Lake Country, Oklahoma
Before southcentral Oklahoma was lake country, it was river country, home to the mercurial Red, the gentle Washita and the pristine Blue rivers. Corralled, the rivers created four major lakes -- and a whole new world of water. Lake Texoma splashes into three counties and draws fisherman from all over the country, lured by the best striped bass fishing to be found anywhere. Near Ardmore, clear spring water fill Lake Murray, built in the shady foothills of the Arbuckle mountains and the sparkling centerpiece of Oklahoma's oldest, most historic state park. (A limestone castle houses the park's nature center.) The 9,000-acre McGee Creek National Scenic Recreation Area, adjacent to Atoka Lake, is home to white-tailed deer, wild turkeys and the occasional mountain lion. Campers can apply for a permit to backpack into the recreation area, or stay in relative luxury in a rustic log fishing hut at McGee Creek State Park.
Explore Lake Country
The Castle and The Bar-C Dude Ranch
The Castle and the Bar-C were built by Dr. Ellsworth Collings, Dean of Education at the University of Oklahoma. It was never a permanent home of the Collings, but on special occasions, friends were entertained at the Castle in the Arbuckles.
Sulphur, OK Historic HomesLove County Military Museum
The Military Museum houses memorabilia from the Civil War to the Persian Gulf War. It is located in the renovated old jail at the southwest corner behind the Love County Courthouse.
Marietta, OK MuseumsHistoric Downtown
Take in some of Atoka's History by viewing the historic downtown buildings. 1901 Bank Building
Atoka, OK Historic DowntownsSanta Fe Depot Museum
After a victorious battle to save the 1905 depot from demolition in 1989, the city officials finally secured ownership of the old Santa Fe Depot and turned it over to the Historical Society to renovate and manage. In 1991
Pauls Valley, OK MuseumsChickasaw Nation Cultural Center
At the Chickasaw Tribal Complex, Headquarters of the Chickasaw Nation, the Cultural Center is located in a beautifully preserved two-story building and offers an educational look at modern tribal society, plus providing an opportunity to view tribal artifacts dating back to the 1500s.
Ada, OK Cultural CentersGreater Southwest Historical Museum
Housed in a native-stone building constructed during Roosevelt's WPA days, the museum traces the heritage of settlers who carved out a living in early day Indian Territory to those living in the 1930s. Featured is an 1892 Cabin inside the museum.
Ardmore, OK MuseumsThe Garold Wayne Interactive Zoological Park
G.W. Zoo, located west of Wynnewood, Okla., at I-35 and Exit 64, was established in 1999 as a non-profit, no-kill sanctuary for abused and abandoned wildlife. The 16
Wynnewood, OK ZoosPresbyterian Church
Part of the Historic Downtown tour the Presbyterian Church was built in 1923.
Pauls Valley, OK Historic ChurchesLove County Courthouse
This unique octagonal architecture with four impressive columns at each of four entrances is Oklahoma's first county courthouse built after statehood. The cornerstone of Nelson Georgia Marble was laid during Masonic ceremonies on April 29, 1910. The building was dedicated on November 24
Marietta, OK Historic CourthousesBoggy Depot Townsite
Prelude to a State Boggy Depot's contribution to Oklahoma outlasted all her structures, for it was the source of the state's name. Chief Allen Wright, principal chief of the Choctaw Nation, suggested the word "Oklahoma" (meaning "Red People") in 1866
Atoka, OK Historic TownsEast Central University
Located on a hillside in the center of town, East Central University is one of Ada's crown jewels. A state-supported, fully accredited regional four-year university, ECU serves over 4,500 students. Founded in 1909
Ada, OK Colleges