U.S. Virtual Road Trip- Oklahoma

Check out yesterday's post in Ohio with author T.Michelle Nelson here

Today we are in Oklahoma with blogger Becca @ Pivot Book Reviews. Let's see what awaits us in Oklahoma.

Places to visit in Oklahoma

Robber's Cave State Park is a beautiful park with lots of history, most notably as one of outlaw Jesse James' hideouts!

Turner Falls State Park is filled with amazing hiking trails and a 77 foot waterfall. It even has natural swimming areas, making it one of the best places to camp in the state.

OKC is full of life in what we call Bricktown (the streets are all made of brick). Catch a Thunder basketball game, float the canal, grab some epic food, or watch Olympians train for rowing. We also have the National Cowboy Hall of Fame, which is packed full of information on infamous cowboys and what life was like back in the old days. 

Last but definitely not least, we have the Oklahoma City National Museum, which is a major attraction. It has artifacts from the OKC bombing and lots of deeply emotional exhibits, memorializing the victims. 

Places to eat in Oklahoma

Cattleman's Steakhouse, which is a total blast from the past. 

Eischen's Bar, which has the best fried chicken you've ever tasted.

Sid's Diner, which is probably the best diner ever and their onion burgers are the bomb dot com.

Ann's Chicken Fry is also a great place to stop. It's full of antiques, covering every inch of wall/ceiling space in the small building, but their food is worth waiting for. People travel from all over the world just to come to Ann's! 

Quirky things about Oklahoma

• The world's first parking meter was installed in Oklahoma City on July 16, 1935.
• The Oklahoma state capitol is the only capitol in the world surrounded by working oil wells.
• Per square mile, Oklahoma has the most tornadoes of all U.S. states. 
• Oklahoma was the setting for the movie "Twister."
• Originally, the state of Oklahoma was set aside for the exclusive use of the Indians and was called Indian Territory. However, in 1889, the land was opened to settlers in what became known as the " Oklahoma Land Rush." On the first opening day on April 22, 1889, 50,000 people swarmed into the area. Those who tried to beat the noon starting gun were called Sooners. Hence the state's nickname.
• Boise City, Oklahoma was the only city in the United States to be bombed during World War II.
• Quapaw, Oklahoma is famous for "spooklights,” bouncing bright balls of white fire that have been reported as far back as the 1700's.
• Oklahoma has more miles of the original Route 66 than any other state. 
• The name Oklahoma comes from the Choctaw words okla, meaning people, and homa, meaning red, which translates to land of the red people.

Famous people from Oklahoma

Will Rogers, Garth Brooks, Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Chuck Norris, Brad Pitt, Reba McEntire, Dr. Phil, Toby Keith, Bill Hader, James Marsden, Kristin Chenoweth, Mickey Mantle, Ron Howard, Tyson Ritter, Vince Gill, James Garner, Gary Busey, Gene Autry, Rue McClanahan, Wayne Coyne, Ronnie Dunn, Kathy Lee Gifford, Reed Timmer, 

Authors or books set in Oklahoma

Authors- Mary Pope Osborne, S.E. Hinton, Louis L'Amour, Jaime McGuire, Gena Showalter, PC Cast, Kristin Cast, Ally Carter, Tammi Sauer, Mercedes Lackey, Carolyn Hart, Tara Hudson, 

Books- The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, The House of Night series by PC & Kristin Cast, The Outsiders by SE Hinton (even though it never specifically says in the book), Buried in Time (Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys), True Grit by Charles Portis, Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls, Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls, The Midnighters by Scott Westerfeld

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What do you think of Oklahoma? I have to say Twister is one of my favourite movies and I didn't realise it was set in Oklahoma.

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