OKLAHOMA CITY
Oklahoma City was founded in 1889 when some 50,000 homesteaders gathered at the boundary of the two-million-acre parcel. At noon, an Army cannon sounded the beginning of the Great Land Rush. By that night, the tiny Oklahoma Station railroad stop -- soon Oklahoma City -- had a population of more than 10,000. Today that number has grown to some 600,000 in an exciting and culture-rich greater metropolitan area of more than 1.3 million.
DAY 1: OKLAHOMA HISTORY
10:00 AM
Considering the nature of its founding, Oklahoma City is heavily associated with the Old West of yore. So start your day at the End of the Trail, artist James Earle Fraser's famous and much-copied statue of an exhausted Native American warrior slumped over his horse, located in the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.
2:00 PM
Head over to Stockyards City and browse through stores that will sell you authentic cowboy hats, boots, spurs, saddles, and jewelry. Be aware that Stockyards City is the real deal -- and is listed on the National Historic Register. If you come on a Monday or Tuesday, you can head next door to the Oklahoma National Stock Yards and watch the world's largest stocker-feeder cattle auction.
DAY 2: CULTURE DAY
10:00 AM
Start off your day at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, home to one of the world's most comprehensive collections of Dale Chihuly glass, notably the 55-foot Eleanor Blake Kirkpatrick Memorial Tower in the atrium.
2:00 PM
Head over to the Myriad Botanical Gardens, a 15-acre oasis of water features, flowers, an event lawn with a band shell -- check for live events -- and of course, the iconic Crystal Bridge Conservatory of tropical flora (which is illuminated at night), all in the heart of downtown.
6:00 PM
Finally, head to Midtown's Paseo Arts District and browse among 22 galleries and studios that are home to more than 80 working Oklahoma artists housed within a few square blocks, and intermingled with restaurants and boutiques.
DAY 3: THE GREAT OUTDOORS
10:00 AM
Start the day vigorously at Riversport Adventures, in the Boathouse District along the Oklahoma River. Features include the 80-foot, six-level, open-air SandRidge Sky Trail, which offers three routes down: the 72-foot Sky Slide; the free fall, Rumble Drop; and the 700-foot SandRidge Sky Zip across the river.
1:00 PM
Continue using your Riversport Adventures day pass to get on the river with wide, stable kayaks and stand-up paddleboards. Also, work is now underway on the more adventurous Riversport Rapids Whitewater Rafting & Kayaking Center, a $45 million, 11-acre artificial river including an Olympic-style kayak slalom course.