From Fort Worth, we drove almost due north to Oklahoma City.
I did not expect to see so many wind turbines! We barely saw any in Texas, but as soon as we got to Oklahoma, there were dozens!
What I did expect to see was farm equipment. When I thought about Oklahoma, this may be exactly what I pictured…
We also saw large fields with so many horses! I wish I’d thought to get a picture earlier, but by the time I thought about it, we didn’t see any more. But we passed several farms with dozens of horses in a field together.
Oklahoma appears to pay more attention to overpasses than other states. Once again, we passed several really impressive ones before I thought to try for photos, but I managed to get a couple of pictures.
Just a few minutes from the campground we passed our first RV Loves’ RV Stop. It’s basically a Love’s truck stop with a small RV park. It was gated, so we didn’t drive through, but it looked nice. It was walking distance to the Love’s, but still separate from the truck stop, so I don’t think it would really feel like you were camping in a truck stop. I can see us trying this someday for a one-night stay on our way somewhere else.
Where We Stayed
We stayed at Oklahoma City East KOA. I wouldn’t consider it a destination, but it was a perfectly reasonable place for us to stay for two nights while we explored the area.
I think they have one of the best campground dog parks we’ve seen! It has lots of trees and is more natural, as opposed to the small square of manicured grass you find at most dog parks. There’s plenty of shade and room for dogs to run and play. It was also well-lit in the front. Naturally, I didn’t think to get a photo.
| Campground Name | Oklahoma City East KOA |
| Location | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
| Dates | April 11-13, 2024 |
| Site Number | Site 23 |
| Hook-ups | Full hookups + 50-amp electric |
| Cost | $66 per night (including taxes) |
| Water Pressure | 50-60 psi |
| Voltage | ~120-125 V |
| AT&T Speed Test | |
| Verizon Speed Test | 60 Mbps up; 12 Mbps down |
| T-Mobile Speed Test | 265 Mbps down; 5 Mbps up |
| Campground WiFi | 8 Mbps down; 0.07 Mbps up |
One important thing to note is that as of April 2024 when I’m writing this post, the map they have online is outdated. It doesn’t reflect some expansion they’ve done. There are more sites and the dog park is in a different location. They do have an updated map because we received one when we checked in. Hopefully they’ll get the new one online soon.
What We Did
Lake Thunderbird State Park
Lake Thunderbird State Park is 12 miles south of the campground. It took us a little more than 15 minutes to get there. They have a campground, two marinas, and a lot of trails.
We parked in a small lot at the corner of Indian Point Road and Alameda Drive.
The lake access was the dogs’ favorite part of the hike.
The park is less than 20 miles (as the crow flies) from Tinker Air Force Base. We assume that is the reason we heard so many planes and saw this unusual one.
Choctaw Creek Park
Choctaw Creek Park is about 7 miles north of the campground and took us less than 15 minutes to drive to. They have a playground, a disc golf course, a walking path, and a lot of open space.
They also have these little structures (four poles holding up a thin metal roof) along the front road with a sign about vendor parking. I assume they have a farmer’s market or flea market on certain days.
Scissortail Park
Scissortail Park and the Scissortail Bridge are must-sees if you’re in the area! It was about a 20-minute drive from the campground. We found street parking near Overlook Hill and walked north past the basketball courts toward the bridge. The park on the north side of the bridge is very impressive. There’s an outdoor roller skating rink, a splash pad, a fenced dog park, and more. A paved walking trail meanders through it all.
Oklahoma City Zoo
The zoo is bordered by a golf course, a park, and a lake, so it feels almost like it’s a zoo within a really large park. We got to there right at opening. I couldn’t believe how many cars were already in the parking lot!
There was more chain link fencing than I expected, and the layout was a little confusing. Some zoos are laid out in such a way that you don’t think too much about where you’re going…the path just flows in a way that you end up seeing everything. This zoo wasn’t like that. We had to keep checking the map to make sure we hadn’t missed something along the way.
Instead of renting a regular scooter, you can rent these fun scooters! We didn’t look into them, so I have no idea how much it costs to rent one, but they sure did look like fun!
Oklahoma City Zoo has one of the mostinteresting elephant exhibits I’ve seen, mainly because of their elephant barn. There are viewing windows so you can look inside, and they even have a diagram of the interior so you see how it’s laid out. I enjoyed being able to see the inside, as it’s not always mentioned at other zoos.
How adorable is this baby Francois’ langur?
The Oklahoma City Zoo has this thing called OKC Zoo Keys. Certain exhibits have a sign in front that gives a fact about the particular animal and something you can do to help with the animal’s conservation.
There’s also a small speaker with each one. You can purchase a key that allows you to play a clip with more information. We didn’t get a key, so I can’t comment on the audio, but I really appreciated the conservation tip on each sign.
Where We Ate
Pops 66
Pops 66 is a diner and gas station on historic Route 66. They sell sodas in every flavor imaginable. The fries were delicious. The rest of the food was just ok, but we went for the experience. There is a 66-foot tall soda bottle sculpture out front. (It lights up at night, so if you can go after dark, do!)
Photos
Happy travels!
