State Park and the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve to the Bluestem Lake and Bluestem Falls, there is no shortage of attractions to savor in this historic small town. But perhaps the most defining feature of Pawhuska is its historic and filmic setting for Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon. Not only that, but Pawhuska happens to be the hometown of Oscar-winning cowboy Ben Johnson. The Osage Nation Historical Museum gives an even greater insight into Ben Johnson and Pawhuska. Only about 25 miles from Bartlesville, learn more about the Osage people from the historic small town of Pawhuska.

Tahlequah

Around an hour east of Broken Bow lies the capital of the Cherokee Nation since 1839, Tahlequah. With its position in the midst of the Illinois River Valley and at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains, one can go strolling along Lake Tenkiller and Lake Fort Gibson. You can also go kayaking through the marshes and wetlands of the Cherokee Landing State Park and at Falcon Floats. The town’s name likely originated form the Cherokee word "Ta'ligwu" meaning "just two," or "two is enough." (The story goes that a meeting between elders occurred in a place along the Trail of Tears, and when only two of them were in attendance, they agreed that “two is enough.”) To learn all about the Cherokee Nation and their arduous ordeals, tour the Cherokee National Prison Museum for deeper insights and appreciation. Most of all, remember to book a room in fine lodgings like the Tahlequah Inn.

From the Choctaw words "Okla," meaning people, and "humma," meaning red, the Sooner State of Oklahoma will have you filled with joy and love at the whimsical small towns to visit in Oklahoma. With over 200 man-made lakes and fanciful small towns sandwiched between them, you can enjoy many luxuries and relaxations in cool paradises like Sulphur and Eufaula. On the other hand, you might want to learn all about the Native American nations that call Oklahoma their home, like Pawhuska, Muskogee, and Tahlequah. Regardless of how you intend to go about your business in a state which produces the most amount of iodine than any other state in America, you ought to go visit the whimsical towns of Oklahoma.