Any ideas?

We are travelling to Oklahoma in July with the children for a couple of weeks but while we are there we want to travel away for a few days (not more than two hours flight). Somewhere the children will never forget.

Any recommendations?

Any ideas?

Do you know how hot it is in Oklahoma in July? Very.

For travels, I have three suggestions.

Fly to Denver, rent a car, and drive into the mountains. The American Rockies are spectacular, especially if your children have never seen 14,000 foot mountains.

Fly to Chicago, one of America%26#39;s two or three best cities (along with New York and San Francisco in my opinion, but the only one within two hours). Chicago has great museums, a beautiful location right on Lake Michigan, and fantastic cultural and shopping opportunities.

Any ideas?

One of the problems with OKC is that you can hardly fly anywhere from there, without making at least one intermediate stop, so that alone makes a two-hour time limit difficult. Agree with Twoprofs, that of the locations that are within 2 hours, Denver and Chicago are probably the most interesting large cities. I would offer Colorado Springs as an alternative to Denver, especially since you seem more concerned with entertaining the kids than shopping, etc. There are direct flights to Co. Springs, and it is a smaller city, with easier access to the mountains. In the vicinity are Pike%26#39;s Peak, The Royal Gorge and Garden of the Gods. You can also drive (without having to go too far) to locations where river rafting trips are available. Here%26#39;s one example, although I%26#39;ve never used them, so can%26#39;t endorse them, but it%26#39;s just to give you an idea. http://www.lostpaddlerafting.com/

Also, the trip to the mountains from Co Springs is just much easier than going from Denver. On the other hand, if you wanted to go to a major ski resort and let the kids enjoy all the summer alpine activities that most of them have in place these days, then Denver might be the better choice. To access the large resorts, Denver is closer than Colo Springs. Winter Park is probably the closest large resort from Denver, and they have Alpine slides and other activities there to entertain the kids, plus it%26#39;s a nice little village with some decent dining and hotel options. You can check their website for more info skiwinterpark.com/todo/…index.htm

By the way, I also agree that, after spending some time in OKC in July, you will likely be wanting a break from the heat, and Colorado is going to be the best place for that.

I agree with what Spyderwood said about Colorado Springs, except I am unable to find any direct flights between the two cities. As a result, flight time is 3 to 4 hours. If you%26#39;re OK with the longer flight, then do the Springs. If you want to keep the flight brief, fly into Denver and drive to Estes Park for a great mountain experience.

Twoprofs could be right there. I didn%26#39;t actually check the flight schedules. I know there were direct flights in the past, but maybe now there aren%26#39;t. Oh well, just some thoughts. Estes Park is beautiful, and there are things there for the kids as well, such as horseback riding, rafting, fishing, etc. For any trip to Colorado, however, I would recommend that you make your lodging reservations as early as possible. It is a popular summertime destination and the good places fill up fast.

Tks for all the information.

Have plenty to look into now.

Go to Jenks, which is really part of Tulsa. The aquarium is nice, and a Holiday Inn Express is located right next to it. The Arkansas River runs behind it. If you enjoy taking walks, you%26#39;ll love this location. Also, the aquarium is near the River Walk Crossing (Shopping Center). Downtown Jenks has some nice antique stores, and the area is quaint and pretty. The Tulsa Zoo is nice, also. The weather is warm in the summer, but it%26#39;s not usually unbearable.

Not sure where you are traveling FROM. But I personally love Oklahoma in July. You should get an Oklahoma Travel guide. The kids would enjoy both Frontier City and White Water in Oklahoma City. Turner Falls and Arbuckle Wilderness in Davis would be fun also.

Branson, MO is not too far away. That is gorgeous country and LOTS of Family Fun including Silver Dollar City!

Good luck and welcome to Oklahoma!

Chickasaw National Recreation Area or Nearby

Hi, I am wondering if anyone has been here or to some of the water recreation areas nearby and can tell me if there is wading or if this is mostly swimming/deep water.

I am planning a camping trip with family - preferably not far from north Texas but would love some area that has water that isn%26#39;t too deep as have people that can%26#39;t swim due to injury. I%26#39;ve been searching on the web but it%26#39;s all pretty generic information so can%26#39;t tell for sure. Thanks.

