Help us plan a fun trip to Oklahoma

July 3, 2011 3:42 PM

Travelling from Concord, NC to Fort Sill, Oklahoma over 3 days. We'll be stopping in Nashville, TN and Little Rock, AR for our nights. What's to do?

We're a military couple travelling to Fort Sill for some training. We volunteered to drive the equipment truck so that we could get the extra duty days and time alone (kids will be chillin in Coatesville, PA with family while we're gone). We're on our way back down to Concord. We've spent the last 3 nights at Powhaton Resort in Williamsburg, VA. Once our little 'convoy' hits the road from Concord, we'll be on military per diem, which is the amount we can spend per day on boarding.

Sooo, whats there to do in Nashville and Little Rock? Hotel recommendations are welcome. We've been looking at Bed and Breakfast style boarding. We love music and good food. Clubbing would prolly be out because of the driving we have to do each following day.

Per diem in Nashville will be $110 a night. Little Rock will be $88 a night. Each of us will be getting per diem (So we can spend up to double our rates). In the past, I've successfully gotten hotels to sell really nice rooms at military rates.

Once we get to Oklahoma, we'll be housed separately in the barracks.... in four-man cells and group bathrooms :-( Bonus for suggestions for Fort Sill.

posted by Davaal to travel & transportation (3 answers total)

RNashville: Country Music Hall of Fame and Studio B tour (get tickets for the latter pronto) even if you're not big on that kind of music.

Little Rock: The Clinton Library and the Central High School Historic site (near the school, which is still in use).

Roadfoodfor eating recs.
posted by brujita at 10:05 PM on July 3, 2011

I'm a little surprised and ashamed that AskMe, as a community, hasn't better responded to your query, Davaal. So, although it has been a while since I visited either Nashville or Little Rock, let me recommend as follows:

Where to stay:

Nashville: At $220 a night, with military discount, if it weren't a major holiday weekend and a family vacation week, you could probably get a room in any of the major Nashville chain hotels. What's working against you, if you can't get that, is just summer tourism, and a holiday weekend's urgency to get walk-in people rooms. Bed and breakfasts, of the small, fun 2 and 3 bedroom kind, may well be booked farther in advance than can allow you accommodation, and many have a 2 night minimum, on weekends (but hey, call, with a credit card, and good story, and see if the good B&B folks of Nashville can't "pass you around" for hospitality to serving military folk). If your plans are at all flexible, you might pull off I-40 an hour before hitting Nashville, for something like Falcon Rest Mansion.

As for Nashville eateries, I usually recommend Jimmy Kelly's.

Little Rock: I've stayed in Little Rock several time, most memorably at The Empress of Little Rock, which you ought to try for, just in case you can still get in. Eat there, too, if you can.

What to do:

Nashville: It's a tourist town, and if you have any interest in country music, you can indulge it. If you don't want to fight the country music crowds at the Hall of Fame, or Opryland, or at any of the dozens of other stops on the country music tours, you could head for Cheekwood, or continue west to the Narrows of the Harpeth.

Little Rock:

Agree with brujita that the Central High School Historic site is worth an hour of your time. The Clinton Library? Eh, depends on your fondness for Bill and Hillary. Little Rock folk are generally pretty proud of their State Capitol, and as such places go, theirs is pretty. If you don't eat all your meals at The Empress, you could do worse than the Whole Hog Cafe.
posted by paulsc at 10:43 PM on July 3, 2011

Thanks, the Lady has scheduled us for the Empress on the way there. On the way back we'll try out Bruijita's suggestions! THANKS!
posted by Davaal at 5:47 PM on July 4, 2011