LAY OF THE LAND
ARCADES
SHOPPING (Antique Malls)
SHOPPING (Toys and Video Games)
SHOPPING (Books and Comics)
FOOD
ATTRACTIONS
NATURE

LAY OF THE LAND

At 620 square miles, Oklahoma City is the largest city in Oklahoma and the largest state capitol of the lower 48 states (only Juneau is larger). Interstates I-35 (north/south) and I-40 (east/west) cross just east of downtown, making the city easy to traverse. There’s also a loop around the city that includes I-240 (on the south side), I-44 (on the north side), and Northwest Expressway (which runs diagonally from SW to NE through the north side of the city).

Oklahoma City is surrounded by Edmond to the north, Midwest City to the east, Moore and Norman to the south, and Yukon and Mustang to the west. All of those cities touch Oklahoma City. There are also a few areas like Bethany and Warr Acres that have been enveloped by Oklahoma City. Right downtown is Bricktown.

The NE and SE sides of Oklahoma City are considered to be high crime areas. Unless you are visiting the Zoo or the Oklahoma Science Museum, I do not recommend aimless wandering around that side of town.

ARCADES

CACTUS JACKS (1211 N. Council)
One of Oklahoma City’s oldest arcades, Cactus Jack’s has 70+ pinball tables, lots of driving and fighting games, and a collection of classic arcade games.

Up-Down Arcade Bar (1629 NW 16th Street)
100 classic arcade games (check the website for deals and discounts) with a full bar and pizza by the slice. Upscale and fun!

DAVE AND BUSTERS (5501 N. May)
State of the art games, with a restaurant and bar inside as well. Not the cheapest place in town, but fun for kids and adults alike.

Incredible Pizza (5833 NW Expressway)
All you can eat pizza with arcade games, go-karts, putt-putt, laser tag, and more. Everything’s indoors!

FLASHBACK RETROPUB (814 W Sheridan Ave)
21+. Local bar with 30 retro arcade games and retro-themed drinks (try the Purple Rain!).

Others: Celebration Station, Chuck E. Cheese, Andy Alligators.

SHOPPING (Antique Malls)

Oklahoma City is bursting with thrift stores, pawn shops, and antique malls. There are multiple antique stores in Bethany on NW 39th (originally Route 66!) between Rockwell and MacArthur. There’s another strip of several antique stores on the corner of NW 10th and May. There are also a cluster of stores around NW 23rd and MacArthur, including a Community Thrift Store, Second Changes Thrift Store, and my favorite, Urban Thrift and More.

If you like thrifting, use your phone and search for thrift stores — you’ll find them all over the place!

Besides those, here are a few of my favorites:

THE RINK GALLERY (3200 N. Rockwell) (Bethany)
This ex-ice skating rink is now a large antique mall. A good mixture of things can be found here. I once bought a working payphone here.

Here are a couple of other really nice antique malls that mostly focus on furniture, home decor, crafts, and true antiques (read: not 1970s/1980s toys that I shop for): Decades Revisited (3639 NW Expressway), 23rd Street Antique Mall (3023 NW 23rd), and Feathered Nest Market (6353 N. MacArthur).

If you want a fun little loop of thrift stores to visit, visit the following stores in the following order:

Best Thrift (104 S MacArthur Blvd)
Community Thrift (2344 N MacArthur Blvd)
Urban Thrift and More (2727 N MacArthur Blvd)
Goodwill (4605 NW 23rd S)
Bargain Thrift Store (4545 NW 16th St) (My favorite!)

If you’re on the south side of OKC, here are three close stores I often visit:

Community Thrift Store (4525 S Pennsylvania Ave)
Payless Thrift Store (4640 S Pennsylvania Ave)
Uptown Thrift Store (I-240 & South Penn)

SHOPPING (Toys and Video Games)

TOY BASE 10 (4028 NW 10th)
This place has limited hours, but HOLY COW, if you’re looking for toys from the 70s or 80s, this is THE MECCA of toy stores. It’s small, it’s cramped, and it has an entire room just for vintage boxed Star Wars toys — not to mention He-Man, G.I.Joe, models, and all sorts of things.

VINTAGE STOCK (Multiple Locations)
Vintage Stock sells new and used video games (from Atari 2600 to PlayStation 4), vinyl records, movies, and toys. There are five locations (Midwest City, Moore, Norman, Edmond, and Oklahoma City). The OKC location (7407 N. May) is my favorite because it has the largest selection of new and used toys.

GAMEXCHANGE (Multiple Locations)
There are multiple GameXChange locations throughout the city. GameXChange buys and sells used video games, from vintage to modern.

