9 Storybook Towns In Oklahoma

Oklahoma is full of storybook towns, where Route 66 storefronts, oil-boom buildings, and Victorian architecture give many communities a timeless charm. Guthrie, for instance, is known for its brick streets and Victorian architecture, and one of the best Christmas celebrations in the state. Tahlequah boasts an alluring setting in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains and is the proud owner of the state's oldest main street. Sulphur lures nature lovers with its scenic wilderness areas, with plenty of hiking trails and wildlife-watching opportunities. Continue reading to discover 9 storybook towns in Oklahoma worth visiting.

Davis

Davis is a small, scenic town in south-central Oklahoma's Murray County, known as the home of Turner Falls Park, the state's oldest park and home to its tallest waterfall, an impressive 77-foot cascade that drops into a natural swimming pool. Davis sits in the heart of the Arbuckle Mountains, and many regard its physical backdrop as its strongest appeal. The Washita River passes just west of town, adding to the rustic atmosphere, while Main Street features period lighting, beautiful flower boxes, and unique storefronts.

The Chickasaw Welcome Center, right on I-35 at exit 55, provides travel information about Chickasaw Country and features a gift shop with made-in-Oklahoma products. Adjacent to the welcome center is Bedré Fine Chocolate, the Chickasaw Nation-owned chocolatier and store, a fine spot to satisfy your sweet tooth before sitting down to a plate of delicious catfish at Home Plate Diner, one block or so North on 77 from Main Street. Of course, Davis also serves as a gateway to the Chickasaw National Recreation Area, an expanse filled with springs and creeks that has been a destination for outdoor excursions for over a century.

Pawhuska

A few years ago, a passerby might have seen horses ambling down an otherwise vacant and boarded-up Kihekah, the name of Pawhuska’s main drag, a stretch lined with early 20th-century brick buildings and which functions as its commercial and cultural hub. Today, the town has transformed itself into one of Oklahoma’s premier tourist destinations, largely due to the effort of Food Network star Ree Drummond, who has transformed one of the town’s most famous buildings from an empty shell into a world-class restaurant and mercantile.

Drummond's Pioneer Woman Mercantile features a beautifully decorated restaurant with high ceilings and natural light, and a bakery on the second floor with several aromatic items to drool over. Constantine Theatre always feels like walking into the 1920s. At the same time, the Osage Nation Museum is a large stone chapel showcasing the history and customs of the Osage Indians via several eye-opening exhibits and artefacts.

Guthrie

Oklahoma’s original territorial capital has a lovely downtown with brick streets and Victorian architecture, as anyone would expect of the largest contiguous location on the National Register of Historic Places in the United States. Besides, Guthrie bills itself as “Oklahoma’s Christmas Capital” and often hosts the annual Territorial Christmas Celebration, one of the biggest holiday events in Oklahoma, where costumed carolers in Victorian attire create a celebratory environment, as does live music and street performances. There's the majestic Oklahoma Territorial Museum, a key site for understanding how Oklahoma became a state, and the attached Carnegie Library, which adds architectural and cultural importance beyond the exhibits. One can enjoy performances at The 1919 Pollard Theatre, peruse early medical equipment at the Frontier Drugstore Museum, or paddle the peaceful waters of Guthrie Lake, an outdoor pleasure spot with a fishing dock and two boat ramps.

Medicine Park

Art seems to pour out from nearly every open space in Medicine Park, especially along the aptly named Cobblestone Row, a stretch brimming with art boutiques, galleries, and cute, casual coffee shops. Medicine Park Art Walk, where outdoor beauty and vibrant local art collide, typically comes to town on the first weekend of October, and is often combined with the annual Flute Festival, a highly anticipated event showcasing Native American flute music and culture. The scenery is particularly exceptional, although this is largely because of the town's location in the foothills of the Wichita Mountains.

The Medicine Park Aquarium and Natural Sciences Center is a cool place to interact with electric eels and alligators, while Bath Lake is a peaceful place to chill and drift into bliss as you admire how the clear waters flow over granite rocks. Alternatively, for avid anglers, Bath Lake is filled with trout and offers decent fishing opportunities. You can zip along the Lawtonka Trail System, then pass by the Old Plantation Restaurant to relish a plate of tender chicken steak. The restaurant remains one of the most recognizable structures in town.

