What Will I Want to See in OKC? (Oklahoma City, Howe: moving, to eat)

[happytown]

Originally Posted by Jammie

Jessaka, be sure to let us know what you liked there and bring us PICS. (Picture addict here)

Happy, one of the sites you posted is something we just love. Do you know where there are pics of the Myriad Botanical Gardens? That waterfall looks beautiful and there is also another pic on that site with the gardens.

I just havent taken the time to try to post pics...Even with a sticky showing exactly how to do it!! I will eventually try and post sum. OKC needs some good pics!

[Mattie Jo]

It may be a while before I get to OKC. Next time my family comes we have planned a different trip. Not sure which one yet. One is to Vinita and Grove, and another takes in Missouri.

Can't wait until you start posting photos Happytown.

[Jammie]

Originally Posted by peggydavis

Hi Jammie. I think you would love the Botanical Gardens. On Opening Night, our New Year celebration downtown, they have had a jazz band playing while people follow the trails through the garden. Great to dance along and see the Garden with Christmas lights!

Peggy, you guys are OUTSIDE on New Years???? Sorry, actually, we have had some mild holiday seasons, too, but not nice enough to really be outside, let alone be walking around a garden. I know I could mapquest it, but I'll just ask~do you live in a suburb or very near OKC?

And Happy, YES~we would definitely love to see pics of OKC. I know it's way too populated for me, but I hope to see it some day. Especially now since seeing the link to Myriad Gardens.

[Nameless]

It all depends on the weather. At midnight New Year's it could be 50 or 10 so you never know. Snow or ice and clear skies. It's a total guess. But, generally speaking, you can be outside with a hoody or coat.

[peggydavis]

Hey Jammie

If you go to flickr and search for Myriad Botanical Gardens you will see some great photos. Scroll down about 12 pictures and you will see a palm tree growing in Oklahoma! At least I think it is a palm tree. On the second page is one I know it is a palm tree, because of the trunk.

Like nameless said, you don't know how cold it will be on New Years Eve. Sometimes it is pleasant with a lighter jacket. Other years it is cold and you have to run from one venue to another. You might have to bundle up. The Myriad Gardens are enclosed, like a giant greenhouse, and they have a lot of tropical plants in there. The best time to visit is during the cooler months, as it is always warm in there. If it is a really cold new years, the Underground tunnels come in handy.

There are two parts to the celebration. One is the downtown area itself. It is more family friendly with little or no alcohol. That is where the Gardens are as well as many other cool buildings where they have great (to me) music and other entertainment. The other is Bricktown, just to the east of downtown, that is more party hearty. You can walk from one to the other, you wouldn't think it was much of a walk with your exercise program.

I think of OKC as my hometown, and lived there most of my life in OKC and Edmond. We retired to the Holdenville (Hooterville) area about 1 1/2 hours from OKC. All our kids and grandkids live in the metro area so we visit about once every 2 weeks.

[Jammie]

YES!!! There are a few palm trees on there. Thank you so much, Peggy, for finding those on the internet. As you can see, I enjoyed the pics. I posted the link under the "Pictures" thread.

I keep seeing water in some of the pics. I know the Arkansas River flows through Tulsa, is that what it is in OKC? Something else that surprises me is the fact that the water always looks open instead of frozen over. That's a definite plus. Since I've followed the weather in the Tulsa/Grove area for a couple of years, I know that you do get a touch of winter, but your autumns are much later then ours and your springs are much earlier then ours. AND your winters are MUCH milder. It was nearly noon by the time I checked temps today (weather addict, too). It was 60 here, 73 in Tulsa and 76 in OKC. I know that Tulsa barely gets a half foot of snow a year, but I see that OKC barely gets over 2 inches a year. NICE.

According to some charts, the population of OKC is much more then Tulsa, but the people per square mile is much less. Is Tulsa a more compact city and OKC is more spread out???

[Nameless]

The river that flows through OKC is the North Canadian. Although right by the downtown area it's now officially called the Oklahoma River.

We've had a lot of weather in the 80's lately, and I'm fine with that. The thing that bugs me is we're constantly 7-10 degrees above average right now instead of simply average. The big help today is the humidity, it's as warm as yesterday but feels 10 times better today with a dew point in the 50's. Average today in OKC is 79/57. Yesterday was 88/66

As for ice on rivers, I've only seen ice on the edges of rivers. But our creek behind my house freezes up frequently and even our retention pond in our neighborhood froze up enough last winter that I could ride by bike on it. Skim ice at best is common for probably half the winter on most area ponds. Don't know about the lakes, don't go to them in January

Woah, woah, woah...don't get too excited about the snow. We don't get a lot but if I remember correctly OKC averages 9 inches and Tulsa 10. So 6 and 2 are way low relative to the official numbers. In fact last November we received a snow storm where OKC got about 5 inches and Tulsa about 10. That was a rarity and by no means do we compare to SD. Just know that there will never be a year you escape snow here.

[peggydavis]

The water around the gardens is man made ponds I think. The North Canadian River goes right by downtown, and in recent years they built several low dams that formed nice lakes. It is popular for rowing events and Chesapeake has built a great boat house there. The canal and the river will be hooked together somehow so you will be able to go by boat and water taxi from Bricktown to near Stockyards City.

I don't know how to explain the difference in population density between OKC and Tulsa. I do know that large tracts of undeveloped land exist in OKC.

It does snow in OKC, but you have to hurry if you are going to go sledding. It usually melts in a few days or less. When we lived in Wisconsin for a couple of years, the snow that fell in November stayed until early April, and all the snow just piled up higher and higher. We lived close to Lake Michigan, so we had a lot of snow. I like to see the snow here. It is pretty and you can take a snow day off from work or school.

[Jammie]

Very interesting! Either the stats are wrong OR you're getting more snow then in the past???? You both have such good info and you've taught me a lot today~if only I can remember it now.

Nameless, that was funny~Woah, woah, woah.

Peggy, luckily we don't get lake effect snow here. The past three years we lucked out, but we've had years with a LOT of snow here, too. I remember tunnels. We've had snow as early as the end of Sept. that didn't melt until the following end of April so I know just what you mean. It hasn't been that way though since the winter of 96-97. We've had snowstorms, but nothing like that winter.

[Nameless]

That would be the stats for sure. A more accurate estimation on snowfall in the past 10 years would be more like 6 - 9 inches for each respective city. Trust me, I've grown up loving the snow and am very critical on any inch I can get, and they've been less in the past 10 years than what they should be.

But honestly, it's been such a normal thing to be missed by the snow here that I've just grown to accept it more or less. Last November I finally understood the problem adults have with the snow when I had to drive to work in it, not to mention the icy roads for like 2 straight weeks later in the winter. The sand bags in the back of my truck only helped so much.

For instance, after that snow last November it snowed maybe 3 or 4 inches more the rest of the winter. Tulsa will occasionally get a storm OKC doesn't or a bit more due to being slightly farther north. But the difference is very minor.

If you look over in the Grove area, sometimes they get even less than Tulsa with sometimes receiving rain while Tulsa sees snow and or ice.