It's the middle of the week in the heart of Oklahoma City (OKC), but you’d never guess it based on the crowds—and the live music—streaming in and out of restaurants and bars in the hip West Village District. I’m attempting to take a post-dinner stroll down West Sheridan Avenue but find myself stopping to window-shop every few steps, my list of places to visit during daylight hours growing by the minute. A little farther down the road, families, couples, and groups of friends relax on the grass at Myriad Botanical Gardens. The movie Barbie plays on a giant projector screen while Dua Lipa’s dance-inducing theme song pumps through loudspeakers. The late-spring weather makes the air feel ripe with possibility, but there was a time when the future of OKC didn’t seem as sunny as it does today.

Thirty years ago, the Oklahoma City bombing thrust the Sooner State capital into the national spotlight. At the time, downtown OKC was little more than a small outcropping of skyscrapers surrounded by fields of empty parking lots. After the tragedy, the city was forever changed. A major landmark was razed in the blink of an eye. But the impact from the lives and innocence lost had resounding repercussions. The future seemed to hang in the balance after this one pivotal event. With all eyes on OKC, the community banded together to become a place bent on determining its own destiny.

Today, it’s a thriving destination known for vibrant art, culture, entertainment, and dining. Its nickname, the Modern Frontier, pays homage to both its history as a Land Run locale and its limitless future. It has grown considerably, too, and is now the country’s 20th most populous city. This sprawling metropolis covers 620 square miles (which is nearly 10 times the size of Washington, D.C.) and is divided into 20 districts, each with a personality of its own. The best way to experience all that Oklahoma City has to offer is to explore it by neighborhood. While walking might be a bit of a stretch, ample parking and minimal traffic make traipsing through town a breeze.

Start your tour at Bricktown, a historic warehouse district that was founded just after the 1889 Land Run, when 50,000 people flooded the Unassigned Lands of what would become the Oklahoma Territory to stake their claim on 2 million acres. Now an entertainment hub, Bricktown is anchored by the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark (home to the Triple-A Oklahoma City Baseball Club) and a mile-long canal that’s lined with ice-cream shops, sports bars, and novelty stores. Most nights, the area buzzes with activity. The doors to businesses are left open, inviting hungry diners in and letting a cacophony of country music, dueling-piano classics, and Top 40 hits spill out.

If it’s your first visit, board the famous water taxi. A guide will provide a brief history of the area while pointing out landmarks and murals on the 40-minute cruise. Along the way, you’ll see the Centennial Land Run Monument. Its 45 larger-than-life figures—cowboys on horseback, women riding sidesaddle, and lots of covered wagons— make up one of the world’s largest bronze sculpture installations. In recent years, there’s been a push to recontextualize the display to include the Native American perspective and note that the “unassigned” lands had previously belonged to tribal nations. It’s important history you can learn more about at the First Americans Museum, which opened in 2021 and tells the story of the state’s 39 distinct tribal nations.

The site of OKC’s first major industrial developments is home to the world’s largest stocker and feeder cattle market, and it’s also the spot where you can find Western clothing, custom saddles, and rustic furnishings. Stores such as Western Wear Outlet and Little Joe’s Boots have all the spurs and bolo ties you could need, but if you want a cowboy hat, there’s only one place to go.

“I’ve always loved hats since I was a child,” explains Lavonna “Shorty” Koger, who’s owned Shorty’s Caboy Hattery for 35 years and says that when she started her business in 1990, it was the only woman-owned and -operated custom hattery in the country. Koger notes that the industry has blown up with the popularity of Yellowstone, but few places do things from start to finish the way she does. “They might sell and decorate hats,” she says, “but they don’t build them.”

Another legendary spot in Stockyards City is Cattlemen’s Steakhouse. Stop in here for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and don’t even think about leaving without trying a steak. All cuts, minus the Chicken Fried Steak (another Regional specialty), are broiled over a charcoal fire.

The main draws in the city center are true treasures, not just perfunctory boxes to check. The Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum tells the story of the Oklahoma City bombing—in the spot where it happened—featuring videos, firsthand accounts, audio recordings, artifacts, and photographs. The accompanying memorial, which includes an elm that withstood the blast (dubbed the Survivor Tree), an orchard honoring first responders, and a field of 168 empty chairs to represent those who died, is a quiet space to reflect. It’s the kind of place that leaves an impression and makes you feel better for visiting.

A few blocks away is Myriad Botanical Gardens, a 15-acre green space in the center of town. The grounds (including a carousel, plazas, terraced gardens, a bandstand, sculptures, a children’s play area, and fountains) are surrounded by stunning blooms, native plants, and intricate landscaping. The crown jewel here is the Crystal Bridge Conservatory, which is well worth its $10.50 admission fee. Inside, you’ll find a lush oasis overflowing with exotic plants ranging from desert succulents to delicate orchids, giant ferns to tropical fruit trees. A third-floor skywalk allows for bird’s-eye views, while a two-story waterfall provides a relaxing ambient soundtrack.

Scissortail Park, located just outside Paycom Center (home of the Oklahoma City Thunder basketball team) and the Oklahoma City Convention Center, spans 70 acres and is the unofficial living room of the city. There are sports courts and fields, a lake with paddleboard rentals, a playground, a burger restaurant, a stage, and a great lawn. Gardens and walkways dot the area that hosts seasonal farmers’ markets and summer concerts.

