Fun things to do around SE OK, SW AR, NE TX, NW LA?
March 13, 2024 11:56 AM Subscribe
Boyfriend and I will be observing the total solar eclipse in Broken Bow, Oklahoma on April 8th and then driving around for about a week before I need to catch a train in Texarkana. I'm figuring a 500 mile radius or so from either of those places is a good place for our wandering - so that's east Texas, southwest Arkansas, northwest Louisiana. What places in that area do you love? Where should we steer clear of?
Why do I always schedule trips to this part of the country during a US presidential election year? Consider us left of liberal, and interested in Atlas Obscura/Roadside America sort of offbeat beauty (but we are not going to the AO eclipse fest, just to be clear). I'd like to check out the Boggy Creek Monster and Caddo Lake, maybe the circus cemetery in Hugo, OK. What's Sulphur Springs, Texas like? Shreveport?
Also, I know there is going to be a lot of Trump bullshit everywhere we go - I'm just hoping not to get stuck in a town where every single motel has MAGA paraphernalia proudly displayed. My boyfriend is a lefty punk from OK so I'm not all "ooh scary middle of the US!" I just want to have a decent vacation.
Why do I always schedule trips to this part of the country during a US presidential election year? Consider us left of liberal, and interested in Atlas Obscura/Roadside America sort of offbeat beauty (but we are not going to the AO eclipse fest, just to be clear). I'd like to check out the Boggy Creek Monster and Caddo Lake, maybe the circus cemetery in Hugo, OK. What's Sulphur Springs, Texas like? Shreveport?
Also, I know there is going to be a lot of Trump bullshit everywhere we go - I'm just hoping not to get stuck in a town where every single motel has MAGA paraphernalia proudly displayed. My boyfriend is a lefty punk from OK so I'm not all "ooh scary middle of the US!" I just want to have a decent vacation.
I think that the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve near Pawhuska, OK is pretty amazing. What makes it so is that it's one of the largest (if not the largest) swaths of unbroken sod on the American savannah. When the great plains were settled by Europeans, they transformed almost all of this savannah into farmland, and had to break the sod to do it.
April 8th may see the beginnings of the wildflower bloom, which is amazing (although you may be a bit early). There's always a giant herd of American Bison wandering that preserve, and you can usually drive your car on dirt roads into the middle of the herd-- I think it's pretty incredible to be eye-to-eye with those primal beasts.
The area is also anchored by Pawhuska, OK, which is where the "Killers of the Flower Moon" was also set. Pawhuska is an interesting town -- at one point the richest (per capita) in the USA, with some architecture to match. It's definitely not the richest city in the USA any longer!
posted by u2604ab at 12:08 PM on March 13, 2024 [7 favorites]
April 8th may see the beginnings of the wildflower bloom, which is amazing (although you may be a bit early). There's always a giant herd of American Bison wandering that preserve, and you can usually drive your car on dirt roads into the middle of the herd-- I think it's pretty incredible to be eye-to-eye with those primal beasts.
The area is also anchored by Pawhuska, OK, which is where the "Killers of the Flower Moon" was also set. Pawhuska is an interesting town -- at one point the richest (per capita) in the USA, with some architecture to match. It's definitely not the richest city in the USA any longer!
posted by u2604ab at 12:08 PM on March 13, 2024 [7 favorites]
Canoeing Caddo Lake, Texas.
posted by amaire at 12:12 PM on March 13, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by amaire at 12:12 PM on March 13, 2024 [1 favorite]
Worthwhile to see the Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge. Also, if you're up that way, and into post destruction creepiness, visit Roosevelt a tiny town that was blasted by a tornado a few years back and hasn't been rebuilt to speak of. It's a short drive northwest of the refuge, and you'll have an indelible image of what movie directors strive to create—and usually fail—when they try to evoke post-destruction cityscapes.
Seconding u2604ab about the Tallgrass: it's one of my favorite places in my home state.
posted by ivanthenotsoterrible at 12:20 PM on March 13, 2024 [3 favorites]
Seconding u2604ab about the Tallgrass: it's one of my favorite places in my home state.
posted by ivanthenotsoterrible at 12:20 PM on March 13, 2024 [3 favorites]
Best answer: I've been in East Texas for a few weeks visiting family, and we drove down from Mass through Arkansas (where I have other family). The MAGA shit exists, and I was nervous as hell about this trip, but it's been pretty low key - I had the unpleasant experience of seeing looooots of my mom's neighbors having signs up (immediately pre-election, they're gone now) for an Abbot-endorsed politician who is a relative of a psychopath medical professional I had to deal with in childhood, so I'm not looking to do them any favors, but it's Texas so of course we nod and wave when we pass on the street. I've experienced nothing here nearly as distressing as I've seen in Eastern Oregon or Simi Valley, CA.
