Have a long weekend coming up and thinking of getting out of town? Try venturing out of Kansas and drive about 4.5 hours south to Oklahoma City!
Preparing for the Drive
Let me start off with saying that I am not a super mom, who travels with no screens; we use a portable DVD player (that works well for us). I also packed a lot (and I mean A LOT) of snacks! We had a small cooler bag with some fruit, yogurts, cheese sticks, and cold drinks. My bigger boys packed a backpack of toys/books/activities for the car, and I packed a small bag of toys for my toddler.
Where We Stayed
As a family of 5, we find Air B&Bs to work best for us since they allow the extra space, and I love having a full kitchen available for meals. We stayed at a cute house that ended up being about 15 minutes away from the heart of Oklahoma City and pretty reasonably priced.
Halfway Point at the Sedgwick County Zoo
We started our journey bright and early because we wanted to split our drive up by stopping at the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita on our way down. We like to break up the drive so our kiddos can stretch and take a break from the car. The Sedgwick County Zoo was a nice halfway point on our drive, and since we had never been to Wichita before, we decided to check it out!
With a Sunset Zoo membership, you get 50% reciprocity, so this was a great stop for our family. Not only did they have my favorite animal (penguins!!!) but they also had my husband’s favorite (zebras), my 6 year old’s favorite (elephants), my 4 year old’s favorite (camels) AND our toddler’s favorite (lions). It was a fun zoo, easy to navigate, and spread out enough to not feel overwhelmed or crowded.
Best Family Friendly Attractions in Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City Thunder Basketball Game
Do you have some basketball fans in your family? If so, definitely travel to OKC for a pro game! My husband found some really reasonably priced Thunder tickets and was excited to take our two older boys to their first pro game.
Everything was surprisingly affordable and family friendly. There were games for kids to enjoy and food and merchandise were reasonably priced. Concessions also featured kid’s meals that included a protetin (e.g., hot dog; quesadilla), a drink, some gummies, and a drink. Parking was easy to find, close to the arena, and only $10! Just note, the arena is cash-free, so make sure you have a card if you’re planning to purchase anything. The graphics, halftime show, and mascot antics were all great, family friendly entertainment that complemented the game. It was a great time for kids and adults!
Science Museum Oklahoma
After getting some much needed sleep and cooking up a big breakfast in our Air B&B (we brought our own chicken eggs!), we were ready to visit the Science Museum Oklahoma. With a Flint Hills Discovery Center membership, two adults and two kids get in FREE! It is one of the largest science museums in the nation. Even though we went on a week day in an attempt to avoid a super large crowd, it was still incredibly busy. There are many isolated areas that make visibility difficult with littles, but my husband and I game-planned and pointed out designated meeting spots in case we got separated.
We spent most of our time in the CurioCity area and our kids had a ball in the carnival area. I absolutely loved that they had a nursing area available. We were unsure how to handle napping with my 16-month-old. But I was able to break away and nurse him, get him down for a nap, complete the ever so challenging sleep transfer, and rejoin our family!
Other notable areas of the museum included a large section with trains and planes that the kids could look at and a fun obstacle course that was set up on the second-level. We grabbed some lunch and a much needed coffee for the parents in the Pavlov’s snack area but do note that you can bring your own food.
We ended our time at the Museum with a Science Live show on explosions! We spent about 4 hours at the museum, but you can easily make an entire day of it.
Railroad museum
If you have any train loving fans in your crew, then definitely check out the Railroad Museum! The museum is free, and you can enter some of the trains. In addition, there’s a whole room of model trains to explore and the staff is very friendly. You can also purchase tickets for train rides, and they do host special events.
Oklahoma City Zoo
My crew absolutely loves zoos so they were super excited to see The Oklahoma City Zoo on our trip. Bring your Sunset Zoo membership for 50% off! Some of our favorite animals we saw included lions, gorillas, mountain lions, and jaguars. Because we saved on admission, we decided to splurge a little on some fun encounters. My boys had a great time riding the camels and feeding the rhinos!
We ate at The Lotus Cafe on site and appreciated some of the healthier options like vegetable spring rolls, protein bowls, and various salads. Your kids won’t eat that? Mine won’t either! So don’t worry, they still had chicken tenders, burgers, hotdogs, and peanut butter and jelly options. Although the food is good, it can get a bit pricey so it may be worthwhile to consider bringing your own food as a more budget friendly option.
We ended our zoo experience at the playground. I appreciated that they had an area designated for littler ones with baby swings and fun things to walk on while another area geared towards bigger kids had a fun climbing structure and slides.
Oklahoma State Firefighters Museum
Have fire truck lovers in your crew? About a mile away is the Oklahoma State Firefighters Museum. My toddler napped while we were there, but my older boys loved seeing the trucks and all the fire fighter gear. It is a smaller location so I would probably plan on only an hour or two here. But the staff is friendly, and it is a fun, affordable time!
Where to Eat in Oklahoma City with Kids
Sunnyside Diner
We wanted to try a local diner while in town, so we headed to Sunnyside Diner first thing in the morning. We filled up on delicious eggs, bacon, and pancakes. My kids love breakfast food, and Sunnyside definitely hit the spot! It was reasonably priced and centrally located.
Empire Slice House
Our crew loves pizza so we headed to Empire Slice House, a New York style pizza joint. And I do mean NY style with the pizza names (Like Fat Tony) and funky hip hop posters on the wall. The vibes and atmosphere were fun, the staff were friendly, the service was quick, and the food was delicious! My husband grew up in the New England area and can attest to the authentic New York style taste. We enjoyed the garlic knots, meatballs, and of course so much PIZZA!
We sure did have a blast in OKC and can’t wait to go back!
