Oklahoma City/Downtown

Downtown in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma is the central business district and has several areas, including the Plaza district, Midtown, Automobile Alley, Metro Park, Film Row, Riverside and Bricktown.

Myriad Botanical Gardens Crystal Bridge and fountain

Get in

Interstate 40 (I-40), also called the Crosstown Expressway, runs along the southern side of the downtown area. Downtown is located just east of Interstate 235 (I-235). The city bus service downtown is better than in the rest of the city, but most people drive. The city's Amtrak train station is located in downtown Oklahoma City.

• 🌍 Amtrak train station, 100 South E.K. Gaylord Boulevard. Daily 7:30–8:45AM, 9–11PM. Historic train station that may expand to connect better with local transit options. The Heartland Flyer makes the four-hour trip to Fort Worth, Texas every morning, and then returns every evening. (updated Oct 2018)

Get around

Most people drive cars in this city. As of 2018, parking in city-operated parking garages costs $2/hour, with a $10 maximum each day.

• EmbarkOK (Metro Transit). Route 50, which runs from the Transit Center through the OKC Museum of Art, Red Earth Museum, Bricktown, Bricktown Landing, and Chesapeake Energy Arena to Myriad Gardens, stops at several attractions and sightseeing opportunities. (updated Oct 2018)

Neighborhoods of particular interest to visitors include:

• Bricktown: a former warehouse district that has been converted into a restaurant and night club hot spot adjacent to downtown. This area is home to the Bricktown Ballpark, several live music venues, the Harkins movie theatre, and Mickey Mantle's steakhouse. On the the east side of downtown, between E.K. Gaylord Ave. and Lincoln Blvd. and includes Reno Ave., Sheridan Ave. and Main street.
• Plaza District: Offers art galleries, restaurants, and performance arts.  Named after the historic Plaza Theatre, where Lyric Theatre performs.  Block party on the second Friday evening of each month. Near the theatre on NW 16th Ave.
• Midtown: Near NW 10th and Walker, Midtown boasts Brasilian, Latin, and American food restaurants, as well as OKC's oldest boutique ice creamery and a bakery. On weekends, a rooftop bossa nova bar offers a beautiful view of this area's interesting architecture.

See

Oklahoma City National Memorial chairs

• 🌍 Oklahoma City National Memorial, 620 N Harvey Ave (located between N. Harvey Ave and N. Robinson Ave at NW 5th St.), ☎ [phone]. 24 hrs. Park rangers on site 8:30AM- 5PM, daily. This is the memorial for the Oklahoma City bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building that occurred at 9:02AM on April 19th, 1995. At each end of the memorial are the bronze 'Gates of Time'. At one end 9:01 for before and the other 9:03 for after. Between the gates is a reflecting pool and on the south side are the 168 memorial chairs, one for each person that perished and smaller chairs for the children. On the north side of the pool is the Survivor Tree, an American elm that survived the blast. At the west end along Harvey Ave. is the fence where visitors leave memorabilia. Outdoor memorial is free.  
• Memorial Museum, 620 Harvey Ave. M-Sa 9AM–6PM, Su noon–6PM. Last ticket sold at 5PM. The average visit lasts an hour and a half. The museum is closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Adults $15, Senior (62+) $12, Student (6-17 or college student with current ID) $12, 5 years and under are free. 
• 🌍 Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 West Reno, ☎ [phone]. M-Sa 9AM-6PM, Su noon-6PM. Adults$6, students 13-18 & College ID $5, children 4-12 $3, children under 4 free. 

Bricktown canal with Bricktown Ballpark in the background

• 🌍 American Banjo Museum, 9 East Sheridan (Bricktown), ☎ [phone]. 11AM-6PM. A world class museum dedicated to celebrating the music and heritage of America's Instrument - the banjo. See the largest collection of banjos on public display in the world and witness the history of the banjo from its humble African roots, throughout its heyday during the Roaring 20s to its present day voice in Bluegrass, folk and world music. Adults $6, seniors $5, youth (5-17) $4. 
• Bricktown Mosaic Murals (Bricktown). Painted on the buildings in Bricktown. 
• Oklahoma Buffalo Corral, 1 East Main (Bricktown). There used to be a herd of buffalo on Main St near the Amtrak tracks, however now there's only one left there. Each buffalo was decorated by artists. The project was by The Nature Conservancy to raise money. There are still several throughout Oklahoma City. 

Do

Oklahoma City National Memorial 9:01 Gate of Time

This is the business district of Oklahoma City. Many people work in this area during the day and then head out for an evening drink or meal.