Chickasaw National Recreation Area or Nearby

Have you been to the National Park Service web page? That little water fall on the front page is on Travertine Creek, which might be just what you%26#39;re looking for. One section, called Little Niagara, makes for some great wading or water-sitting. Not deep at all unless we%26#39;ve had hard rains.

Another area you might be interested in is Turner Falls, which is operated by the city of Davis, a bit east of CNRA. They have a large water fall, a couple of natural swimming areas, wading area, trails, cabins, etc. http://www.turnerfallspark.com/

Route 66 - old style diners??

Just wondering i anyone can recommend a place on the old route 66 in Tulsa where we can stop for lunch on our way through town??

thanks heaps

Route 66 - old style diners??

I think the Oklahoma Route 66 Association has some info on their web page. http://www.oklahomaroute66.com/

Route 66 - old style diners??

Saw it on the Food Channel%26#39;s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives

The Rock Cafe

114 W. Main St.

Stroud, OK 74079

Tel: (918) 968-3990

Website: www.rockcaferoute66.com

Several Questions

I have several questions about going to beavers bend, we have been before but I think we were missing out on some fun things!

1. When will it be warm enough to come! Im ready like yesterday lol

2. So if we stay in Broken Bow will we be close enough to Beaver%26#39;s Bend?

3. I didnt see any resturants at all while we were there last time?

4 Best cheap cabins? We are all 21 in a group of 4 two couples, want to be close to the river/lake for sure

5 where do we go to hike? Canoe?

6 Is there anywhere to tube?

Ok I know this is alot but all of your help is so so appreciated! Im very very excited to come back this summer!!

Several Questions

Also I need addresses so that I can mapquest things and have directions we are coming from Mineola, TX

Several Questions

If you go to www.beaversbend.com they can answer a lot of your questions. They have clean, rustic inexpensive cabins. The office has pamphlets on what to do in the area %26amp; there is a notebook in each cabin. There are restaurants all around. Even the one in the park is quite good %26amp; very reasonable. The park is on the river, you have to drive to the lake but they will give you a map, if you need it. The town, Broken Bow is about 10 mi from the lake. Beaver%26#39;s Bend is in the loop 259A that loops around %26amp; comes back out farther N on 259. You pass both of those %26amp; take one of the roads to the lake, Like Steven%26#39;s Gap.

You can swim here anytime after the first of May. We have been receiving record rainfalls and the lake and Beaver%26#39;s Bend is currently closed. They have been releasing water out of the spillway to try and get the lake down some. I live here and I canoe the lower Mountain Fork 3-4 times a week during the summer but it may be awhile before we can go with the releases being so high and the dangers involved. You can do a google search on McCurtain County, Broken Bow, or Beavers Bend and get lots of information. There are hundreds of private cabins in this area for rent. There are lots of places to eat in Broken Bow, Idabel, and near the lake. I suspect you haven%26#39;t done very much research on your questions. You can tube on Broken Bow lake behind a boat or you can tube down Mountain Fork or Glover River. Lots of water sports to do in this area. The David Boren Hiking Trail is a popular place to hike and it has many options as to lenght and difficulty. You might try www.mccurtaincountygetaways.com or there are some links off of www.pine-net.com. PM me if you need any more details. I would be glad to take you on a float trip while you are here.

this works

AT&T Bricktown Ballpark

I am trying to decide whether or not to buy Dave Matthews Band tickets at the AT%26amp;T Ballpark. Before I spend that much money on these tickets (about $160!), I wanted to know what the sound was like in the ballpark. It is a huge place and I figured the sound for a concert would be horrible. Is it good, bad? Give me your reviews please.

AT%26amp;T Bricktown Ballpark

Since how good a band sounds in a stadium depends on the equipment and their stage setup, which is normally supplied by the band, this is not an easy question to answer.

I%26#39;ve heard good sound at the Brick and mediocre sound there as well. But I%26#39;ve never seen Dave Matthews at an outside venue and I can%26#39;t say how their sound equipment handles an outside event. And I definitely can%26#39;t say how the DMB sound people will handle the Brick. But as many shows as the DMB do outside they should be able to get good sound there. Overall it%26#39;s actually a pretty decent venue for music. And the roadies have time to set it up right since the Redhawks are away from home starting 8/11 and not back until 8/14.

ittwit

Tulsa airport to Broken Arrow?

