Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the US state with the same name.
In this city, you can’t go wrong because it’s for everybody regardless of age.
With its hospitality, familiar destinations, and a host of historical stories about kindness, it’s no wonder why Oklahoma City is called “The Big Friendly.”
If you are in search of family-friendly activities in this city, you are up for an adventure.
Whether it’s a day spent visiting modern museums, international art galleries, and luscious gardens, or just a trip around the various iconic roads, the atmosphere in this bustling city is alive.
But it won’t be worth a journey if you don’t plan on the most memorable experience.
Read on to discover the 15 best things you cando in Oklahoma City with kids:
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The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden, Oklahoma’s largest and most popular cultural destination, will take you on a journey through the wonders of animals and untamed areas.
Located beside the Science Museum Oklahoma, you can find here more than 2,000 animals and fantastic exhibits.
It houses 350 distinct species, spanning a thousand different continents, climates, and ecosystems.
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Adventurers of all ages will find a wide range of interesting activities on the Zoo’s grounds.
Enjoy world-class environments like Great EscApe, Cat Forest/Lion Overlook, Oklahoma Trails, and Sanctuary Asia, where you can see the magnificent Asian creatures.
They offer Wild Encounters that allow groups of up to ten members to see creatures like grizzly bears, galapagos or tortoises, native Indians, bison, sea lions, and Asian elephants in close contact.
Participants will learn more about how experienced zookeepers give superior care for each animal through guides for limited regions rarely seen by the general public.
Except for Thanksgiving and Christmas, the Zoo is open every day from 8 am to 5 pm.
Experience high-level bowling, a multi-level laser tag, and thrilling high-cord adventure courses with your pre-teens at Main Event.
It also features exciting gaming rooms with state-of-the-art video and audio systems, fine billiards, fantastic bars, and an exquisite restaurant.
You may unwind at the bar with happy hour discounts or watch sports on a big screen.
It also features a conference room ideal for team building, mini-retreats, and private and corporate parties.
Its family entertainment centers housed in 45,000 to 75,000-square feet facilities, offer lots of free parking and unparalleled entertainment and dinner activities, all of which are of great value.
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The Boathouse District along the Oklahoma River is a center for outdoor leisure.
It doesn’t matter if you want to train like an Olympian or just have some fun, this attraction offers different outdoor activities for energetic youngsters.
It is the official U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Site for rowing and canoe/kayak, and it holds several regattas throughout the year.
Located within walking distance of the Bricktown Entertainment District, the Boathouse District features big and tiny zip lines, an 80-foot tower to scale, a playground, and more.
On the Oklahoma River, families may also hire kayaks, canoes, and stand-up paddleboards, with choices for youngsters as young as five.
Allow your children to embark on a journey at the Children’s Cowboy Corral at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.
Located at 1700 NE 63rd Street, the Museum is the first Western institution of history, art, and culture in the USA.
Founded in 1955, it has an internationally recognized collection of western art and artifacts and supports active educational programming that promotes interest in the lasting heritage of the American West.
Here, your kids may dress up as tiny cowpokes and participate in various activities.
While you’re there, you can view the collection of Western art and sculpture, as well as the artifacts of cowboy lifelike as firearms, hats, boots, and more.
The museum contains an outstanding collection of Western classical and modern art, including works by Frederic Remington and the great piece by sculptor James Earle Fraser called “The End of the Way.”
Meanwhile, its showroom consists of an interactive village of the turn of the century with historical exhibits focusing on the American cowboys, rodeos, Native American culture.
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Located in the Adventure District of Oklahoma State, Firefighters Museum is a haven for your future firefighters.
Here, kids will love traditional fire vehicles and other displays.
And did you know that it is the only fire museum in the country owned and maintained by firemen?
So, you can assure your kids will learn from no less than the expert themselves.
The Museum has an extraordinary collection of historic fire apparatus and equipment going back to the mid-1700s, including Fort Supply Fire House, the first fire station erected in what was then Oklahoma Territory in 1869.
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The collection features Several objects from the Ben Franklin Collection, a collection of artifacts commemorating the founding of the United States’ first fire brigade, which have found a new home in the Museum.
The Museum also features the mural “The Last Alarm” and the largest patch collection in the world.
You will also find here the Oklahoma Fallen and Living Firemen Memorial, located on the Museum’s western slope.
This memorial was created to commemorate Oklahoma firefighters who have served to protect Oklahoma residents.
This structure completed in 1969 once housed the offices of the Oklahoma State Firefighters Association (OSFA), the Oklahoma Fire Chiefs Association (OCFA), and the Oklahoma Retired Firefighters Association (ORFA).
The Museum is one of the nation’s most remarkable institutions dedicated to preserving and displaying vintage firefighting equipment and gear.
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, formerly known as White Water Bay, offers thrills for children and adults.
It offers over 30 slides, swimming pools, and fun-filled water activities that will keep kids cool in summer.
The Big Kahuna sends four people down a flume slide in a tube, while Keelhaul Falls transfers riders from one small pool to the next.
Activities are available for both children and adults at the Ship Wreck Island pool.
Cross the challenging lily pads, jump over the steep rocks, and try its two fun slides.
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor also offers food and drink facilities to refresh and refuel tourists without leaving the park during snack or lunchtime.
Enjoy a wonderful selection of favorites, such as pizzas, hot dogs, pretzels, and chicken strips.
Quench your thirst with a variety of ice-cold soft drinks. Its gift stores provide souvenirs, sunscreens, and other essentials.
During the summer, it holds special activities, such as Dive-in Movies, which are publicly available.
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If you are looking for a place that offers a visual delight for your little ones for free, visit Oklahoma Railway Museum.
