By BETTY SMITH
Press special writer
TAHLEQUAH DAILY PRESS
May 16, 2008 11:07 am
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The days when dad loaded up the car, mom loaded up the kids, and the whole family took off across the country, stopping at all the tourist traps with their garish signs, may be over.
Often, in the past, people only visited local attractions when a relative from out-of-state came to visit. Then it was time to head off to Frontier City, to Woolaroc or other places usually considered too close to home for a vacation.
With skyrocketing gas prices and an even tighter economy, this year Oklahoma tourism promoters are urging people to stay closer to home and take advantage of the wide variety of pastimes and sights the state has to offer.
Lt. Gov. Jeri Askins kicked off National Tourism Week this week with that message.
The annual AAA Vacation Costs Survey ranks Oklahoma as the sixth least-expensive state for travel, with an average cost for lodging and meals for two adults of $179.80 per day. The recommended travel budget nationwide is $244 per day.
Tulsa was the least expensive of 449 large U.S. cities surveyed, with three other regional cities coming in among top four: Albuquerque, $178.90; Wichita, $193.97; and Oklahoma City, $194.69. The most expensive city is Honolulu at $673.13, but you’ll hardly be able to drive there.
“You talk to people in New York City who’ve never been to the Empire State Building, people in Wyoming who’ve never been to Yellowstone,” said Chuck Mai of AAA Oklahoma.
Oklahomans shouldn’t make the same mistake, he said.
“We have more ecosystems in our state than in any other state,” Mai said. “We have more diverse terrain.”
From the alligators in the swampy areas of far southeastern Oklahoma, to the windswept Panhandle, travelers can go up and down, across flat lands and through red dirt.
As for gas prices this summer, “it’s anybody’s guess,” Mai said.
“I would expect them to drop [after Memorial Day] but anything can happen,” he said. It all depends on what crises may drive up the price of crude oil, which constitutes 60 percent of the price of a gallon of gasoline.
Because of these gas prices, AAA projects the number of Americans traveling during the Memorial Day holiday will drop slightly, compared with last year. AAA forecasts 37.87 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more, nearly 360,000 less than in 2007.
AAA also predicts 521,000 Oklahomans will make these trips, down slightly from last year. Of those, 85 percent will travel by motor vehicle.
Mai has several favorite sites in Oklahoma.
“Certainly Beavers Bend is a marvelous area,” he said. “You have the beautiful cypress tress in the water, cabins along the river.”
The Grand Lake area is an easy drive from Tahlequah, and if you haven’t floated the Illinois River lately, you may want to consider doing that on a lazy summer afternoon.
While the Talimena drive southeast of this area draws the most traffic in the spring and fall, it’s also breathtaking during the summer.
“Shawnee is a gorgeous little town – stained glass, the birthplace of Brad Pitt,” Mai said.
He doesn’t guarantee any Pitt or “Brangelina sightings,” but thinks a Shawnee visit is a pleasant way to spend a day. Or perhaps the history of Guthrie, Oklahoma’s first state capital – with its museums and many distinctive historic buildings – beckons.
Ride the trolley in El Reno, or attend the cheese festival in Watonga. Bartlesville offers the Price Tower, with its art and architectural activities, the Phillips oil sites including the Frank Phillips Mansion, nearby Woolaroc and a short drive to the Tall Grass Prairie near Pawhuska, where the buffalo roam.
“Oklahoma City is going through a renaissance,” Mai said. “It is rising in reputation throughout the country because of all that is developing for tourism.”
Bricktown features its canal, a variety of restaurants and entertainment establishments, the ball park and shopping opportunities. The Oklahoma Museum of Art and Oklahoma City National Memorial add to the lists of attractions the community has offered for a long time, such as the Western Heritage Museum.
The Sonics professional basketball team will be the first professional major league team to locate in Oklahoma. And Oklahoma City is about to receive another attraction: the Santa Monica Ferris Wheel, nearly nine stories high and lighted by more than 6,000 lights, will be moved there.
“If you can spend a weekend in Oklahoma City, there’s no shortage of ways to pass your time,” Mai said.
Or, you might board the Heartland Flyer train in Oklahoma City or Norman for a trip to the Fort Worth area. Spend one day, or several, and explore the attractions in Dallas-Fort Worth.
Mai thinks Jenks also makes a good day trip from the Tahlequah area.
“Jenks has some of the best antique shopping around,” he said. “It’s really an antique lover’s paradise.”
He considers the Oklahoma Aquarium well worth a visit, and a number of restaurants and shopping opportunities are in the vicinity.
Lindsey Vidrine, director of public relations for the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department, considers the Jenks aquarium world class.
She said a visit to the department’s Web site can help plan a vacation, no matter what your budget.
“Some are $1,200 and less, some are $600 and less,” she said. “One advantage Oklahoma has is that even during a poor economy, we benefit from a lot of regional travelers. They still want to get away, even for a short period of time.”
Cheryl Nobles of Vacations R Us said there are many low-cost alternatives to expensive, lengthy vacations for those in Cherokee County.
“One I’m planning to do with my own daughter is to take her over and dig for crystal in Arkansas,” she said. “It would be fun and it’s not very expensive.”
Spending a weekend, or a couple of days, in Oklahoma City also would be a good trip, taking in the museums, zoo and other attractions, while several day trips to Tulsa could include the Philbrook and Gilcrease museums, zoo, and Oklahoma Aquarium.
Nobles also likes the Ardmore and Lake Murray area.
“It’s a real pretty lake, and not far from it is the safari drive,” she said.
“There’s also Turner Falls, which is a fun way to spend an afternoon.”
The Branson area also beckons to those who like music shows, Silver Dollar City and related attractions.
Perhaps because of the high cost of driving, Vacations R Us also is booking quite a few flights.
“One place we’re getting a lot of good deals in is Tampa, Fla.,” Nobles said.
Visitors to Tampa can see Busch Gardens, and are only about a 90-minute drive away from Orlando and its multitude of attractions.
Other popular destinations are San Diego, with Sea World and its famed zoo, and San Antonio, with the Alamo, Sea World and Six Flags.
“We have a lot of clients who drive down there,” Nobles said. “If they have small children, we don’t recommend going to Six Flags – we recommend Sea World because it has a lot of rides.”
Other good trips in this region include St. Louis and Kansas City. Both have major league baseball games, quality art museums, and plenty of shopping.
“Chicago isn’t too far, either. In Chicago, you have everything,” Nobles said.
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