Generally the staff (and often owners) of hotel chain franchises in this part of the country aren't white, just be more careful with the mom'n'pop motels which often have a bar/restaurant next door and those places can be the feral local dive.
But lots of these little towns survive on the tourist/student dime, and most of the businesses haven't made a particular person the whole of their identity (that does mean they sometimes startle you), and I have had my heart swell a number of times at the large or small Pride flags and pointed All Are Welcome Here type signs in the LiveLaughLove font that make up a lot of small-town rebellion. There is a quiet subset (I'd say majority, actually) of Texans who may feel they have to vote a certain way because of a certain issue and don't lose much sleep over whatever else they endorse in the process, but are otherwise pretty obsessed with the appearance of respectability and consider the flag-wavers and rally-attendees to be...Not Our Kind (of Nazi, let's be clear, they just don't want to be the clown version). They're not too dangerous to pass on the streets, as long as you keep your situational awareness up for the ones who are.
We are making a point of locating the minority-owned restaurants in any town when possible (we ate sushi last weekend in my hometown, a thing I couldn't imagine ever happening when I was one of the local goth kids), which is easy because I haven't had any Tex-Mex or the kind of Mexican food you find in Texas, or Texas soul food, or the bayou-Vietnamese you can really only get in the South in 13 years. Find the college towns, and you'll find more funkyness than in other small towns.
I grew up camping on all the lakes, and we are in fact going to camp at one for the eclipse, so I definitely vote you check one out, and Caddo's a good'un. Ouachita National Forest is fantastic, and it's generally cooler longer in the mountains if the weather turns grumpy that week.
posted by Lyn Never at 1:05 PM on March 13, 2024 [2 favorites]
Generally the staff (and often owners) of hotel chain franchises in this part of the country aren't white, just be more careful with the mom'n'pop motels which often have a bar/restaurant next door and those places can be the feral local dive.
But lots of these little towns survive on the tourist/student dime, and most of the businesses haven't made a particular person the whole of their identity (that does mean they sometimes startle you), and I have had my heart swell a number of times at the large or small Pride flags and pointed All Are Welcome Here type signs in the LiveLaughLove font that make up a lot of small-town rebellion. There is a quiet subset (I'd say majority, actually) of Texans who may feel they have to vote a certain way because of a certain issue and don't lose much sleep over whatever else they endorse in the process, but are otherwise pretty obsessed with the appearance of respectability and consider the flag-wavers and rally-attendees to be...Not Our Kind (of Nazi, let's be clear, they just don't want to be the clown version). They're not too dangerous to pass on the streets, as long as you keep your situational awareness up for the ones who are.
We are making a point of locating the minority-owned restaurants in any town when possible (we ate sushi last weekend in my hometown, a thing I couldn't imagine ever happening when I was one of the local goth kids), which is easy because I haven't had any Tex-Mex or the kind of Mexican food you find in Texas, or Texas soul food, or the bayou-Vietnamese you can really only get in the South in 13 years. Find the college towns, and you'll find more funkyness than in other small towns.
I grew up camping on all the lakes, and we are in fact going to camp at one for the eclipse, so I definitely vote you check one out, and Caddo's a good'un. Ouachita National Forest is fantastic, and it's generally cooler longer in the mountains if the weather turns grumpy that week.
posted by Lyn Never at 1:05 PM on March 13, 2024 [2 favorites]
Hot Springs is pretty cool. Should still be horse races on the weekends at Oaklawn if you are into that. Take the windy roads up through Arkansas and float the Buffalo National River or the White River. Eureka Springs is funky and Bentonville has Crystal Bridges, a world class and free museum that is worth a visit. Lots of mountain biking and hiking around there as well.
that area will probably max you out on mileage, but its a fun place.
If you are into Atlas Obscura type stuff, Hochatown in the Broken Bow area is all about bigfoot lore. Lots of it is tourist gimmick but they are serious about that stuff down there. You are bound to find some local yokel with a story.
posted by domino at 1:42 PM on March 13, 2024 [3 favorites]
that area will probably max you out on mileage, but its a fun place.
