6 of the Most Overlooked Towns in Oklahoma
When people think about Oklahoma, a few things probably leap foremost to mind. Among these are the state's booming agricultural and energy sectors, as well as its cowboy culture, renowned college football programs, and its role as one of the primary settings in John Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath, not to mention the titular backdrop in the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical Oklahoma!
However, beyond all that, the state also boasts an abundance of wonderful small towns, villages, and hamlets often overlooked by tourists. For anyone interested in finding a relatively unknown place for a relaxing getaway, these six under-publicized Oklahoman towns are great options.
Medicine Park
Seated in the southwestern portion of Oklahoma, Medicine Park is a hamlet with a population of only 411. Due in large part to its proximity to the splendorous Wichita Mountain Range and Lake Lawtonka, Medicine Park was originally founded as the state's first resort town in 1908, and as such, it contains no shortage of popular diversions.
Bath Lake Swimming Hole is a small manmade body of water dating back to the earliest days of Medicine Park, and locals and out-of-towners alike love to cool off from the region's toasty temperatures by taking a dip in the ornate pond. The recently built Medicine Park Aquarium and Natural Science Center is a perfect spot to bring family for educational fun. The facility features nearly 100 species of fish, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals, in addition to a carefully curated botanical area showcasing a cross-section of native plants. For those with a sweet tooth, Mrs. Chadwick's Bakery is a legendary local business widely acclaimed for its cakes, cookies, and Slurry, a signature product combining espresso with ice cream.
There are also two fantastic attractions lying just outside the boundaries of Medicine Park. Wichita Wildlife Mountain Refuge is a 59,000-acre preserve dedicated to protecting American Bison. Established a full six years before Medicine Park itself, the refuge began its mandate with only 15 bison to watch over, but today claims a herd of roughly 650. Holy City of the Wichitas is another tourist hot spot. Carved out of a rocky backdrop and fashioned to look like a city from Biblical times, Holy City of the Wichitas plays host to the 'Prince of Peace' Easter pageant every year, wherein a dramatization of the life of Jesus Christ is performed for the public free of charge.
Guthrie
The former capital of the Oklahoma territory during frontier times, Guthrie is a town of 10,749 souls situated smack dab in the state's central region. Though Guthrie remains the seat of Logan County, it has been somewhat overshadowed by the nearby metropolis of Oklahoma City—the very city that would eventually take its title as Oklahoma's capital after formal statehood was granted.
Regardless, Guthrie still has a great deal to offer guests by means of history and entertainment. Its museum culture, in particular, is widely lauded. Visitors can review the state of the pharmacological sciences in the Wild West in the Oklahoma Frontier Drugstore Museum or digest the pre-statehood history of Oklahoma in the Oklahoma Territorial Museum. For those who prefer finding their own way through town, the Logan County Historical Society has designed four self-guided walking tours of Guthrie showcasing how President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal affected the area through the funding of public works and the building of critical infrastructure.
If, after such a heavy dose of history, some more recreational activities are called for, Guthrie plays host to two acclaimed golf courses. Cimarron National Golf Club and Cedar Valley Golf Course have a combined 72 holes of challenging fairways, sand traps, and water hazards, and both are open to the public. For fans of the silver screen, Beacon Drive-In Theatre is a local staple showing all manner of Hollywood releases at reasonable prices.
Broken Bow
Located in the extreme southeast section of Oklahoma, Broken Bow is a rustic town home to 4,120 permanent residents. As a settlement initially built to support a thriving lumber mill, Broken Bow developed a municipal personality of a distinctly rugged and earthy nature. That being the case, many of the town's attractions revolve around outdoor and athletic activities.
Flanked by Broken Bow Lake and Mountain Fork River, the town is a haven for those who love water sports, and the opportunities for swimming, boating, paddle boarding, canoeing, and kayaking are plentiful. Some local Broken Bow businesses that rent out equipment and make arrangements for guests who want to paddle the waves or ride the rapids include Wild Goose Canoe & Kayak, Yippie Kayo Kayaks, and Tippa Canoe. Broken Bow is also a prime location for fishers and fly fishers of all levels of experience, and rods, reels, as well as anything else an angler might need are available at Beavers Bend Fly Shop. For those who prefer staying on dry land, Riverman Trail Rides offers peaceful horseback rides through the forested mountain trails adjacent to the town, while anyone with a taste for airborne adventure will want to check out Rugaru Adventures zip line park.
Many tourists who come to Broken Bow use it as something of a jumping-off point to visit Beavers Bend State Park, which is located approximately 10.5 miles north of the town. The park comprises nearly 3,482 acres of pristine Oklahoman wilderness, and contains multiple hiking trails, a nature center, as well as Ouachita National Forest, which is home to some of the best bird-watching conditions in the southern United States.
