Top Things to do in Oklahoma
Top Hotels in Oklahoma
- 1. The Skirvin Hilton Oklahoma City
- 2. Hilton Garden Inn Oklahoma City Bricktown
- 3. Wingate by Wyndham Tulsa
- 4. 21c Museum Hotel Oklahoma City
- 5. Best Western Plus Memorial Inn & Suites
- 6. Hyatt Regency Tulsa Downtown
- 7. Embassy Suites by Hilton Norman Hotel & Conference Center
- 8. Hampton Inn & Suites Oklahoma City-Bricktown
- 9. La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Stillwater-University Area
- 10. Hampton Inn & Suites Tulsa Downtown
What to do and see in Oklahoma, United States: The Best Military Museums
With hundreds of man-made lakes, state parks, casinos, museums and nightlife and dining opportunities in revitalized downtown areas in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, there is a lot to see and do in the Sooner State. The state is dotted with phenomenal lakes where swimming, boating and bass fishing are the most desired activities. Some of the state’s most popular lakes include Broken Bow Lake located near the Quachita Mountains; Grand Lake in the northeastern corner of the state at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains and Lake Murray in the hills in the southern part of the state.
While the state is known for its many outdoor activities like great fishing, golf, hiking, canoeing and boating, make sure you don’t overlook its fantastic museums. Heading the list are Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, featuring the world’s largest collection of art and artifacts from the American West; the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, which tells the story of the American Cowboy; and the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, which has a permanent collection of American and European art. A venerable family favorite activity is Frontier City Amusement Park in Oklahoma City, which has dozens of rides and shows.
Restaurants in Oklahoma
1. Stafford Air & Space Museum
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 201 reviews
The Stafford Air & Space Museum is a Smithsonian-affiliated institution named in honor of Weatherford native and NASA Astronaut, Lt. General Thomas P. Stafford, a veteran of the Project Gemini and Apollo space programs. Filled with artifacts from the earliest days of mankind’s first flights, to the manned spaceflight programs of the “Space Race” era between the United States and the Soviet Union, to the future aerospace, the Museum has something for everyone! The museum houses one and a half acre of exhibits under roof and showcases thousands of items. With artifacts including a General Dynamics F-16 “Fighting Falcon”, the actual Fixed-Base Simulator used to train all 135 Shuttle Program crews, a ten-story Titan II rocket, a moon rock returned to Earth by the crew of Apollo 17 and General Stafford’s Gemini VI spacecraft, you’ll be amazed at the history you can find under one roof.
Reviewed By donjuan909 - Platte City, United States
We spent 2 hours here after finding this museum on the way to Amarillo. The first part of the museum is a tribute to Gen Stafford. It has his medals, flights, suits, etc. After that you get into the early aviation and rocketry section where they have lots of full size replicas of early aircraft. Then you get into the Mercury, Gemini & Apollo programs where they have quite a bit of actual artifacts. Finally you get into the modern section where they have many actual artifacts including s space shuttle engine and a couple of real but disarmed nuclear warheads. It's definitely worth your time to stop and spend an hour or two.
2. General Tommy Franks Leadership Institute and Museum
3. 45th Infantry Division Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 339 reviews
Military museum with many items from World War II.
Reviewed By 548sophiab - Philadelphia, United States
I went here with my dad who’s a HUGE military history enthusiast (myself being a moderate fan as well) and we both loved it! It has a huge selection of planes, tanks, and trucks outside which is worth a tour as well as uniforms, weapons, awards, photos, etc. from pretty much every single war in American history. It’s a wonderful museum for anyone even mildly interested in military history, old-fashioned weaponry, old photos, planes, tanks, etc. You could spend hours there with all the information and artifacts they have. If I come back to Oklahoma City, I’ll be sure to stop there again.
4. Osage County Historical Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 21 reviews
Reviewed By 6389LovetoTravel - Wichita, United States
This museum is relatively small, but very well done. So much history and much of it from the last 100 years, so everyone can relate to some of it. Staff was very friendly and informative, but gave time for us to browse at our leisure. They did an excellent job with the local history. Plan to spend a couple of hours here to get the full experience.
5. U.S. Army Artillery Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 60 reviews
Reviewed By Mike301 - Ocean Springs, United States
We were in the area and stopped by. Being retired from military, i have heard of the base and now get to see it. What a lot of history. The artillery museum was fantastic and all the displays. Loved seeing all the vehicles outside on display. Went to old side of base and found cavalry museum. Again a lot of early history about base. This is well worth stopping and seeing. Being retired did not need pass but civilians do. Check on hours.