Hi,

Can anyone give me some advice on how to get to Broken Arrow from Tulsa airport? I am arriving on a weeknight, late flight.

Thank you!

Tulsa airport to Broken Arrow?

Broken Arrow is a suburb of Tulsa. You will probably need to get a taxi or rent a car. There are public busses, but night time routes are limited. Go to Tulsatransit.org to get info on busses. Of course, even if you can get to Broken Arrow on the bus, then you%26#39;ve got to figure out a way to get from the bus stop to your hotel, or wherever you are staying. If you are not comfortable getting a rental car and driving in a strange location at night, then a taxi will be your best bet. It will likely cost $35 or $40 to get from the airport to Broken Arrow by taxi, and if you are arriving late, when traffic is not bad, the trip should take about 30 - 40 minutes.

Tulsa airport to Broken Arrow?

You%26#39;ll need to rent a car or take a taxi.

Taxi%26#39;s are kind of expensive in Tulsa; the dispatcher for any of the cab companies should be able to estimate the fare for you when you call them to order a taxi, or if you just get one @ the airport the driver should be able to estimate the fare before you get in the cab. All cab fares will be similar.

The major car rental companies all serve the Tulsa airport.

Driving in Tulsa from the airport to Broken Arrow is very easy. You%26#39;ll take Highway 11 East to I-244 East to Hwy. 169 South (beware, likely construction) to Hwy. 51 East (affectionately known as the Broken Arrow Expressway, as it runs from the middle of Broken Arrow diagonally to downtown Tulsa. You can use any of the major mapping programs (i.e., Yahoo Maps) or get a map from the car rental company and ask the clerk to show you the route on the map.

Welcome to Tulsa!

Tulsa has very affordable rental car rates especially on the weekends. Check out Dollar and Alamo. You really need a car in Oklahoma to get around.

Do not try to use the buses to get around. Rental cars are your best bet. Tulsa and Broken Arrow are extremely easy because of the highway system here. The cities are not very big compared to other U.S. cities. 7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. and 5:0o p.m.-6:30 p.m. are the only really busy times with traffic. Exit and roadway signs are posted and easy to find. Drive if you can.

Bricktown on Memorial Day Weekend

Hello all. Could use some expert advice. Planning on staying in OKC on Memorial Day Weekend. Never been there before. Heard good things about Bricktown and we decided we want to stay at a hotel IN Bricktown so we could walk to everything. It%26#39;s a family of four consisting of myself, my wife, our 11 yr old son, and 7 yr old daughter. Any help would be appreciated. The other posts IO%26#39;ve read are much older so things may have changed. Thanks in advance.

Bricktown on Memorial Day Weekend

The hotels available within walking distance of bricktown (anywhere from 1 to 6 blocks) are (in general order of quality IMO):

THE SKIRVIN HILTON, 1 Park Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73102, 800-804-6835

COLCORD HOTEL, 15 N. Robinson, Oklahoma City, OK 73102, 405-601-4300

COURTYARD BY MARRIOTT, 2 W Reno Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73102, 800-804-6835

RENAISSANCE, 10 N Broadway Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73102, 800-804-6835

RESIDENCE INN, 400 E Reno Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, 800-804-6835

SHERATON, 1 N Broadway Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73102, 800-804-6835

None of these will be inexpensive, especially on a holiday weekend. Check Tripadvisor and Hotels.com for customer comments.

One word of caution: If you truly want to be inside Bricktown so you don%26#39;t have to take out the car, beware of hotels advertising themselves as %26#39;Bricktown%26#39;. Many of them are two or more miles away. Check Mapquest for directions from the hotel address to the AT%26amp;T Bricktown Ballpark, 2 S. Mickey Mantle Drive, Oklahoma City, OK 73104. If it%26#39;s close to that it%26#39;s close to Bricktown.

Good luck!