SHOPPING (Books and Comics)

Here are four comic book shops I’ve visited. Along with comics, each of these stores carries toys and collectibles as well.

NEW WORLD COMICS (6219 N Meridian Ave) (Big comic book store)
EMPIRE STRIKES BOOKS (600 NW 23rd St) (Small but cool place)
ATOMIK POP (7884 S Western Ave) (Lots of Japanese candy!)
ALL-STAR COMICS (6900 N May Ave) (Lots of comics and toys)

SECOND CHANCE BOOKS (3909 N MacArthur Blvd) (Both a bookstore and a comic book store)

And if you’re just looking for books…

HALF PRICE BOOKS (6500 N May Ave, and 1449 W Interstate 240 Service Rd) (Books, records, video games)
ADVENTURE BOOKS (8413 S Western Ave) (Used book store)

FOOD

Oklahoma City has every kind of food you could possibly want. It is known for its buffets, large portions, and white gravy. Everybody’s tastes and budgets are different. Here are some of my favorite places to eat that won’t break the bank.

For BREAKFAST, my family and I eat at the following places: SUNNYSIDE DINER (four metro locations), JIMMY’S EGG (multiple locations), BUFFALO GRILL (8027 NW 23rd) and JIM’S DINER (7950 NW 39th Expy). You’re also never far from an IHOP or WAFFLE HOUSE. If you like gravy, check out GOOD GRAVY (8014 N. Western). Yelp has a list of the top 10 breakfast places in OKC and I haven’t been to any of them. If you try one of them, let me know how they are. One of our new favorite places is HATCH, which has one location on the north side and another near downtown OKC.

For MEXICAN, I recommend any of the following Oklahoma-based restaurants: TED’S ESCONDIDO, CHILENO’S, ABUELO’S, SAN MARCOS, and LOS VAQUEROS. All of them have multiple locations around the metro area. We also love MAMA ROJAS (9219 Lake Hefner Pkwy) which has a great view of Lake Hefner.

(Pssst… looking for Mexican fast food? My favorites are TACO CASA (localish), followed by TACO MAYO (local), and DEL TACO.)

For BURGERS, my favorite places are S&B BURGER JOINT and THE GARAGE. Both have multiple locations, quirky burgers, fun décor, and a full drink menu. If you’ve never had an onion burger, stop by BUNNY’S (1023 S Meridian), TUCKER’S (324 NW 23rd) or DAN’S OL’ TIME DINER (8433 S Western) and try one. Onion burgers were invented in Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl! The most famous burger joint in OKC is NIC’S GRILL (1201 N. Pennsylvania), but be prepared to wait due to long lines.

For BBQ, my favorite places are the locally owned SWADLEY’S BBQ and BILLY SIMS BBQ (both have multiple locations). If you’re on NW 39th, you can drive west to BAD BRAD’S BBQ in Yukon (700 W Main). If you’re on the south side, VAN’S PIG STAND has locations in Moore and Norman and is pretty good. We also have EARL’S RIB PALACE and RIB CRIB, if chains are your thing.

For CHINESE FOOD, my favorite places are GOLDEN PALACE BUFFET (1500 S. Meridian), TASTE OF CHINA BUFFET (7435 S Western) and the HIBACHI SUPREME BUFFET (1012 W I-240 Service Rd). If you like Pho, search for it — there are lots of places around. Oklahoma City also has several great SUSHI RESTAURANTS. My absolute favorite sushi place is SUSHI HAYASHI (10600 S Pennsylvania Ave), followed by the local chain NHINJA (multiple locations). SUSHI NEKO (4318 N Western) is very good, but a little bit more upscale. If you’re on the north side, SHAWN’S SUSHI (5612 Northwest Expressway) is a great stop.

For STEAK, the most famous steakhouse in OKC is CATTLEMAN’S, located at 1309 S Agnew in the stockyards. MICKEY MANTLE’S STEAKHOUSE in Bricktown (7 S Mickey Mantle Dr) is also good and has a view of the ballpark. I’m also a fan of CHARLESTON’S (2000 S. Meridian), and HEFNER GRILL up by the lake (9201 Lake Hefner Pkwy) is also good. Of course we also have OUTBACK and SALTGRASS (multiple locations).

Here are a few more random places I’d recommend:

CHUCK HOUSE (4430 NW 10th St)
The best chicken fried steak sandwiches in town. Note that seating isn’t great for plus-sized people, but they do have a drive-thru. Very similar to Del Rancho (multiple locations).

VAST (333 W Sheridan Ave)
Vast is the restaurant at the top of the Devon Tower (the tallest building downtown). Dinner is expensive, but there’s a $15 lunch buffet that’s pretty good and you’ll have a view of the entire city while you eat. Note that the Vast has a dress code (pants, no hats, no baseball caps).