6. Choctaw Veterans Memorial
7. Okfuskee County Historical Society and Museum
8. USS Batfish
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 176 reviews
Temporarily closed until April 6th due to COVID-19 precautions. Verify hours before visiting! At the Muskogee War Memorial Park: Home of the USS Batfish, visitors may explore a World War II legend, the USS Batfish. Unseen and unheard while stalking its prey in World War II, the USS Batfish claimed over 14 kills, including a record breaking three enemy submarines. History awaits for those who adventure!
Reviewed By BradyK177 - Canyon, United States
This might be my favorite museum ship and museum to visit out of all of the ones i have been to! If you are a World War II history buff, a navy buff, have interest in the military, or just interested in submarines, this is an absolute must visit! As people who have been to museum ships know (especially from the World War II era), sometimes they can be in pretty bad shape. The USS Batfish however is in absolutely fantastic shape both inside and out and looks very authentic to the period still with how it has been kept up since it was brought here in the 1970s. This was my second visit to the Batfish and it is still a very cool thing to visit and an amazing experience. The museum exhibits are very informative both indoor and outdoor and provide a lot of great information. The submarine looks great on the outside and inside both. You just step into it and feel like you are on a patrol in the Pacific in World War II. While it is pretty crowded inside (and a world of warning, going thru hatches compartment to compartment may be pretty difficult for those that are older or not in the best shape), it is just amazing to see what the inside of a World War II submarine looks like and how it must have been to serve on one. The interior looks so good it looks like it could still be operational and it has been kept in great shape thru the years. There is plenty of information to learn from inside the sub and also from the guides (if you so wish) and also as a side note, it is air conditioned so it is actually quite comfortable, even in the brutal Oklahoma July heat like the day we visited. Overall, I highly recommend a visit to the USS Batfish and I will be back for a third visit and many more in the future!
9. Fort Sill National Historic Landmark and Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 130 reviews
Reviewed By ghelland - Oregon, United States
Haven't visited Fort Sill in years and have things ever changed for the better! First, one need to stop at the Visitor Center on Sheridan Road prior to entering the base. You need to fill out a form, they do a quick security check on you, and then (if you pass) take your picture and give a pass to the base. We asked for a week's pass and got a month-long one. Once in the base, there are so many things to see that one cannot take it all in in one day. The new museum (well, new to me) was closed due to the COVID-19 restrictions. Adjacent and around that was "Artillery Park". This is an area with many canons, tanks, missiles and descriptive boards. This area was totally unfamiliar to me since my visiting so many times in 1978-1983, when stationed at Altus Air Force Base, and again when I visited in 2004. Seems that "Artillery Park" and this new museum were created in 2010 and did they ever do a nice job. We spent about two hours at "Constitution Park" and "Artillery Park". We next went up the hill to the Quadrangle, where there are many historic buildings surrounding it. After this location, we went to the northeast section of the base and visited the Apache cemetery. This is where Geronimo's grave site is at, although many Apache Indians (and even the guard at the Visitor Center) tell that his body was removed just days after being buried and taken by tribes members back to his homeland of Arizona and re-buried in a mountain. Regardless, it was interesting to see the grave site, which has been damaged. One thing to note is that the base finally put up decent directions to Apache cemetery so one doesn't take a wrong turn and get lost. Years ago, we found ourselves in what we considered an artillery range and still joke about that to this day. Next was getting back to the main base area and visiting the Post Cemetery. There is a section of this cemetery where many Indians are buried. This includes Chief Quanah Parker, his mother Cynthia Ann Parker (a white woman captured by the Comanches as a child), and his sister Prairie Flower, who died as a child. We were done with Fort Sill doing the things above on our first day on the base. A couple of days later we returned and visited Medicine Bluffs and Medicine Creek. The Bluffs requires one to go up a gravel road and then into a rather nasty drive that has many rocks protruding from the ground. Once there though, the views were spectacular. Medicine Bluffs was and is sacred to Indians/Native Americans and holds much history. We went back to a place near the Quadrangle tried following the map to find the marker where Geronimo had died. There was the post hospital at this location, which has been torn down, but there is a marker there. We encountered roads behind buildings that were one way and not the way we wanted to go. We had to get back out on the street and try to find another way to that marker. We finally did and it would be nice to have better directions to get there. The things mentioned here are some of the highlights to Fort Sill. There is much history on this base, one that was built in 1869, and it could take many days to enjoy all of what is available - especially when the museum reopens some day. Very highly recommended place to stop and allow enough time to take it all in.
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