lost in exploration | oklahoma city

an 11-day road trip starting in Indianapolis, visiting 10 cities in five days

end of day nine:

4 | 29 | 2023 (Saturday)

Three hours after leaving Fort Worth, we arrived in OKC! Checked in to the Airbnb around 5:15PM, which gave us plenty of time to unload the car and figure out our dinner plans. We had an idea in mind - Scissortail Park area - but kept it somewhat open. As we made our way downtown, we found an OKC mural to check out. Then, decided to visit the Wheeler Ferris Wheel and OKC letters before it got dark.

It wasn’t too busy but definitely a perfect evening especially because it was prom. The OKC letters were a hoppin’ place for prom photos, but it wasn’t too bad to at least snap a few of our own. There was also a giant mural painted on some shipping containers; hard to even get the whole thing in one photo!

Tabs and I decided to ride the ferris wheel, which I’ve never ridden one before, and thankfully, it wasn’t busy. Made for a peaceful, first-time ride! It was also very cool to see the letters and mural up high.

Wheeler Ferris Wheel and OKC letters in the Wheeler district

After riding the ferris wheel, we made our way back to Scissortail Park; however, it wasn’t the easiest to navigate because of street closures and preparations for a race the next day. Eventually, we found parking, and while we didn’t end up paying to go into the Myriad Botanical Gardens, we did walk the surrounding children’s garden.

Around 7:15PM we finally decided on dinner, Social Capital: across the street from Scissortail Park with over 80 beer options and an extensive food menu! Plus, there were multiple areas to sit, whether you wanted to be inside or outside, and they had board games laid out on tables for you to play. It’s definitely a great hangout spot, especially for larger groups.

We both ordered a beer and split a huge tray of nachos and a quesadilla. It was all delicious and much needed after the longer travel day.

Stopped into SPARK for ice cream, and my goodness, I love chocolate ice cream with Reese’s so much. It’s seriously all I ever order from anywhere: DQ, Culvers, you name it! And, the best part, just when I thought I ate all of the Reese’s toppings, I got to the bottom to find even. more. Reese’s! It was the best surprise!

We walked around the park a bit in time for the sunset - if you don’t know, I love me a sunset! We also waited until it got darker to check out Taking Flight: Light as a Feather, Sculpture.

OKC Convention Center reflecting the sunset

Taking Flight: Light as a Feather, Sculpture

beginning of day ten:

4 | 30 | 2023 (Sunday)

To start the day: happy 40th birthday to my older brother, Chad! A reminder that I’m also getting older and most of the time, can’t believe it!

We were up, packed, and out of the Airbnb by 8:00AM, on our way for some much needed coffee. We happened upon a fun, random mural under some outdoor stairs, so we stopped to take a couple of photos. And we realized that some roads we’d been driving, were part of the historic Route 66.

Our coffee stop was going to be back near the ferris wheel (south), Clarify Coffee, but because of the race I mentioned earlier, we couldn’t find our way over there without having to drive completely out of the way. So, our plans shifted, and after more Google searching, I found Coffee Jerks, which happened to be on the north side near our donut stop. It worked out well because we not only bought coffee but a breakfast sandwich to split.

Finally, we made it to our last stop, Donut Therapy, which is exactly how I view donuts. It’s very hard for me not to want *all* of the donuts. All. of. them. But, we settled on blueberry cake and their version of a croissant donut combination. The blueberry cake reminded me of Gibson’s back in Memphis, equally as flavorful and delicious! The croissant donut was also a winner, and I wasn’t surprised; I am a carb-lover, specifically pastries. Overall, Donut Therapy was absolutely worth it! Nearing the end of our road trip: onto Tulsa and eventually Saint Louis!