If you are into Atlas Obscura type stuff, Hochatown in the Broken Bow area is all about bigfoot lore. Lots of it is tourist gimmick but they are serious about that stuff down there. You are bound to find some local yokel with a story.
posted by domino at 1:42 PM on March 13, 2024 [3 favorites]
The Cave House tour in Tulsa is fun! And another vote for the Tallgrass Prairie, and the Wichita Mountains.
posted by kuma440 at 4:45 PM on March 13, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by kuma440 at 4:45 PM on March 13, 2024 [1 favorite]
I don't want to say exactly where I'll be, but if there's a few of us down in that region, say, the 9th/10th, we could do a little post-Eclipse meetup? (We cannot stop roadtripping on our trips!)
posted by cobaltnine at 5:23 PM on March 13, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by cobaltnine at 5:23 PM on March 13, 2024 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: cobaltnine, let's keep in touch on this!
posted by queensissy at 5:26 PM on March 13, 2024
posted by queensissy at 5:26 PM on March 13, 2024
If you pass through De Queen, Arkansas (about an hour north of Texarkana , where US 70 and US 71 intersect), there’s literally a taco truck on every corner.
posted by madcaptenor at 5:40 PM on March 13, 2024 [2 favorites]
posted by madcaptenor at 5:40 PM on March 13, 2024 [2 favorites]
If you end up on shreveport, the newer aquarium was nice to visit! I enjoyed it. Shreveport is a fairly boring city imho but if you end up there a couple tiny recommendations.
I really really like monjunis which is a Italian restraunt that I grew up with there maybe irrationally. Also I nom on too many Southern maid donuts.
You may be visiting at the time they have some events
Hot springs, the Ouachita National Forest and Caddo lake are nice.
Have fun!
posted by AlexiaSky at 4:36 AM on March 14, 2024 [1 favorite]
I really really like monjunis which is a Italian restraunt that I grew up with there maybe irrationally. Also I nom on too many Southern maid donuts.
You may be visiting at the time they have some events
Hot springs, the Ouachita National Forest and Caddo lake are nice.
Have fun!
posted by AlexiaSky at 4:36 AM on March 14, 2024 [1 favorite]
Robbers Cave State Park is about 100 miles north of Broken Bow and is very beautiful. The Talimena National Scenic Byway is about 60 miles north and is also gorgeous. Unfortunately, neither one takes you near Hugo, OK.
Not sure if you've been to Broken Bow or Hochatown before, but the infrastructure has definitely not kept up with the construction boom in the area. Be prepared for bad traffic and bad wifi. Highway 259 will probably be a big traffic jam.
posted by neushoorn at 1:31 PM on March 14, 2024 [3 favorites]
Not sure if you've been to Broken Bow or Hochatown before, but the infrastructure has definitely not kept up with the construction boom in the area. Be prepared for bad traffic and bad wifi. Highway 259 will probably be a big traffic jam.
posted by neushoorn at 1:31 PM on March 14, 2024 [3 favorites]
Do you like diamonds? Can you tolerate mud? Do you want to find your own diamond?
Check out the Crater of Diamonds State Park! It's in Murfreesboro AR. You might get lucky if you go diamond hunting.
Hot Springs has Bathhouse Row if you want a nice soak and massage (or just a meander through historical buildings). They also have The Gangster Museum of America for your lawless side. And there's Garvan Woodland Gardens if you need more nature (along with the lakes and forest/hiking opportunities).
The US Marshals Museum is in Fort Smith (on the OK/AR Border on Interstate 40) if you need to wash off the Gangster Museum. You will pass by Ft Smith if you wind up going to Fayetteville/Bentonville in NW Arkansas if that's not too far (which has the excellent Crystal Bridges Museum, along with the U of Arkansas, Walmart, and JB Hunt headquarters (just so you're aware).
There's also Historic Washington State Park in SW AR if you like old historic things and you want to see some people dressed up reenacting old historic things. It's where the Bowie Knife was forged, so there will most likely be a blacksmith there (check the website for scheduled activities).
posted by MultiFaceted at 8:30 PM on March 16, 2024 [1 favorite]
Check out the Crater of Diamonds State Park! It's in Murfreesboro AR. You might get lucky if you go diamond hunting.
Hot Springs has Bathhouse Row if you want a nice soak and massage (or just a meander through historical buildings). They also have The Gangster Museum of America for your lawless side. And there's Garvan Woodland Gardens if you need more nature (along with the lakes and forest/hiking opportunities).
The US Marshals Museum is in Fort Smith (on the OK/AR Border on Interstate 40) if you need to wash off the Gangster Museum. You will pass by Ft Smith if you wind up going to Fayetteville/Bentonville in NW Arkansas if that's not too far (which has the excellent Crystal Bridges Museum, along with the U of Arkansas, Walmart, and JB Hunt headquarters (just so you're aware).
There's also Historic Washington State Park in SW AR if you like old historic things and you want to see some people dressed up reenacting old historic things. It's where the Bowie Knife was forged, so there will most likely be a blacksmith there (check the website for scheduled activities).
posted by MultiFaceted at 8:30 PM on March 16, 2024 [1 favorite]
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posted by pantarei70 at 12:01 PM on March 13, 2024 [1 favorite]