You guys! You won’t believe half of the things we got to experience in Oklahoma, but you must watch the video to appreciate our entire experience. I have to point out though – that no, we didn’t go to a football game, but we did catch a basketball game. But when I think of Oklahoma, football is usually one of the first things I think about, so the photo was fitting.
But if you are planning on exploring or traveling through Oklahoma and are lost on what to do? My family of five had a lot of fun and enjoyed every minute while we were there. The little girls, five, three and one loved playing at the science museum so much they begged to go back for a second day.
If you have time in your travels, going to a Thunder basketball game and a performance by the Oklahoma City Ballet is a must! Totally different spectrum of sports but both were amazing.
City not your style? There are a lot of outdoorsy places to go in Oklahoma. Lake Murray near Ardmore is a great place to visit.
Science Museum
The Oklahoma Science museum is a must stop for anyone who has children! The first day we went, we played and learned for three hours. Only about half of the museum was discovered by the girls but it was closing so we had to leave. The next four days, every morning, Blakely asked if we could go back. We had some other activities planned but I gave in and we went another day.
That second day we went, we did not re-trace anything. Ok maybe the Segway park but that was it. We had a blast and even went and saw a star show at the planetarium. The girls loved it. I actually ended up purchasing an annual pass and ASTC passport with the museum. This passport allows us free admission to many ‘children, science museums’ around the whole country. It has been great as we have traveled through each state and definitely has paid itself off.
Blakely and Tessa ask if we can go to a children’s museum in every town we stop!
We didn’t end up going to the zoo but the zoo is right next to the Oklahoma Science Museum.
Thunder Basketball game
Originally we hadn’t planned to cheer on some basketball but while we were driving through town I noticed a billboard that peaked my interest. The NBA league in Oklahoma was playing the next night at home! Colter and I are both basketball fans so I knew he would be for it as long as the tickets weren’t outrageously priced.
Colter’s remembers going to Utah Jazz games while growing up and his dad scalping tickets at the door. This means that those who can’t go or bought extra tickets stand outside the entry doors to try and get some money back from their purchase. If it were just Colter and I going to the game, I would be for scalping tickets, but with five of us, there wasn’t a high probability in my mind we would get that many, and in the same row.
The morning of the basketball game we looked online to check ticket prices. Tickets were more than what Colter wanted to pay so he still wanted to scalp some. About two hours before the game, we left the science museum and went downtown by Bricktown to find some tickets.
We quickly realized we probably didn’t have enough cash to purchase tickets off anyone, searched for an ATM and we remembered we didn’t have our debit card with us. Quickly we looked online again at ticket prices and they decreased by about half. We had waited just long enough to purchase to get a great discount. It was an additional bonus that we could all sit by each other.
As we were walking up to the venue, we didn’t notice many people trying to sell tickets. The Thunder were playing the Cavaliers so maybe they just got swiped up quickly.
Getting our faces painted pre-game was one of the highlights of the night for the girls!
Oklahoma City Ballet
All three of the girls love to dance so we thought it would be educational for them to go to see a real ballet. The performance was The Little Mermaid, and we were even that more excited! Yes, I was excited to go also! I was part of a ballet while growing up and made it to toe shoes. Ballet has always held a place in my heart.
I put dresses on the girls and wore my black dress pants and a nice shirt to the ballet. It was fun to dress up for a night out on the town. We arrived at the ticket office early because it saved us about $40 to purchase tickets at the door instead of online. While we waited, we looked at all the pictures of the dancers on display and danced in the hall, anxiously awaiting the doors to open.
This was a full ballet. No musical, just dance. The girls were puzzled at first and then quickly got into the scenes, trying to figure out who was Ersula and what part of the familiar movie was being portrayed. Their favorite part was the wedding scene when the main dancers had their solos.
On our way home and back in the RV, all three girls danced and twirled the night away.
Lake Murray
If you like your own space and are traveling south from Oklahoma City, Lake Murray is a great place to cool off at the lake and get away from the city. The weather was a bit chilly in February but there was hardly anyone besides locals around the lake. Spend some quiet time together, hang in the trees (we set up our hammocks), go to the park, take a bike ride or check out Tucker Tower.
Tucker Tower is located on Lake Murray and was once thought to be a retreat house for governors of Oklahoma but now serves as part of the nature center in the park. Check hours of operation before you go! They are open daily from March to October but closed a couple days during the winter months. We found hours out the hard way and showed up one day when it was closed.
The three girls loved going to the park and playing and we even saw some armadillos.
So whether it is the city life of Oklahoma city or the quiet retreat of a lake, Oklahoma has something for everyone. If you want more resources reach out to Oklahoma tourism. They were so helpful and sent us magazines and brochures about what is available to explore in the great OK.