It teaches you and your young ones the crucial role of railroads and trains in today’s Oklahoma City development.
Check out historic locomotives, automobiles, freight cars, a real steam engine, and train rides in this Museum.
Depending on the season, they also hold regular events here, so there’s always something to watch out for all year long.
Aside from that, the Museum caters to birthday celebrations aboard its Party Coach, which can cater to up to 24 guests.
It is open from 9:00 am to 5:00 on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.
Meanwhile, the trains operate from April to August during the first and third Saturdays of the month.
Science Museum Oklahoma, the leading family destination in the State, lies in an eight-acre facility.
Since its inception in 1958, the museum has developed exponentially.
A brainchild of Admiral John Elson Kirkpatrick, the museum provides an insight into our past.
Its practical science experiences combine thousands of space, aviation, and cultural exhibits.
The Museum encourages your child to be an adventurer, from the journey beyond the planetarium and the explosive excitement of live shows to the 20,000-square-foot, indoor-role-playing village.
The hands-on activities at the Museum teach your kids about anything from space exploration to crime scene investigation.
If you stay longer in the city, the Science Museum Oklahoma provides camps to keep your kids busy.
Camp topics change every season, and camps never repeat a day, guaranteeing that your young scientist has a unique experience at each camp session.
In the spring and summer, it holds weeklong programs, while the camps are shorter in the fall and winter.
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When it was launched in 2015 at Bricktown, Brickopolis brought family enjoyment to a whole new level.
Located in the western part of Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, it offers three levels of enjoyment, from toddlers, pre-teens, and kids at heart.
You can take part in the 18-hole mini-golf course across the canal area, try the interactive laser tag, and “Lazer Frenzy” in this arcade-style labyrinth attraction.
On the canal level, there is a pizza, salad bar buffet, and souvenir shops; and on the street level, there is a grill with a full bar serving burgers, wings, and drinks.
Blue Zoo is an interactive aquarium that features more than 200 kinds of marine life and boasts aquatic life, including sharks, eels, jellyfish, seahorses, and pulses.
Your young companions will love to experience different activities in the Aquarium, such as Shark Feedings, the Pirate, Mermaid, and Dive Shows.
The Blue Zoo combines entertaining and engaging educational activities with animals from across the world.
Field trips enable children to witness aquatic life.
Your kids will be able to learn about sea life from across the world, as well as touch and feed stingrays, birds, and reptiles.
They may also play and study on water tables, such as a water cycle table and a science table, and even play on a pirate ship!
The Aquarium also caters to special occasions, providing affordable but memorable entertainment for all.
All year long, the aquarium at Quail Springs Mall takes over 8 areas and 2 levels for enjoyment!
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The Osteology Museum is located at 10301 S. Sunnylane Road, emphasizing bone shape and function.
You may discover creatures from all corners of the world with over 800 skulls and skeletons and without leaving the city of Oklahoma.
The country’s sole skeleton museum offers a unique experience that will give you a fresh view of nature and beautiful beings.
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See skeletons of various creatures from a little cockroach to a 40-foot huge buckling wallow in this hands-on museum.
Here, you will also learn the basics of comparative anatomy, human forensics and pathology, and localization and adaptations.
Its gift shop is also unique, with loads of entertaining, scientific presents and mementos for the entire family.
Visit the AMC theater at Quail Springs Mall for a one-of-a-kind film experience!
The Quail Springs site offers an extensive hot meal menu and admission rates for the military, elderly, and students.
Powerful visuals and sound technology combine to make every show into a fully engaging film event with advanced reserved recliners.
Get ready with the immersing film experience IMAX to be transported to other realms.
Each feature of a premium IMAX theater is meant to provide an intense experience, which ensures the film’s enchantment when the light goes down.
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Frontier City has over 50 rides and attractions, including four roller coasters, an outdoor water park, and summer concerts.
It combines the pleasure of the old times with modern excitement with over 40 acres of family rides, entertainment, and fun for all ages.
Frontier City offers customized tours for the youngest of guests.
These rides include a small Roller Coaster, Bucky Whistlestop Depot, Frankie’s Mine Train, and a Mini Train.
In Hootie’s Tree House, an expensive playground located in the middle of Timber Town, parents may join the fun.
Sheldon’s Balloon Race, the small Ferris wheel, will give your kids an experience of scenic views.
Did you know that Oklahoma City has escape rooms?
Your wits will be tested as you join sign up for this multi-room escape experience.
Within 60 minutes, you and your companions will explore a themed area and try to solve a mystery before the time’s up!
Your skill, teamwork, and an adventurous spirit are what you will need.
Don’t worry too much about solving the puzzles and just enjoy the games because these are nothing but basic.
Before entering the venue, you may choose from its four themes: Sleepy Hollow, Sherlock Holmes, mythical mystery, or Lovecraftian.
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Myriad Gardens is an enchanting location for tranquil outdoor sightseeing.
Its lush flowerbeds and gardens span 15 hectares in the city center.
The kids’ playground, blasting fountain, jogging and walking trails are further highlights in those lovely grounds.
Your kids may ride, jump, and climb Myriad’s six-acre Children’s Garden.
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It also has an off-leash dog park for your furry companions.
In winter, after a stroll or skating in the Devon Ice Rink, cap off your visit by dining at Myriad’s restaurant and patio.
Myriad Gardens also caters to regular events, seminars, films, and concerts all year round, so check out its monthly schedule.
With its deep-rooted Southern charm and vibrant environment, Oklahoma City provides plenty of excitement, ranging from fun family entertainment, educational experiences, and unique outdoor adventures.
Bring your young ones and fill your holiday bucket list with the things on our list in this sprawling metropolis.
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