Broken Bow

There are several attractions in Broken Bow, but the Forest Heritage Center, established by a group of visionary foresters in the 1970s, is one of those quietly remarkable places that offers an unhurried, deeply Oklahoman experience. It features an 8-foot bronze sculpture of Jim Burnett, the first forest firefighter from Oklahoma to lose his life in the line of duty, the "People of the Forest" exhibit that pays tribute to those who shaped the forestry industry in Southeast Oklahoma, and several large dioramas painted by artist Harry Rossoll, the creator of the famous Smokey the Bear. Moreover, Broken Bow provides access to Broken Bow Lake, whose rocky, tree-lined shores provide the perfect setting for relaxation or fishing, Beavers Bend State Park, which provides cabins for a fuller, more immersive outdoor experience, the Mountain Fork and Glover Rivers, if you enjoy wading with a fly rod, and the Ouachita National Forest. Set in the foothills of the Kiamichi Mountains, Broken Bow certainly has admirable outdoor scenery.

Tahlequah

Tahlequah sits in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains, a setting that gives it a lush, forested backdrop, noticeably softening its edges and giving it a greenness rare in the state. The Illinois River curls nearby, adding a shimmering natural corridor that has made the town a summer destination for generations of floaters and paddlers. You have the oldest main street in the state of Oklahoma (you can imagine the nostalgia) and a downtown that rewards slow walkers with beautiful brick buildings, leafy shade, and an easy cadence that suits those who want to unwind. The Cherokee National Capitol building is an impressive brick structure with a distinctive cupola. It served as the seat of the Cherokee government long before Oklahoma became a state. There's the Cherokee Supreme Court Building, as well, the oldest public building in Oklahoma, and Sequoyah State Park, a popular outdoor space on the eastern shore of Fort Gibson Lake. Remember to pass by Boomarang Diner, a quaint property known for its delicious home-style cooking.

Bartlesville

Bartlesville has some incredible architecture, whose crown jewel is undoubtedly the Price Tower, reputed to be the only fully realized skyscraper designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Known as "the Tree that Escaped the Crowded Forest,” this 19-story landmark was completed in 1956 and is one of only two Wright structures to have a vertical orientation. The other is the Johnson Wax Research Tower in Racine, Wisconsin. Bartlesville is at the heart of “Green Country" alongside the scenic Osage Hills, and benefits from a landscape that feels softer and more verdant than much of the state, with winding roads, shaded canopies, and a terrain that gently rises and falls, not flat to the horizon.

Woolaroc Museum and Wildlife Refuge, which presents one of the world's most unique collections of Western art and artefacts, is one of the area's most patronised landmarks. You can grab a front seat into Bartlesville’s early years at the Bartlesville Area History Museum, whose exhibits include a replica of a one-room schoolhouse and other eye-catching pictures, then duck inside Frank and Lola's to relish some decadent catfish tacos.

Eufaula

With its 20-block downtown, handsomely preserved homes, and eye-catching red bricks listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Eufaula is another storybook Oklahoma town with solid vacation credentials. The town cradles the shores of Lake Eufaula, which boasts over 600 miles of shoreline and offers a variety of recreational opportunities, including boating and fishing. Of course, the lake also lends the area a mist of countryside scenery that many will find therapeutic. From riding horses along scenic trails at Little Turtle RV Park & Horse Resort to sampling decadent sweet potato casseroles at Captain John's, the go-to spot for refueling after a day at the lake, your time here will certainly be among your most memorable. Xtreme Amphitheatre is an incredible, family-friendly venue for live shows, while Our Favorite Place is unmatched for unique, made-in-Oklahoma products, including artwork, home decor, and gifts. After filling your shopping basket, stop by the store's smoothie bar in the back, especially if you want to crown everything with a thick, healthy drink that feels less like a treat and more like a well-earned reward.

Sulphur

Sulphur is considered one of the prettiest small towns in Oklahoma, and it earns that reputation because of its natural beauty, thanks largely to the Chickasaw National Recreation Area, an Oklahoma oasis with springs, streams, and lakes. Century-old buildings line Muskogee Avenue, a stretch serving as the core of the historic district and filled with buildings dating from the first three decades of the 20th century. The Artesian Hotel, a reconstructed version of a 1906 hotel once known as "the Mecca of the Southwest," features a full-service spa where guests can enjoy treatments incorporating the region's mineral waters.

Chickasaw Cultural Center, which celebrates the heritage of the Chickasaw people, is one of the finest tribal cultural centers in the country. Keep in mind that Sulphur is closely connected to the Chickasaw National Recreation Area, one of the oldest national parklands in the United States, having begun as Platt National Park in 1906. For some thigh-busting adventure, Travertine Nature Center has several short hiking trails and plenty of parking.

The truth is that beyond the plains and the prairie stereotypes that Oklahoma is known for, there are towns built by people who believed that beauty was not a luxury but an obligation, a form of civic pride. From a row of flower planters lining a sidewalk to Victorian streetscapes and red brick avenues preserving an era famous for craftsmanship, these communities offer something that is increasingly becoming rare in America: small-town elegance.