12 Most Loved Tourist Attractions In Oklahoma

As one of the leading agricultural centers in the nation (generating over $7 billion in crops and livestock annually), Oklahoma's connection to its rural reputation is undeniable. But while some perceive this southern state as flat and unremarkable, this could not be further from the truth.

In 2023, tourism in Oklahoma City alone contributed $4.5 billion to the state's economy, attracting more than 24 million visitors. Combined with Oklahoma's rugged alpine parks, its iconic Route 66, and a multitude of other world-renowned attractions, this rural state certainly offers more beyond its farms. That being said, if you are seeking some of the state's premier attractions to plan your next vacation, day trip, or road trip, here are 12 of Oklahoma’s most loved tourist attractions to add to your itinerary.

Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge

In southwestern Oklahoma near the city of Lawton, the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge has preserved its alpine wildlife and habitats since 1901. Spanning 60,000 acres, this enchanting, geologically unique region boasts a mix of freshwater lakes, grass prairie, ancient mountain habitats, and a diverse range of species. This includes one of the refuge’s highlight attractions: the free-ranging bison and longhorn cattle herds. Visitors can also look forward to encountering an impressive variety of wildlife, including up to 806 species of plants, 36 species of fish, and 240 species of birds.

Best of all, entry to this massive nature haven is free, as is the wildlife recreation. From bird watching and wildlife photography to fishing and hiking on wildlife trails, it is easy to see why over 1.7 million people visit the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge every year. Spotlight experiences include hikes along the Bison Trail, fishing and kayaking on Jed Johnson Lake, and drives up Mount Scott Road. The 3-mile paved path leads to the Mount Scott summit (2,464 feet above sea level), granting passengers breathtaking vistas over southwest Oklahoma.

Route 66

If scenic drives are your thing, there is no better path than Route 66. Often called the “Mother Road” and the “Main Street of America,” Route 66 is perhaps the most famous route in the United States. Along with being immortalized in iconic American works like John Steinbeck’s 1939 novel “The Grapes of Wrath,” this historic road is a quintessential American road trip route.

With over 400 miles of Route 66, Oklahoma has more drivable miles of the Mother Road than any other state, making it the perfect place to embrace a classic road trip experience. And while the drive itself is half the fun, the pit stops are what make this path a famous road trip route. You can expect to drive through a range of cute small towns, charming roadside restaurants, and tons of other quirky attractions, like the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum, the Blue Whale of Catoosa, and the Route 66 Historical Village.

Quartz Mountain State Park

For those who favor outdoor adventures over road trips, Quartz Mountain State Park is another southwestern Oklahoma gem worth exploring. Established in 1935 as 1 of the 7 original Oklahoma state parks (under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal initiative), this 4,540-acre alpine area has some of the grandest scenes in the state. While not quite as popular as the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge (located about an hour away), the park’s gateway to the Wichita Mountains is equally stunning and a tad more serene.

Located in the Oklahoma town of Lone Wolf, the park receives fewer visitors than the refuge. In turn, the park offers a more secluded experience, ideal for the introverted “lone wolf” hiker, rock climber, and picnicker. Whether climbing steep paths like the New Horizon Trail for stunning summit views or more easygoing trails like the 1-mile paved Twin Peaks Trail for views of Lake Altus, all sights and experiences promise a postcard scene.

Downtown Tulsa

While Oklahoma has a fabulous array of charming rural towns and towering mountainsides, the city of Tulsa offers an eclectic urban escape. Downtown Tulsa is where you can encounter the city’s best attractions, spread across 8 walkable districts. For architecture enthusiasts, the Deco District boasts one of the largest concentrations of Art Deco architecture in the nation, with self-guided walking tours transporting visitors to the Roaring 20s. The nearby Cathedral District, by contrast, showcases a more gothic side of the city’s structures.