• 🌍 Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker, ☎ [phone], toll-free: [phone]. Various performances and home for The Oklahoma City Philharmonic.  
• Oklahoma City Thunder, 100 W. Reno Ave (Chesapeake Energy Arena in Bricktown), ☎ [phone]. The city's NBA team is likely the toughest ticket in town, thanks to a roster loaded with young talent, most notably superstar Russell Westbrook.  
• Oklahoma City Dodgers, 2 South Mickey Mantle Drive (Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Bricktown), ☎ [phone], fax: [phone]. Attend a Dodgers baseball game.  
• Water Taxi of Oklahoma, 111 Mickey Mantle Dr (Bricktown), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Narrated canal cruise on the Bricktown canal. Round trip is about 40 minutes and all-day passes are available. 
• Cocktail Cruises (Bricktown). On the Water Taxi in season cruises run on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings beginning around 6:30PM and run until about 10:30PM. 
• Buggy Rides. Around Bricktown and downtown Oklahoma City. Bricktown is host to both human powered and horse powered buggies and carriages. The horse carriages are generally seen on family oriented event nights, although they are open for business all days of the week if there is a demand. Their hours of operation generally end at midnight. The pedal-cab companies generally come out Tu-Sa between 4PM and 2AM, and are often seen on event nights any day of the week as well. The pedal cab companies also attend local sports games by transporting their bikes to Norman and Stillwater. 

Buy

• 🌍 Bass Pro Shops, 200 Bass Pro Dr (Bricktown), ☎ [phone]. (updated Feb 2016)
• 🌍 Painted Door, 124 E. Sheridan (Bricktown). (updated Feb 2016)
• Dodgers Team Store, 2 Mickey Mantle Dr (Bricktown). 
• Exhibit C Gallery, 1 East Sheridan, Ste. 100 (Next door to the American Banjo Museum in Bricktown), ☎ [phone]. 11AM to 8PM. Exhibit C houses an art gallery, which features hand-crafted art pieces created by Chickasaw and southeastern Native American artists. Exhibit C also serves as a visitor information center for Chickasaw Country. The large gallery features art for display and also for sale, with a new artist featured every four months. Jewelry, pottery, painting, clothing and more are available in the retail portion of Exhibit C. Also offered are a wide selection of Bedré Fine Chocolate, chocolate barks and cold chocolate soda. (updated Aug 2015)

Eat

Budget

Coney Island Wieners

• The Buzz Coffee and Café, 120 N Robinson (In downtown's underground tunnels. Enter at BancFirst and take elevators down to the lower level), ☎ [phone]. M–F 8AM–4PM. Breakfast, lunch, coffee, and ice cream in an unusual location. $5. (updated Oct 2018)
• 🌍 Coney Island, 428 W Main St, ☎ [phone]. M–Sat 9:30AM–5PM. Family-owned local place that is nearly a century old. Offers great wieners (hot dogs) for a low price. All kinds of OU Sooner memorabilia on the walls, and football scores on the wall going back to the 1940s. $5, cash only. (updated Oct 2018)
• 🌍 Greek & Seafood, 119 N Robinson (in the Robinson Renaissance Building), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. M–F 10:30AM–2PM. Mediterranean, Greek and Persian food. Lunch only. $8. (updated Oct 2018)
• 🌍 Ground Floor Café & Bakery, 211 N.Robinson (Leadership Square), ☎ [phone]. M–F 7AM–3PM. Breakfast and lunch. Short orders, soup, sandwiches, bagels and coffee. Also, Krispy Kreme doughnuts. $6–10. (updated Oct 2018)

Mid-range

• 🌍 Thai Kitchen Cafe, 327 Dean A. McGee Ave, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. M–Sat 11AM–8:45PM. Phat thai noodles, curries, and other Thai foods. Busier at lunch than in the evening. Lunch $10, supper $15. (updated Oct 2018)
• 🌍 HeyDay Bowling and Arcade, 200 S. Oklahoma Ave Suite HD (Bricktown), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. M–Th 11AM–11PM, Fri–Sat 11AM–1AM, Sun 11AM–10PM. An upscale version of bowling, dining and bar. Parking validation. (updated Oct 2018)
• Spaghetti Warehouse Italian Grill, 101 E. Sheridan (Bricktown), ☎ [phone]. 
• Stumpy's Burger House, 7 Mickey Mantle (Bricktown), ☎ [phone]. 
• Zio's Italian Kitchen, 12 E. California (Bricktown), ☎ [phone]. 
• 🌍 Anchor Down, 30 NE 2nd St, ☎ [phone]. Gourmet corn dogs and full bar. $10. (updated Oct 2018)
• 🌍 Abuelo's Mexican Food Embassy, 17 E. Sheridan (Bricktown), ☎ [phone]. (updated Feb 2016)
• Bourbon Street Café, 100 E. California (Bricktown), ☎ [phone]. N'awlins style dining. 
• Chelino's Mexican Restaurant, 15 E. California (Bricktown), ☎ [phone]. 