Pauls Valley
Pauls Valley (population: 5,992) is the seat of Garvin County, Oklahoma. In many ways a quintessential Oklahoman town, the economy of Pauls Valley is mostly based on agriculture and energy production. However, there is far more at play under the surface than its reputation as a grain, oil, and natural gas hub indicates.
For example, the Santa Fe Depot Museum in Pauls Valley chronicles the rich history of Oklahoman railways. Housed inside a fully restored train station built in 1905, the museum displays memorabilia, photographs, and exhibits not only related to trains and tracks, but also to the people who worked on them. Touring the Toy & Action Figure Museum is another fun way to spend an afternoon in Pauls Valley. Labeled one of the "Top 50 Most Authentic American Experiences" by Time Magazine, this institution features over 13,000 classic pop culture toys and action figures, as well as a special interactive area for a more hands-on experience. The Toy & Action Figure Museum is also home to the Oklahoma Cartoonists Collection, which showcases many famous Oklahoman artists and writers who have worked in the comics business.
Visitors to Pauls Valley will also want to check out Pauls Valley Water Park, a gigantic facility boasting a 5,600 square foot multi-use pool, a lazy river, and waterslides and rides of every description. The park is open seasonally during the warmer months. For those who love to gamble, the Jet Stream Casino offers a chance to win big at a wide variety of games of chance both classic and electronic. The casino is open all day and all night, 365 days a year, and contains both the Chickasaw Tobacco Shop and a well-stocked snack bar.
Eufaula
A waterside community, Eufaula is the seat of McIntosh County, Oklahoma. The town of 2,639 happily advertises itself as "home of the gentle giant", by which they mean Lake Eufaula, the largest lake in the state.
Lake Eufaula is replete with fish, especially bass and crappie, and serves as the setting for a bevy of annual competitions. Not surprisingly, this includes angling tournaments organized by BassMaster, but the lake also provides a backdrop for other types of contests, including poker runs hosted by the Lake Eufaula Association and the Eufaula Area Chamber of Commerce, as well as the Southern Plains Festival, which is a wakeboarding summit hosted by the Oklahoma Wakeboarding Association.
Eufaula is also home to the Lake Eufaula Damsite ATV Trail, an extensive 450-acre area with trails meant for recreational all-terrain vehicles and surrounding a hydroelectric dam. The trail, free for public usage, is primarily composed of Canadian River Valley sand and passes through several rolling dunes and wooded areas. Another of the town's main attractions is Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Camp-Resort, a combination campground and activity center. Aside from providing cabins and RV sites for visiting tourists in need of lodging, Jellystone also features a miniature golf course, two swimming beaches, an outdoor swimming pool, a sand volleyball court, an outdoor shuffleboard court, and pontoon boat, canoe, and paddle board rentals.
Sulphur
Sulphur is home to 5,065 people, and is the seat of Murray County, Oklahoma. The town is named after the mineral springs found throughout its immediate vicinity, many of which give rise to sulfur, bromide, and iron-bearing waters. Considering this, it is easy to understand how Sulphur evolved into something of a regional center for health and wellness over the years. The town contains three major spas: Echo Canyon Resort Spa, Sole'renity Spa, and Artesian Spa, housed within the same grand complex as an upscale hotel and casino, also bearing the Artesian name. Taken together, this trifecta of curative hydrotherapy houses has made Sulphur southern Oklahoma's premiere vacation destination for pampering, relaxation, aroma therapy, and physical restoration.
But there is more to Sulphur than its mineral springs and spas. The town also has a burgeoning cultural scene, which is particularly impressive given its relatively small size. Institutions such as ARTesian Gallery & Studios and Chickasaw Cultural Center embody the creative spirit of Sulphur's artistic community and cheerfully display the fruits of their labors.
Another focal point for visitors is the Chickasaw National Recreation Area, which is overseen by the National Parks Service, and is known for its stunning natural features. Some of the highlights within Chickasaw National Recreation Area are Lake of the Arbuckles and Veterans Lake (both of which are open for swimming and boating), as well as Travertine Nature Center, where guests can learn all about the park, its geography, and its history.
The Draw of Small-Town Oklahoma
Whether satisfying the curiosity of culture vultures and amateur historians or catering to families looking for a wholesome vacation away from the hustle and bustle of life in the suburbs or big cities, the draw of small-town Oklahoma is undeniable. From the gorgeous mountain attractions of Medicine Park to the informative museums of Guthrie to the mineral springs of Sulphur, these six beautiful and overlooked small Oklahoman towns can dependably promise a memorable trip to anyone who cares to visit them.