If you head to the western end of downtown Tulsa, the Arena District is a great place to see a show or attend an event. Attractions like the Cox Business Convention Center and BOK Center welcome over 1.8 million visitors every year, and there are also tons of great restaurants and bars in the area, like Kai Vietnamese Cuisine and Cellar Dweller. For a more artistic experience, the Tulsa Arts District has music venues like the Tulsa Theater and Cain's Ballroom along with art centers like Living Arts of Tulsa.

Myriad Botanical Gardens

In downtown Oklahoma City, the Myriad Botanical Gardens welcomes nearly 1 million visitors every year. With the goal to “inspire more children, families, and people of all ages to spend time outdoors,” this whimsical 15-acre botanical garden is free and open to the public, making it the perfect destination for families and solo-travelers alike.

For families with young kids, the half-acre Children’s Garden and vintage carousel are both adorable features to explore. People of all ages will also enjoy the rest of the Garden’s green spaces, including an off-leash dog park, countless shaded walking paths, and a centerpiece lake. But the true anchor of the Gardens would have to be its Crystal Bridge Conservatory. After undergoing an 18-month, $11 million renovation, the 224-foot-long structure reopened in 2022. Covered in a little over 3,000 translucent acrylic panels, this stunning cylindrical greenhouse features a lush tropical plant collection, a calming reflective pool, and countless overlook terraces to enjoy the sights of the waterfall feature.

Natural Falls State Park

While manmade waterfalls are certainly charming, you will want to head to Natural Falls State Park for the real deal. Visitors can find this 120-acre park in eastern Oklahoma, near the Arkansas border. Tucked away in the picturesque Ozark Highlands, the hilly setting produces some truly glorious scenes, making it one of the best state parks to visit in Oklahoma. But of course, the spotlight attraction in Natural Falls State Park is the 77-foot waterfall, known by locals as “Dripping Springs.”

For obvious reasons, the 1-mile Dripping Springs Trail is by far the most popular path, rewarding visitors with sights of a small fishing lake, overhead bluffs, and the highlight waterfall. But there are also countless picnic areas and other beautiful hiking paths like the Fox Den Trail, Bear Trail, and Ghost Coon Trail. All in all, this park may be small, but it is definitely worth the visit if you love waterfalls and jaw-dropping natural scenes.

Beavers Bend State Park

In the foothills of the Kiamichi Mountains in southeast Oklahoma, Beavers Bend State Park is a stunning outdoor playground with even more to see and do. Along with its encompassing Ouachita National Forest, this vast 3,482-acre park contains Broken Bow Lake and part of the Mountain Fork River. With towering trees, rugged mountain paths, and sparkling waters, hiking, biking, scuba diving, boating, and fishing are just a fraction of the recreational activities visitors can enjoy here.

For those visiting this nature haven as a family, there are also tons of kid-friendly activities beyond the usual hiking trails. At the family-friendly Gutter Chaos sports bar, people of all ages can enjoy the massive arcade and bowling alley. Rugaru Adventures also offers half-mile ziplines for an adventure through the trees, or you can stick to fun on land at the 18-hole Chili Dippers miniature golf course. As for animal lovers, the drive-through Beavers Bend Safari Park is an awesome experience, boasting over 30 species of wildlife, including lemurs, bison, rhinos, and zebras.

Oklahoma City Zoo

For another unforgettable experience, the Oklahoma City Zoo stands out as one of the state's most cherished attractions for animal enthusiasts. Originally opened in 1902, with just 125 animals by 1909, today this 130-acre attraction boasts stunning botanical gardens and over 1900 animal species. Welcoming over 1 million people from July 2023 to June 2024, the zoo’s goal of “connecting people with our world’s vanishing wildlife and wild places to inspire conservation action” is being achieved in an exciting way.

Along with the zoo’s usual array of animals, the recent opening of its Expedition Africa exhibit transports visitors to a different continent. As the zoo’s largest habitat expansion ever, the new habitat boasts more than 60 species native to Africa, including a giraffe yard. Other popular habitats in the zoo include Sanctuary Asia (home to an elephant herd) and the Lion Overlook, where visitors can observe the jungle cats in their element. The zoo is also popular for its year-round seasonal events, like Breakfast With the Animals, Sip and Stroll, Safari Lights, and Haunt the Zoo.

