Road-trip stops in Oklahoma

Blue Whale of Catoosa

An eighty-foot smiling concrete whale a man built in the seventies as an anniversary gift for his wife, who collected whale figurines. They opened it up as a swimming hole; the swimming's been closed for decades but the whale is still there, still grinning, still on every Route 66 photo album. Donation box. Bring a postcard.

National Route 66 Museum

Elk City Oklahoma's National Route 66 Museum — the largest collection of Route 66 memorabilia in the country: vintage cars, gas pumps, motel signage, period-correct dioramas of every state R66 crosses. The complex includes the Old Town Museum (frontier Oklahoma), Farm and Ranch Museum, and the Transportation Museum. Plan ninety minutes. Just off I-40 / Old R66 at Elk City Exit 32.

Oklahoma City National Memorial

The site of the April 19, 1995 Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building bombing — 168 victims memorialized in 168 empty chairs facing a reflecting pool, bookended by the granite Gates of Time (9:01 and 9:03, the minute before and after the blast). The Survivor Tree, the Field of Empty Chairs, the Children's Area — every element carries meaning. The outdoor memorial is free; the Museum charges admission. Allow ninety minutes. Downtown OKC, just off I-40. Not appropriate for very young children.

POPS 66 Soda Ranch

Six hundred different glass-bottle sodas, lit up in a rainbow wall behind the counter, with a sixty-six-foot LED soda bottle sculpture out front that changes color at night. Burgers, fries, milkshakes, and a soda from a country you've never been to. Right on Route 66 outside Oklahoma City.

Will Rogers Memorial Museum

Comprehensive museum dedicated to the Oklahoma-born humorist, vaudeville performer, and 'cowboy philosopher' Will Rogers (1879–1935). Houses his original Hollywood film reels, his pearl-handled six-shooters, his lasso, and his 1935 tomb on the grounds. Two-hour visit. Free admission (donations welcomed). Off I-44 in NE Oklahoma. Pair with the National Route 66 Museum 90 minutes west.