Adults: $8; Seniors 62+: $6; Children (6-12): $7; (3-5): $2; Under 3: Free.
Camping Fees Additional.
Open all year
Located just off I-35, Exit 51, on state highway 77 in south-central Oklahoma
580-369-2988
www.turnerfallspark.com
Arbuckle Historical Museum
Local history & scale model of
Fort Arbuckle, 1851-1870.
$1 donation
Tu-Sa 10-4; Su 1-4
Located at the Old Santa Fe Depot
580-369-2518
OTHER OKLAHOMA AREA FIELD TRIPS
NORMAN, OK AREA
Norman is just over two hours north of Wichita Falls.
From Wichita Falls, take I-44 North through Lawton. About 20 miles northest of Chickasha, take the HE Bailey Spur to Norman.
Gene Autry, Oklahoma History Museum
The Gene Autry Museum is centered around the legendary cowboy and movie star, Gene Autry.
The museum is located in the old Gene Autry School building which was acquired from the Springer and Dickson school districts on a lease agreement. To reach the museum, just travel east of Ardmore on state highway 199 to the Ardmore city limits and turn north on Gene Autry Road. The museum is about 12 miles northeast of Ardmore.
Free
The museum is open Monday through Saturday, 10am-4pm.
580.294.3047
Greater Southwest Historical Museum
35 Sunset Drive, Ardmore
580.226.3857
Life in a turn-of-the-20th century Ardmore, from Indian Territory days to the 1930s, is depicted in the Sam Noble Hall. Furniture, furnishings and fashions from stores, offices, barns, and homes have been collected. An adjoining Military Annex contains armed services' memorabilia from the American Revolution through Operation Desert Storm.
Great Salt Plains State Park & National Wildlife Refuge
Great Salt Plains State Park is the only spot in the world where crystal enthusiasts can dig for "hourglass selenite" crystals, a rare and fragile form of selenite (which is also known as a form of gypsum). The crystals are found in the area of the park's most fascinating geological phenomenon, its enormous salt flats.
Established on March 26, 1930, Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge is one of over 540 refuges located across the United States and of 9 refuges in Oklahoma. The primary focus of Salt Plains is to provide quality habitat for migratory waterfowl. The refuge's namesake is designated as the "largest such saline flat in the central lowlands of North America". The 10,000 acre salt flat is only a third of the refuge land; The 32,000 acre refuge is complete with open water, wetlands, prairies, woodlands and farm fields.
The refuge is divided into almost equal parts of salt flats, open water, and vegetated land (marsh, woods, grasslands, and cropland) that provides nearly 95 million acres of wildlife/wildland habitat.
7:30am to 4:00pm weekdays year-round and 10:00am - 5:00pm Sat & Sun April 1 - October 15. Crystal Digging Allowed - April 1 - October 15
(Open 7:30am to 4:00pm weekdays year-round and 10:00am - 5:00pm Sat, April 1 - October 15): Closed on some federal holidays, call for details.
From the junction of State Highways 11 and 38, go south 2 miles on Highway 38, then 1 mile west to headquarters.
To the Crystal Dig Area (Open April 1 - October 15, daily):
From the Great Salt Plains State Park: 8 miles south on State Hwy 38 to Jet, OK. 6 miles west of Jet on State Hwy 64 (Look for a sign). 3 miles north on a sand road and 1 mile east on a paved road to the gate. Follow signs to dig area.
From Cherokee, OK: 3 miles south of Cherokee on State Hwy 8. Turn east on paved road (look for sign). 5 miles to the gate. Follow signs to dig area.
Timberlake Rose Rock Museum
Beautiful, rare rose rock clusters available for free viewing. See the world's largest collection of Barite Rose Rocks. If you plan on coming around the first weekend in May please plan to attend our annual Rose Rock Festival.
419 S. Highway 77
Noble, Oklahoma 73068-0663
Hours of operation:
Mar. thru Aug. - Tuesday - Friday: 10 A. M. to 5:30 P. M., Saturday: 10 A. M. to 4 P. M.
Sept. thru Feb. - Wednesday thru Friday: 10 A. M. to 5:30 P. M., Saturday: 10 A. M. to 4 P. M.