One of downtown’s newest gems is actually a reimagining of an old one. In 2022, the historic First National Bank building (now known as First National Center) became an opulent 146-room hotel complete with a shopping center and five food-and-beverage concepts, including a bank-vault bar and a restaurant with seating around original teller booths.

The arts are alive and well in Oklahoma City, and nowhere is that more apparent than in The Paseo, a community listed on the National Register of Historic Places and known for its beautiful Spanish Revival architecture. Over 20 galleries representing more than 80 artists can be found inside the pastel stucco buildings with clay-tile roofs. Clothing boutiques, cafes, shops, and restaurants, plus a funky cocktail bar (Flamingo Tiki) and vegan doughnut shop (Holey Rollers), fill in the rest of this colorful neighborhood.

For over three decades, ceramist Collin Rosebrook has sold functional and sculptural pieces from Paseo Pottery, his Pepto-Bismol pink gallery. Just down the road at Paseo Gallery One, every corner you turn reveals a new style from its 10 resident artists and a rotating group of guest creators.

Sometimes art is hung on a wall, but other times it’s lived, breathed, touched, and listened to. At least that’s the case at Factory Obscura, a zany immersive experience that’s fun for all ages. Guests are invited to wander through a maze of rooms, each with at themed installation. There’s a light-up tunnel of love that’s covered floor to ceiling in stuffed animals, a 1990s-era teen girl’s bedroom (where you can perform karaoke to tunes by the Pixies and Dolly Parton), and a playground of rainbow-colored crocheted barnacles that look like they’re straight from a Dr. Seuss book.

Find more conversation-starting work at the Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, where rotating exhibits and the Campbell Art Park (with its large-scale public installations) are free to visit.

Automobile Alley got its start in the 1920s as a commercial district filled with car dealerships and repair shops. Today, those long-abandoned buildings host an enticing mix of local restaurants, stores, and service-based businesses. If you’re in the mood to do some browsing and buying, boutiques and gift shops are this area’s new bread and butter. Plenty Mercantile, Shop Good, and Oklahoma Shirt Company sell items for the home, screenprinted T-shirts, and lots of trendy Oklahoma-branded items to commemorate your trip. Much like the city itself, Automobile Alley is keen on honoring its past while embracing the future.

Soaring ceilings, a giant performance stage, and a wall of garage doors that open to a massive bricked courtyard all speak to the impressive scale of this restaurant, bar, and music venue. During dinner service, an ultracool vibe is set with black-and-white movies projected on the performance stage and live music in the courtyard. The menu offers something for everyone, starting with Southern appetizers like deviled eggs and cornmeal- crusted fried okra. You can also order a pizza topped with patatas bravas, chimichurri, and serrano ham or a vegetarian wood-fired cauliflower steak served with gigante beans and Alpine fondue.

thejonesassembly.com; 901 W. Sheridan, Oklahoma City, OK 73106; 405-212-2378

Two-time James Beard Award nominee chef Jeff Chanchaleune pays homage to his Laotian heritage at a restaurant he opened down the street from his childhood home in the eclectic Plaza District. Everything is served family style, with nothing priced over $15. A blend of salty, sour, and spicy flavors dominates dishes like herbaceous Lao sausage-and-crispy rice salad. The mushroom stew with Thai eggplant (plus herbs, onion, and chiles) is a must-order. Chanchaleune's newest venture Bar Sen focuses on Lao noodles dishes and cocktails and opened right next door to Ma Der Lao in February 2025.

maderlaokitchen.com; 1634 N. Blackwelder Avenue, #102, Oklahoma City, OK 73106; 405-900-5503

Delicate pastries served on pretty china and overstuffed sandwiches on homemade bread are hallmarks of this modern eatery that gets extra points for its library-inspired spacious dining room and excellent natural light.

theharveybakery.com; 301 NW 13th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73103; 405-898-8811

Get on the online waiting list early if you want brunch at this weekend favorite known for its hearty Latin American dishes, like spicy chilaquiles and Salvadorian pupusas. The mango pancakes with condensed milk and blackberry-bourbon sauce are also popular.

cafekacao.com; 3325 N Classen Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK 73118; 405-584-6361

A tiny white building that’s surrounded by a sea of strip malls and warehouses holds one of the city’s most exciting dining experiences. Zack Walters and Silvana Arandia-Walters offer an ever-changing menu of seafood small plates that have included blackfin tuna crudo with salted strawberry vinaigrette and Hama Hama clams with pork belly and mushroom broth.

sedaliasokc.com; 2727 NW 10th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73107; 405-626-8249

In a full circle moment, James Beard Award-winning chef Andrew Black, who moved to town in 2007 to run the dining program at the Skirvin Hilton hotel, now has his own restaurant, Perle Mesta, in that same space. Opened last summer, the eatery has a menu that combines Black’s Indo-Jamaican upbringing and global travels to create dishes that he describes as “possibility cuisine.” “It’s where a chef pushes the boundaries of cultures and flavors,” he explains.

perlemesta.com; One Park Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK 73102; 405-702-8547

This boutique hotel, which features 36 rooms across a historic home and a motor court-style guesthouse, is also a go-to dining spot for locals. Options include a patisserie, a bar, and an all-day cafe. Earning the state’s first and only Michelin Key in the fall of 2024, the 1912 Victorian building has a charming ambience with vintage-photo gallery walls, pink and green velvet furniture, and distinctive wallpaper.

bradfordhouseokc.com; 1235 NW 38th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73118; 405-609-8700