Oklahoma - and not a thigh slap in sight:-) (Oklahoma)

Member Name: spangle359

Product:	Oklahoma
Date:	13/05/01 (79 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: very reasonable, lots to do, great shopping

Disadvantages: no beaches

Oklahoma

Nooooo...not the song, the state:-)

When my family moved from California to Oklahoma I was crest-fallen. I loved visiting California and the thought of swapping it for some mid west ramshackle cowboy town really did not appeal to me at all. There wasn't even a beach for 1000 miles and.....who goes to Oklahoma on holiday? Well, we did and if you get the chance, you should.

One glance at my itinerary filled me with dread, a 14hour journey on my own with two children then aged four and eight. We were going to Okla for seven weeks, my husband was joining us for the last three and we would travel back together. But.....we still had to get there.

The send off from Edinburgh was wonderful, except for the fuss that only two sets of grand-parents can cause at a check-in desk, at this point I realised that they still thought I was 12 and totally incapable of doing anything for myself. The relief, as we boarded our plane for the initial leg of the journey, was incredible. An hour and a half later we arrived at Amsterdam and were whisked in a transporter to our North West terminal just in time to catch our main flight. The next nine hours to Memphis dragged but eventually we reached our second stop-off and had an hour in the airport. We arrived in Okla at 10.30p.m. to temperatures of 80 degrees.

After a couple of days recovery, we set out to explore. Temperatures were reaching 100 degrees but as everything is air-conditioned, it really wasn't a problem for us. I was pleasantly surprised at what this state had to offer in the way of history, culture and childrens' activities.

My sister and her husband have four children and as he was travelling a lot, it was left to us to herd our six children in a people carrier to wherever their little hearts desired.

The difference in going to an American State which is not a recognised holiday destination is that you get to meet real people, o
nes who are genuinely happy to meet you, give you advice and make sure you have a wonderful time. Everyone loved the British accents and the children were fussed over time and time again.

We visited the Water Park. It was phenominal, acres of land turned into a water paradise with every conceivable flume, slide, pool and play area. It was spotlessly clean and full of rather attractive life guards :-)

The other arm of the Water Park was Frontier City, along the lines of Alton Towers, except it was much bigger, much more to do and no queues. The surrounding gardens were so well kept and they genuinely loved children.

I mention these two theme parks together because they are treated as one in the pricing package. The astonishing thing is that for a year's entry the price is $60 per person (around £40). This enables you to go to either or both parks every day (April - September) without any further charge!!!!! Could that ever happen here!!!!!! We bought a year's membership for everyone, even although we were only there for seven weeks and we certainly got exceptional value for money.

Another amazing deal was the zoo, again laid out in beautiful surroundings with great care paid to the needs of the animals. Spacious enclosures and imaginative layout really did enhance the whole experience. The cost of this was $50 per family. This was for a family pass for up to 10 people Jan - Dec.

The Kirpatrick Centre was the most amazing place for adults and children alike. It was a hands-on science museum, aviation museum and Richard Scarry Town. We spent 8 hours there and had to drag the children (and the adults) away when it closed in the evening.

The surprising thing was that the Centre came as part of the zoo package, so the cost of that was nil.

There were so many other places like the Cowboy Hall of Fame, Bricktown, The County Fair etc. far too many to list here and all at the most incredible p
rices.

Food

Oklahoma has the highest percentage of restaurants per head in the USA. There is a street which is two miles long and is made up of restaurants alone, on both sides of the road. The food is so varied, covering everything from Cajun, Mexican, Italian through to Indian. The children ate free in most places and were always given toys, games, etc. to amuse them while they waited.
As for the adults, well......our most expensive meal was in a very plush Indian restaurant, where we had our own private dining room for 4 (the restaurant had 10 private dining rooms and one large public dining area). The cost of a five course meal for 4....a mere $80 (around £55) and it included free margueritas.

Shopping

A shopper's paradise, all I really should say on that one is that I went with two suitcases and came home with nine. I have never shopped like that before or since but with sales offering 80% off the original price (which was low to start with), who could resist. Even my husband became a shopaholic, in fact, even the children wanted to go to the mall as often as possible. :-)

The absolute highlight of the holiday was a trip to the original setting of the musical "Oklahoma". I really don't like musicals, I worked in theatre for many years and we never handled a musical. However, never in my theatre experience have I seen such a spectacle as this show. It was set in an original indian settlement and although modified for visitors, original teepees and general village life was represented. There were displays of Indian dances and cowboy skills such as lassooing and target shooting. The show itself was held on an outdoor stage, all the sets were brick built and permanent. Real horses and carriages were used and the music and dancing were beyond explanation. The seating area was carved into the facing hillside and the overall experience was second to none.

Unbelievably, seven week
s was just not long enough and I am desperate to return. The beach.....Ohhh, I forgot about that within the first day as we utilised the many outdoor pools and hot-tubs.

The tornados....one fact which is never reported is that the tornado season is only 6 weeks long and provided you avoid the months of May and early June, the chances of seeing one are extemely rare. We had one amazing thunder-storm but certainly no hint of a tornado.

In summation, I would say that if you really want to see America and it's people, stay away from the over-hyped states of Florida and California and travel inland to Oklahoma. It is the experience of a lifetime. You will be surprised at how far your money will go and how much there is to do. You will also learn far more about the country and how different the people are from state to state.

I would love to back this year but I have just found out that they are moving to Minneapolis......and I don't want to go to some frozen north American outback town......but I know I shall and I know I will be pleasantly surprised:-)

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