4 Oklahoma Towns Where Famous Movies Were Filmed

Long celebrated for its arts-and-entertainment legacy, anchored by the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Oklahoma!, Oklahoma has slowly but steadily been stepping into the spotlight as an unexpected film hotspot. Over the past fifty years, blockbuster filmmakers, including Francis Ford Coppola, Barry Levison, and renowned director Martin Scorsese, have traded the production studios of Hollywood for the real-life settings of old historic storefronts, main streets, Route 66 towns, the Great Plains, red-dirt hills, and modern skylines.

Add to that, the state was among the first to offer a generous film incentive back in 2001, and before you knew it, the 28th most populous state in the U.S, Oklahoma, and its population of over 4.1 million residents, were seeing stars like Sylvester Stallone, Matt Damon, and Leonardo DiCaprio on the streets of Tulsa, Wakita, Pawhuska, and Stillwater.

Tulsa

Set in Tulsa, the movie The Outsiders (1983) is arguably one of the most well-known films ever filmed there. Based on the real-life experiences of author S.E. Hinton, the coming-of-age story was inspired by the rivalries between neighborhood gangs in the 1960s. The uber-famous director, Francis Ford Coppola, took advantage of locations around North Tulsa, and in the 40+ years since, the city has preserved the film’s landmarks as attractions for fans of the novel and film. Start at the Outsiders House Museum to stand in the kitchen and living room where the Curtis brothers argued, and see hundreds of photographs and artifacts from the film. Just off Route 66, visit the historic Admiral Twin Drive-In, which has been showing movies since 1951, and was featured in The Outsiders.

The Tulsa Arts District (formerly the old Brady District) is one of the oldest landmark neighborhoods in town and is home to Cain’s Ballroom, a historic music venue since 1924. The district served as a backdrop for many of the movie's scenes, thanks to its gritty, vintage character, featuring railroad-era architecture, old factories, and brick buildings.

Wakita

Thanks to its loosely defined location in Tornado Alley, Oklahoma was a no-brainer for the film Twister (1996). While there are no clear boundaries, the area includes the Great Plains states of Texas, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Oklahoma. The film, about a renegade band of storm chasers, follows a cast of talented actors, including Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Paxton, and Helen Hunt, as they chase wild weather across the state. Most of the filming took place in small towns around El Reno, Guthrie, and Wakita.

Photograph of the water tower in Wakita, Oklahoma. — Photograph of the water tower in Wakita, Oklahoma, featured in the movie Twister. Image credit: Nick Nolte via Wikimedia Commons.

Today, despite its tiny population of around 300 residents, Wakita still draws fans of the 90s disaster film to attractions like the Twister The Movie Museum. Seasonally open, the museum features the original Dorothy 1 from the movie, which was inspired by the real-world TOTO (TOtable Tornado Observatory) used by NOAA in the 1980s. You’ll also see behind-the-scenes video clips, and debris like lamp posts and bank doors that flew across the set. After exploring the museum, drive to the 32197-acre Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge, about 20 miles away, which is an important bird sanctuary for sandhill cranes, ducks, shorebirds, and some endangered whooping cranes.

Pawhuska, Osage County

The Osage Nation Museum in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. Image credit: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD via Wikimedia Commons.

Pawhuska, in Osage County, is the tribal capital of the Osage Nation, and has been the location of two major films, shot 10 years apart: Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) and the Pulitzer-winning drama adaptation of August: Osage County (2013), starring the powerhouse duo of Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts. For context on Osage culture, history, and sovereignty depicted in The Killers of the Flower Moon, visit the Osage Nation Museum, the oldest tribally governed museum in the U.S., and a must-see.

The Tallgrass Prairie Preserve — north of Pawhuska, in Osage County, Oklahoma — The Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, north of Pawhuska, in Osage County, Oklahoma

The 11,000-acre Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, the largest protected tallgrass prairie on Earth, perfectly captures the rural Osage County scenery that was iconic to both films, particularly the isolated, rural atmosphere depicted in August: Osage County. Visit the preserve to see vast, wide-open spaces, beautiful vistas, wildflowers, and the occasional roaming herd of bison along one of the three 24-hour nature trails: the 1.75-mile Southwind Nature Trail leading to a one-room schoolhouse on a hill; the short Bottomland Nature Trail, which features interpretative signs, benches, and an information kiosk; or the 6.1-mile round-trip Fox Creek Hiking Trail which connects you to the Visitor Center.

Finally, while on the surface Pawhuska may appear to be a quiet Osage County town, it is also the hometown of the massive Food Network star Ree Drummond (aka The Pioneer Woman) and the Pioneer Woman Mercantile, which draws fans from far and wide to see Ree, Ladd, and the kids at the destination restaurant, bakery, and store.

Stillwater

The town of Stillwater, halfway between Oklahoma City and Tulsa, is also the name of a 2021 crime drama starring American actor Matt Damon. Stillwater was filmed in a few small towns around Oklahoma, including Chickasha, El Reno, Guthrie, and Stillwater. Still, the fact that the city lends its name to the film as the hometown of hero Matt Damon, who goes looking for his daughter, imprisoned for murdering her roommate in Marseille, France, makes the town worth discovering. That, and the fact that true-crime enthusiasts will recognize the similarity between the film’s plot and the real-life case of Amanda Knox.

National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Image credit: Wikimedia Public Domain.

Wrestling fans will instantly connect Stillwater with the home of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum. Opened in 1976, the museum honors the greatest names in wrestling, including Olympic gold medal winners, and features interactive exhibits, kiosks, and videos of NCAA Championship matches from the 1930s to today. After going a few rounds at the wrestling mecca, head to Oklahoma State University to see its stunning 100-acre expansive Botanic Garden, which includes everything from peaceful walking trails to over 1,000 species of plants, a Japanese garden, and a children’s area that features a fairy garden, a chicken coop, and a train garden.

These Towns In Oklahoma Have The Best Main Streets From Guthrie’s storied avenues to Woodward’s Christmas Parade, discover these nine Oklahoma towns whose main streets deliver some of the state’s most delightful small-town experiences.

Lights, Camera, Action In Oklahoma

Oklahoma has quietly become a top filming destination, with several towns starring on the big screen. Tulsa is best known for The Outsiders, with preserved locations like the Outsiders House Museum and the Admiral Twin Drive-In, used in filming. In Wakita, fans of Twister can visit the Twister The Movie Museum before heading to the nearby Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge. Pawhuska in Osage County features prominently in both Killers of the Flower Moon and August: Osage County. Finally, Stillwater, namesake of the 2021 Matt Damon film, offers stops such as the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum and the lush OSU Botanic Garden, rounding out the four Oklahoma towns where famous movies were made.

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