National Cowboy And Western Heritage Museum

If you are looking for a follow-up activity in Oklahoma City, the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is another exciting place to spend your hours. Since its opening in 1955, this “anchor attraction” has welcomed an average of 10,000 guests each month and more than 10 million visitors. It offers an engaging experience for the whole family, especially for those who love all things cowboy.

Like Texas to its south, Oklahoma has a spirited Old Western heritage and cowboy culture, which the museum celebrates with one of the world’s most thoughtful collections. The curated exhibits and interactive galleries cover everything from Native American culture to the evolution of ranching equipment, along with an extensive collection of both classic and contemporary Western art. For repeat visitors, rotating exhibits keep the experience fresh, and there are also countless interactive activities for kids, like story time sessions and bracelet-making.

Science Museum Oklahoma

Recognized as one of the state's top destinations for family fun, Science Museum Oklahoma (SMO) in Oklahoma City offers an exhilarating and engaging way to learn. With over 600,000 visitors in 2023 (a record-breaking number), it is unsurprising that this beloved landmark was rated the 3rd “Best Science Museum” in the country by Newsweek in 2024.

Since its establishment in 1958, SMO has captivated people of all ages, aiming to inspire learning in a fun and engaging way. Today, it is one of the largest science museums in the nation, spanning over 8 acres. Promising Science Live demonstrations and over 250 interactive exhibits, unlike other museums, SMO is designed with children in mind to inspire curiosity. As of September 20th, 2024, the museum’s new Love’s Planetarium feature adds to this experience, offering a state-of-the-art projection system to come face-to-face with the wonders of space.

Grand Lake O' The Cherokees

For a break from big-city attractions, Northeast Oklahoma is where you can find the shimmering waters of Grand Lake of the Cherokees, often simply called “Grand Lake.” Nestled in the foothills of the Ozark Mountain Range, as the name suggests, the views of this man-made lake are absolutely sublime.

Boasting 46,500 surface acres of water and 1,300 miles of shoreline, recreation is popular in all seasons, from swimming at Grand Lake State Park to boating at the Cedar Port Marina and everything in between. Whether hiking the lake’s borders on the Grand Lake O' the Cherokees OHV Trail or boarding the historic Cherokee Queen Riverboat, which has been operational since the 1940s, the views from land and water are enchanting in their own right.

Robbers Cave State Park

For a captivating mix of history and nature, Robbers Cave State Park stands out as another one of Oklahoma's top attractions. Situated in the San Bois Mountains, this scenic park is steeped in legend, having once served as a refuge for notorious outlaws like Jesse James in the wake of the Civil War. Visitors can even hike to Robbers Cave, the very cavern that supposedly shielded these Wild West outlaws from capture, making for a truly memorable experience.

Beyond the park’s exciting legends, this southeast Oklahoma attraction is equally famous for its vistas and scenes. Among the 25 miles of hiking trails, visitors can expect spectacular clifftop views, or you can paddle peaceful Lake Carlton to enjoy the waters and tree-dotted shores. Fall is an especially popular time to visit the park, with the annual Robbers Cave Fall Festival welcoming over 80,000 people every year, while anglers may prefer to visit in Winter when the stream below Carlton Lake is stocked with trout.

Final Thoughts

Oklahoma's storied reputation as a farming state is truly just the tip of the iceberg. Beyond its agricultural roots, visitors can discover breathtaking alpine state parks and Oklahoma City's award-winning museums, revealing a depth of beauty and culture that often goes unnoticed.

Whether you are gearing up for a picturesque road trip along Route 66 or relaxing with family along the shores of Grand Lake of the Cherokees, Oklahoma seamlessly combines captivating experiences with vibrant city attractions and stunning natural landscapes, making it one of the most underrated destinations in the United States.