What’s your summer love language? Are you a water-loving mer-person? Are you a bold adventurer, up for anything? Is summer after sundown your jam? Maybe you love a deeply air-conditioned museum. OKC summers are iconic, friends. Grab your sunscreen and let’s go have some fun!
Dip me in some water
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor has precisely what hot Oklahoma City summers demands: water and lots of it. Breathtaking water slides (hold on to your trunks), a languid Lazy River and fun for all ages. It’s easy to make a whole day of it – multiple snack shacks, food stands and restaurants proffer the classics: burgers, pizza, funnel cakes, slushes, cocktails and more. You can’t beat the location, either – easy to get to from wherever you’re staying.
OKANA Resort & Indoor Waterpark is OKC’s newest way to stay cool. It’s got a BEACH, slides, a zip-line, a peaceful, adults-only area (Cabana Cove), an inflatable obstacle course and lots more. Its swim-up bar is cleverly named OKASIS (you know we love smart wordplay)! The fun is all yours if you’re staying at the hotel, but don’t worry if you’re not. Day pass options are many and varied, so you’re sure to find the perfect plan for your clan. Pro tip: bring your own towels – they’re not included with day pass purchases.
RIVERSPORT OKC takes water-based and high-flying outdoor adventures to a whole canoe level (see what we did there?). There’s rowing, whitewater rafting, tubing, paddlesports, surfing, a six-story adventure course, bike park and more. Like what, you ask? A Sky Trail. It’s the tallest adventure course of its kind in the world at 80 feet high, a summer music concert series, night-time events, a great restaurant – it’s an adventurer’s paradise. Pro-tip: secure footwear is required for all activities. No slides, flip flops or Crocs are allowed.
Prefer to cool down indoors?
The First Americans Museum (FAM) showcases the collective histories of 39 distinctive First American Nations in Oklahoma today. The 175,000 square foot museum, located in Oklahoma City’s new Horizons District, showcases state-of-the-art exhibitions in First American history, community events and educational programs, a restaurant and café offering unique Indigenous-inspired cuisine, a multi-purpose theater and a museum store featuring exclusive items created by premiere First American artists. FAM is next door to OKANA…sounds like the beginnings of a plan!
OKC’s iconic National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is America’s premier institution when it comes to Western history, art and culture. Kids love Prosperity Junction, a turn-of-the-twentieth-century cattle town with 19 buildings, including a livery, blacksmith, schoolhouse and more. If you’re visiting after July 25, you won’t want to miss the immersive experience “The Cowboy,” bold new 360-degree experience that surrounds you with the landscapes, stories and spirit of the American West. Larger-than-life projections, sweeping soundscapes and historic imagery bring the story of the cowboy to life in a way you’ve never seen.
I’d like outdoor entertainment on a balmy summer evening
There’s no place more iconic for an evening under the beautiful Oklahoma sky than Scissortail Park. Its free summer concert series is filled with jazz, rock, classical and more. You can also lace up your skates and go for a spin at Sky Rink at Scissortail, open until 9 p.m.
Bricktown Summer Nights is a free weekly Friday night concert series running through late August in the heart of Bricktown, OKC’s groovy entertainment district. The family-friendly concerts feature themed performances (think rock tributes, blues and reggae), food trucks and yard games. The fun starts at 7 p.m.
Give me some classic Americana
What’s more iconic than a drive-in movie on a summer night? Not much – the good people at Winchester Drive-In Theatre know this and have offered audiences memory-making evenings since 1968. It’s OKC’s only drive-in theatre – to find it, just look for the neon cowboy!
OKC is home to the Wheeler Ferris Wheel, which has 20 gondolas and is more than 100 feet tall. Its location, on S. Western Ave., means you’ll enjoy stunning views of the downtown skyline and the Oklahoma River. Fun fact: this Ferris Wheel was originally located on the Santa Monica Pier in California.
Summertime in America means ice cream. We take our cones, sundaes and floats seriously around here, which means you have tough choices to make. Go old school and head to a Sonic Drive-In (founded in Shawnee, OK.), pull into a stall and relax. Your order will be delivered to you. Another Oklahoma OG, Braum’s, makes some of the biggest sundaes you’ll ever try to finish. Newer entries into OKC’s frozen delight category are Route 66 Gelato Cafe, Boom Town Creamery and Roxy’s Ice Cream Social. If you schedule it right, you can try them all in a weekend!
