Planning a Trip

Getting There

By Plane -- Will Rogers World Airport (tel. 405/680-3200; www.flyokc.com) is 10 miles southwest of downtown. The Airport Express (tel. 405/681-3311; www.taxivan.com) charges $20 for one to two passengers to downtown hotels (three or more passengers pay $7 a head), though many hotels provide free airport shuttles. A cab ride downtown costs about $20.

By Train -- Amtrak (tel. 800/USA-RAIL [872-7245] or 405/297-0236; www.amtrak.com) provides daily service from Fort Worth, Texas (trip time: 4 hr.), to the historic downtown Santa Fe Depot at 100 E. K. Gaylord.

By Car -- Major routes into Oklahoma City are I-35 from the northeast (Kansas City, 353 miles) and south (Dallas, 205 miles); I-40 from the east (Little Rock, 344 miles) and west (Albuquerque, 540 miles); and I-44 from the northeast (St. Louis, 500 miles).

Visitor Information

The Oklahoma City Convention & Visitors Bureau is located downtown at 189 W. Sheridan (tel. 800/225-5652 or 405/297-8912; www.visitokc.com) and is open Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 5pm. The state operates the Oklahoma Welcome Center in the city's northeastern end near Frontier City amusement park, 12229 N. I-35 Service Rd., open daily 8:30am to 5pm.

Getting Around

Metro Transit (tel. 405/235-RIDE [235-7433]; www.gometro.org) operates bus service to most Oklahoma City destinations Monday through Saturday; bus no. 22 is useful for traveling between downtown and the Oklahoma City Zoo and National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. The fare is $1.25. Otherwise, the best option for tourists is Metro Transit's rubber-tire Spirit Trolleys, with two routes (the Blue and Red lines) circling through the downtown area and a third (the Orange Line) making runs between downtown and hotels along Meridian to Stockyards City. Fares are 25¢ for the Red and Blue lines and $1 for the Orange, and require exact change. A pass for all trolley lines is $2 for 1 day or $3 for 3.

Feeding the Meter -- The eternal quest for change to feed parking meters started in, of all places, Oklahoma, when the first meter in the U.S. was installed here in 1935.

Special Events

Red Earth (tel. 405/427-5228; www.redearth.org), a celebration of Native American cultures and traditions held every June, features a parade, juried art competitions, an art market, and performing arts. From April to December, Oklahoma hosts nine major horse shows, more than any other city (contact the Oklahoma City Convention & Visitors Bureau for more information).