HIDEAWAY PIZZA (Multiple Locations)
Locally owned and lots of Oklahoma-themed pizzas to choose from. The fried mushrooms and cheese sticks are also pretty darn good!

POPS (660 W. Highway 66)
Pops is known for two things — the giant pop bottle art statue out front, and for having more than 1,000 types of bottled pop to choose from. Lots of burgers to choose from on the menu, and you’ll have a lot of fun going through the rows and rows of pop in the freezers picking out the ones you want to drink!

BRAUM’S (Dozens of locations)
Braum’s is the only fast food restaurant I added to the list. Based out of Blanchard, Oklahoma, their burgers are good, but they are best known for their ice cream, shakes, and banana splits. Every Braum’s is located within 300 miles of Blanchard so that they can deliver their fresh ice cream, meat, and produce on a daily basis. After dinner, stop by and try one of their sundaes or a candy mix!

ATTRACTIONS

For THEME PARKS, Oklahoma City has FRONTIER CITY (our theme park) and WHITE WATER (our water park).

BRICKTOWN (downtown) is hopping with activity. There are zip lines, rock climbing, a free skate park, riverboat rides, and tons of things to see and do downtown. The MYRIAD BOTANICAL GARDEN (301 W Reno Ave) is also downtown. If big gardens are your thing, this is a good one to see. While you’re downtown, stop by PINKITZEL’S (150 N. EK Gaylord Blvd), my favorite cupcake store!

If it’s the right time of year and you enjoy basketball, you can always attend an OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER game. Tickets start at $20 or less for the nosebleed section and there are many food and drink options.

Oklahoma City has a world famous ZOO (2000 Remington Place) and next door to it is the OKLAHOMA SCIENCE MUSEUM (2020 Remington Place).

Directly across the street from those things is REMINGTON PARK, a casino and horse racing facility. Other popular casinos include RIVERWIND (in Norman) and LUCKY STAR CASINO (in Concho). Note that all casinos in Oklahoma are Tribal owned, which means the rules and slot machines may be slightly different than what you are used to.

The OKLAHOMA CITY NATIONAL MEMORIAL (620 N Harvey Ave) stands where the Murrah Building once stood. There are lots of things to see here for free. There’s also a museum next door that is totally worth the price of admission. Bring tissues.

In Norman there’s the SAM NOBLE MUSEUM (2401 Chautauqua Ave), full of dinosaur bones and skeletons for the kids. The museum is located next to the University of Oklahoma, which is a nice campus to drive around and look at. There are also dozens and dozens of nearby restaurants in this area.

The MUSEUM OF OSTEOLOGY (10301 S Sunnylane Road) has more than 300 skeletons from various animals on display, and you can bet your friends haven’t already been there.

Down near I-40 and Western is the WHEELER DISTRICT, which includes the old SANTA MONICA FERRIS WHEEL which has been relocated to Oklahoma City ($6/ride, $10/day pass). There’s also RIVERSPORT RAPIDS if you want to hop in a boat and paddle your way through the river.

And finally, about 75 miles south of Oklahoma City in Paul’s Valley is the TOY AND ACTION FIGURE MUSEUM (111 S Chickasaw St, Pauls Valley, OK). It’s a bit of a drive from the city, but if you’re headed south, this place is worth the stop with large collections of Star Wars, G.I.Joe, comic book characters, and more on display. Don’t forget to check out the Batcave and the superhero play area for the kiddies! There are also several one-of-a-kind toy prototypes on display at the museum.

NATURE

Oklahoma is known for its wonderful lakes and forests. If you’re looking to get away from the city, there are many destinations only a few minutes outside the city. Close to downtown is SCISSORTAIL TRAIL NATURE PRESERVE, complete with walking trails and even its own Ferris Wheel! On the north side of the city is MARTIN PARK NATURE CENTER (5000 W. Memorial Road) with walking trails. About an hour west of Oklahoma City is RED ROCK CANYON ADVENTURE PARK, a large canyon featuring walking and hiking trails, rappelling, a swimming pool, and other activities.

And don’t forget about Oklahoma City’s LAKE OVERHOLSER and LAKE HEFNER, both of which offer paddleboards and kayaks for rent. Next to LAKE OVERHOLSER is THE route 66 park with more walking trails, a large playground for children, and located next to a large (and free) city skatepark. LAKE EL RENO lies 20 minutes west of the metro and has lots of inexpensive camping spots available. South of the metro is LAKE THUNDERBIRD. Two-day fishing licenses for all Oklahoma lakes are $15. There are literally hundreds of lakes, parks, and campsites to explore in Oklahoma.