419 S. Highway 77, Noble, Oklahoma 73068-0663
Phone: 405.872.9838 and E-mail: Joe & Nancy Stine at timberlake@roserockmuseum.com
Tuesday through Friday: 10 A. M. to 6 P. M., Saturday: 10 A. M. to 4 P. M.
http://www.roserockmuseum.com/
Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History
The Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History features engaging exhibits that encourage inquiry and stimulating education sessions that provide hands-on study of artifacts and scientific specimens. Education programs include school group lessons, Discovery Room sessions, outreach materials, adult and family programs, summer children's workshops, and special events.
For additional information or to make reservations for education programs, please call the Education Department at 405-325-4712 or email us at education@ras.snomnh.ou.edu.
http://www.snomnh.ou.edu/err.htm
Quartz Mountain State Park
Quartz Mountain Nature Park (QMNP) offers camping, boating, fishing or skiing. QMNP has mountains to hike or climb and sandy beaches to stroll. Metal detecting, ORV riding and Eagle watching are just a few of our specilized activities. The Park has a nature center and offers naturalist programs throughout the year. Call (580) 563-2666 to schedule an In-School Naturalist program.
Year round.
44 miles south of Altus/Foss Exit, State Highway 44. See website for directions.
Some fees charged.
(580) 563-2238,
http://www.quartzmountain.org/
Oklahoma is less than an hour away, and there is lots to do in the Sooner State. Check out one or more of these fun field trips on a sunny day this fall!
NOAA National Weather
The National Weather Center houses a unique confederation of University of Oklahoma, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and state organizations that work together in partnership to improve understanding of events occurring in Earth’s atmosphere over a wide range of time and space scales.
Tours of the NWC for the general public will be offered on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 1 p.m. Each tour will last approximately 45 minutes. The Public tour is a comprehensive overview of the NWC and the units housed within. The Public tour includes visits to the School of Meteorology, the NWC observation deck, classroom and laboratory facilities, as well as NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center, the Norman National Weather Service Forecast Office, and the National Severe Storms Laboratory. If you have more than 8 people in your group, please schedule a Group tour. If you have special needs, please note those needs when you make reservations.
For General tours, please Schedule a Tour, or call (405) 325-1147.
School tours are available for 3rd grade and above. Tours for school groups are scheduled at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. only on Tuesdays and Thursdays. School tours last about 1.5 hours and consist of a presentation and video about the science conducted at the National Severe Storms Lab along with a visit to the NOAA Storm Prediction Center and Norman National Weather Service Forecast Office. Classes focusing on science are preferred. A list of names of all attending the tour is required in advance. Groups are encouraged to schedule tours at least two weeks in advance as these dates fill up quickly.
To schedule a school tour, please contact Daphne Thompson at Daphne.Thompson@noaa.gov or by phone at (405) 325-6892.
http://www.nwc.ou.edu
Crucible Foundry
http://www.thecruciblellc.com/
Features the ancient art of casting monumental bronze sculpture. View sculptures and paintings on exhibit in the Crucible's gallery. Visit the sculpture garden, a showcase for The Crucible's specialty of producing monumental art for the outdoors. Watch sculptures come alive with motion, rotating and waving in the Oklahoma wind. Bronze fountains splash and gurgle to complete the symphony of sight and sound.
Includes works from Georgia O'Keeffe to Vincent Van Gogh. The newly designed Mary and Howard Lester Wing showcases the Weitzenhoffer Collection - French Impressionism in the Great Plains states, featuring works by Degas, Gauguin, Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec, and others. Twentieth-century American paintings, Southwest art, Native American art, ceramics and photography.
555 Elm Avenue, on the corner of Boyd Street and Elm on the University of Oklahoma campus
405-325-3272, E-mail: kmcwilliams@ou.edu
Ardmore, OK
Ardmore is less than 2 hours
northeast of Wichita Falls.
From Wichita Falls, take Highway 79
through Dean to US 70 East.
Take US 70 East to I-35 and Ardmore.
Museum of the Western Prairie
Features two main galleries and an auxiliary building. Outdoors, visitors can walk inside an authentic half-dugout or see an operating windmill. Horse-drawn implements on the lawn illustrate farm mechanization in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Altus is about an hour and a half northwest of Wichita Falls.
From Wichita Falls, take Highway 283 to Vernon. In Vernon, take 283 north to Altus.
Red Rock Canyon State Park
Red Rock Canyon was once a stop on the famous California Trail. It's a great place to hike, climb, or explore. Camping, picnic areas, swimming, rappelling.
