This past year marked continued growth for Oklahoma City, and 2024 promises even more new attractions, hotels, restaurants and amenities. We’ve rounded up a list of anticipated openings in the year ahead.
What’s New
Oklahoma City had a lot to celebrate in 2023, including the renovated Crystal Bridge Conservatory at the Myriad Botanical Gardens. Improvements enhanced visitor experiences with a more diverse plant collection, interactive educational exhibits, improved ADA accessibility and a museum-quality gift shop. A two-level waterfall feature and striking sculptural elements are other new additions you’ll want to check out at this iconic attraction.
The Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine’s much-anticipated dedication took place in Feb. 2023. This Shrine Church was built to honor and serve as the final resting place for the first U.S.-born priest and martyr ever beatified by the Catholic Church. The Spanish colonial-style architecture was inspired by the church Blessed Stanley served in Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala. The complex includes a museum with information and programming highlighting Blessed Stanley Rother’s life, mission, martyrdom and beautification.
A multi-year modernization campaign kicked off at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum which includes enhanced guest experiences and infrastructure. Transformations to the Cowboy’s exhibits are already underway. Step into the heart of the West at the Museum’s new interactive experience that brings the Code of the West to life. Or check out the Heritage Table to explore what the Code of the West means and how you can be a part of it all through a hands-on activity. Additional improvements are expected to be rolled out over the next three years.
What’s Coming
Oklahoma City already boasts a world-class zoo, and it’s getting even better. Expedition Africa, the OKC Zoo’s largest habitat expansion ever, will open in Spring 2024 and brings 12 acres of upgraded amenities to a variety of animals through larger habitats, as well as immersive experiences for visitors. This exciting new experience includes a state-of-the-art giraffe viewing area and vista spaces for common elands, flamingos, gazelles, honey badgers, meerkats, mongooses, naked mole rats, okapis, ostriches, wildebeests and zebras.
Sports fans will be excited to hear the Savannah Bananas are returning to OKC in 2024! This viral baseball sensation will bring the 2024 Banana Ball Tour back to Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark May 16-18, 2024. This expanded OKC stop is the only one the Bananas are making in Oklahoma. Tickets go on sale about two months prior to the event and will sell out fast, so save the date to grab your seats for what ESPN dubs “The Greatest Show in Sports!”
Slated to open in Spring 2024, the Oklahoma Trailhead and Bike Park at RIVERSPORT will include a new bike plaza, an outdoor classroom, community garden and play area, as well as additional paved parking. Shipping containers will be used to create a unique gathering place that includes a welcome center, a nature center and ADA restrooms.
Oklahoma City’s Adventure District is getting an upgrade. The beloved district will now be home to a mixed-use development called Boomtown OKC. Amenities include a pickleball facility with 16 outdoor courts and four indoor courts, plus volleyball courts, new restaurants, retail shops and eventually, a hotel. The indoor and outdoor volleyball courts are the first phase set to open next summer.
James Beard Award-winning chef Andrew Black is returning to his first home in Oklahoma City, the Skirvin Hilton Hotel, to bring to life a new dining concept, Perle Mesta. His vision for an iconic restaurant experience has kept details under wraps but is expected to be unveiled in 2024.
Slated for fall 2024, the 20-acre, mixed-use development OAK will be an entertainment destination complete with upscale retail, dining and the 132-room Lively Hotel, plus additional residential and office space. Located at NW Expressway and Pennsylvania Avenue, the OAK’s central greenspace and stunning public art are sure to be a destination themselves.
Additional expansion and construction projects continue across the city at the OKC Fairgrounds Coliseum, Clara Luper Civil Rights Center, OKANA Resort, plus many other restaurants and hotels that we anticipate opening in 2025. Keep up with it all through Visit OKC’s social channels and Insider’s Guide blog.
