Oklahoma City’s history is complex and filled with stories of grit, resilience and an underdog spirit. Those character qualities, combined with civic visionaries and a cultural melting pot, have nurtured a wide range of interesting history lessons and experiences for visitors to enjoy. Here are just a handful of Oklahoma City’s many historic sites.
Heritage Hills and Mesta Park are two of OKC’s earliest neighborhoods, located adjacent to one another. From historic mansions like the Henry and Anna Overholser Mansion, these wide, leafy streets are a great place to stroll and admire.
The Oklahoma History Center is an 18-acre, 215,000-square-foot learning center exploring Oklahoma’s unique history of Native culture, pioneers, aviation, civil rights leaders, commerce and more. The Oklahoma History Center is a Smithsonian Affiliate and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The Oklahoma Historical Society manages the center with the mission to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people.
The Harn Homestead is an Oklahoma treasure that reflects the territorial history of Oklahoma City. It was established by William and Alice Harn in 1897. Today, the Harn Homestead is a living museum, with historic buildings, self-guided walking tours, limited hands-on activities in the Farmhouse building and a small gift shop.
The Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine opened in 2023, and the 6,000-foot edifice contains a museum and gift shop highlighting the story of Blessed Stanley Rother’s life and mission. It features artifacts from every stage of his life and provides information about his martyrdom and beatification. The shrine church is designed in the Spanish-colonial style, mirroring Blessed Stanley’s church in Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala: Saint James the Apostle Catholic Church.
Oklahoma National Guard Museum, formerly known as the 45th Infantry Division Museum, is a cherished institution of remembrance and education, celebrating the illustrious history of the Oklahoma National Guard, a living testament, honoring the sacrifices and achievements of the brave men and women in uniform.
The Anchor from the USS Oklahoma, attacked at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, was recovered from the wreckage and is now permanently on display at Campbell Park on a small patch of land at 13th Street and N. Broadway Avenue.
The Oklahoma State Capitol is available for walk-up tours on weekdays at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. at no cost. Tours are run by the Oklahoma Arts Council which maintains the Capitol Art Collection, more than 100 permanent sculptures, murals and paintings located throughout the Capitol’s hallways, rotunda and grounds. As you finish exploring the Oklahoma State Capitol, consider continuing your journey along historic Route 66.
At its zenith, U.S. Highway 66, AKA Route 66, AKA the ‘Mother Road,’ was a bustling, 2,400-mile highway stretching across two-thirds of the country, from the banks of Lake Michigan to the sunny Los Angeles shore of the Pacific Ocean. Here in Oklahoma City, it spans 51.5 miles and back in the day was also known as the Will Rogers Highway. It traverses five commercial districts and is dotted with about 200 signs, making it an easy drive to follow.
The historic Tower Theatre opened in 1937 and is one of Oklahoma City’s last original movie houses with an intact auditorium and iconic neon marquee. After many years of movie premieres and historic runs of classic films, the Tower Theatre closed in 1989. In 2017, Tower Theatre returned as a live music, movie and event venue in the heart of OKC’s Uptown 23rd district.
Built in 1924, the Lake Overholser Bridge boasted a unique design for the time, using the latest steel truss technology and combining a variety of trusses in unusual ways. The Overholser Bridge lost its official association with Route 66 in 1958 when a new highway section and wider bridge was built to the north, but its size and symmetry and long-time service as part of old Route 66 solidified it as a Mother Road landmark. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.
The Milk Bottle Grocery Building, at 2426 N. Classen Blvd. in Oklahoma City’s Asian District, is a Route 66 landmark. The little triangular building was constructed in the 1930s. You can’t miss the giant milk bottle on top, which was added in 1948. In 1998 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
For up-to-date information on Route 66 as it gears up for its centennial in 2026, find the latest events, attractions and hidden gems along Oklahoma City’s stretch of the Mother Road.