Bricktown on Memorial Day Weekend

Thanks!! That was very helpful and I will definitely look into your suggestions. I heard about the evil Bricktown Hotel which is nowhere near Bricktown, but thanks for the warning.

The Bricktown Hotel and Convention center is about two miles away - and not through some of the better neighborhoods, so it%26#39;s not exactly what I would call walking distance. But they do have a shuttle and from recent reports the renovated rooms really are nice. (A local radio station had an event there last weekend and some of the people I know that work at the station and stayed the night thought the place was ';nice.';)

But lately there appears to be a lot more hotels adding %26#39;Bricktown%26#39; in their descriptions or as %26#39;convenient to%26#39;.

:)

Just the same, I%26#39;m going to play it safe and avoid the Bricktown Hotel. Shuttle or not, I%26#39;m not going to put my family in a bad area.

Modcon, could you you or someone else list the hotels you mentioned by distance to Bricktown. Thanks in advance. I%26#39;m almost certain it will be one of those we will go for.

From the hotels to the intersection of Sheridan and Oklahoma Ave, the distances are:

THE SKIRVIN HILTON: About .4 mile (4 blocks)

COLCORD HOTEL: About .3 mile (3 blocks)

COURTYARD BY MARRIOTT: About .3 mile (3 blocks)

RENAISSANCE: About .2 mile (2 blocks)

RESIDENCE INN: About .4 mile (4 blocks) - although this hotel is techinically IN Bricktown.

SHERATON: About .3 mile (3 blocks)

In reality, each hotel is a 10-minute or less leisurely walk to the heart of Bricktown

I%26#39;ll just add a couple of items to Modcon%26#39;s excellent information. First, having stayed in both, I would say that the rooms at the Colcord are larger and more well appointed than the rooms at the Skirvin, but the public area amenities are much more user friendly at the Skirvin. Both are excellent old hotels which have recently undergone extensive renovations, but 4 people in my room at the Skirvin would have been tight.

Second, regarding distance, only Courtyard and Residence Inn are actually within the boundaries of the area known as Bricktown. The others are across the tracks, in the downtown area. The walks are short and easily negotiated, but if you%26#39;re wanting to be right in the middle of things, only two hotels qualify.

I agree with twoprofs. The Courtyard and Residence are the only ones actually %26#39;in Bricktown%26#39; and the closests hotels to the ballpark. But IMO the Renaissance and Sheraton are not any further from the main entertainment area of Bricktown.

I do want to say one thing regarding the ';across the tracks'; comment - just to be clear, the tracks twoprofs mentioned are elevated and you walk under them on sidewalks along the streets that lead into Bricktown from the West.

I thought saying across the tracks would give the wrong impression unless you are familiar with the area.

:)

Finally, from a central location standpoint, the Colcord and Skirvin are probably better. They are pretty equidistant to not only to Bricktown, but also the Murrah Bombing memorial (http://www.oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org), the OKC Museum of Art (www.okcmoa.com), the Central Library (www.mls.lib.ok.us/mls/mls_library/dn.htm), the Myriad Gardens/Crystal Bridge (http://www.myriadgardens.com/index.html), and other downtown attractions,including the Automobile Alley district (http://www.automobilealley.org).

Have fun! There really is a lot to see and do in our fair city.

Spot on, modcon. I meant ';across the tracks'; literally, not metaphorically; sorry for any unintended implications. I%26#39;ve walked the area many times and do not worry for my safety, either inside or outside Bricktown itself.

And yes, hotel distances are about equal. I was merely pointing out the difference between being ';inside'; the Bricktown action and being ';near by.'; Personally, I can think of a number of reasons why ';near by'; would be preferable; I just wanted thullraven to know the difference. I didn%26#39;t mean to disagree with you, only to provide some additional information.

twoprofs

I never thought you were disagreeing. I just wanted to make sure Thullraven understood the layout of the area. I wasn%26#39;t even thinking of the negative meaning %26#39;accross the tracks%26#39; has. I was more concerned about making sure he knew it was an elevated and not an at grade crossing.

And I totally agree with the ';In and Out of Bricktown'; difference. Personally, if I was coming from out of town and price wasn%26#39;t an issue and a room was available, I%26#39;d stay at the Colcord or Skirvin any day.

:)