Splurge

• 🌍 Park Avenue Grill, One Park Avenue (in the Skirvin Hilton), ☎ [phone]. M–F 6:30AM–2PM and 5–10PM, Sat–Sun 7AM–2PM and 5–10PM. This upscale restaurant features contemporary cuisine and a modern take on Southern traditions. Full-service hotel restaurant. Breakfast or lunch $15; supper $30–50. (updated Oct 2018)
• 🌍 Red Prime Steak, 504 N. Broadway Ave (Automobile Alley). M–Th 5–10PM, Fri-Sat 5–11PM, Sun 5–9PM. Fine-dining steak house. $50. (updated Oct 2018)
• 🌍 Flint, 15 N Robinson Ave (in the Colcord Hotel, Across the street from the Myriad Botanical Gardens and the Cox Convention Center), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 6:30AM–10PM. Upscale casual restaurant and lounge featuring contemporary American cuisine; takes a direct and simple approach to cooking, using the best available ingredients. Full-service fine-dining hotel restaurant offering breakfast, weekend brunch, lunch, and dinner, plus a "small bites" menu served from 2–5PM every afternoon. Valet parking validation. Breakfast, brunch, lunch, $15–25; dinner, $25–35. (updated Oct 2018)
• 🌍 Café Cuvée, 1200 N Walker Ave (inside the Ambassador Hotel), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 7AM-9PM. Formerly known as the Viceroy Grille, Café Cuvée is a bistro that serves authentic French comfort food. Offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner Monday through Friday, and breakfast, brunch, and dinner on Saturdays and Sundays. (updated Jun 2015)
• 🌍 Vast, 333 W. Sheridan Ave., ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 11AM-1:30PM and 5PM-10PM. Fresh fare and cool cocktails. Date-night dinners and leisure lunches. Smiling staff and vast views in the heart of downtown. Good food, sourced from local producers, and even better service. (updated Jun 2015)
• 🌍 Earl's Rib Palace, 216 Johnny Bench Dr (Bricktown), ☎ [phone]. (updated Feb 2016)
• 🌍 Mickey Mantle's Steakhouse, 7 S Mickey Mantle Dr (Bricktown), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. They have a very nice bar with $1.50 domestics and hors d'oeuvres from 4-7PM weeknights (no hors d'oeuvres on Hornets nights). (updated Feb 2016)
• 🌍 Pearl's Crabtown, 303 E. Sheridan (Bricktown), ☎ [phone]. (updated Mar 2017)
• The Mantel, 201 E. Sheridan (Bricktown), ☎ [phone]. Another nice upscale dining location. 

Drink

• 🌍 Bricktown Brewery, 1 North Oklahoma Ave (Bricktown), ☎ [phone]. They have free Wi-Fi, also a happy hour special from 4-7PM weeknights and pints are $1.75 (updated Feb 2016)
• City Walk, 108 E. Main (Bricktown), ☎ [phone]. 
• 🌍 TapWerks Ale House, 121 E. Sheridan (Bricktown), ☎ [phone]. (updated Feb 2016)
• 🌍 Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grille, 310 Johnny Bench Dr (Bricktown), ☎ [phone]. One huge room with two bars and a huge stage. A bus is coming out of the wall next to the stage. (updated Mar 2017)
• 🌍 JJ's Alley, 212 East Sheridan Ave (Bricktown), ☎ [phone]. Small local bar which has live acoustic music every night and never charges a cover. It was built in an alley between two buildings and manages to have two downstairs non-smoking and one upstairs smoking bar. This is the closest Bricktown has to a dive bar. (updated Feb 2016)
• 🌍 Drinkz, 115 East Reno Ave (North entrance, facing canal in Bricktown), ☎ [phone]. Drinkz is a casual bar with a very extensive liquor selection, knowledgeable bartenders, and a comfortable atmosphere. Live bands every weekend are usually contemporary rock. (updated Feb 2016)

Sleep

• 🌍 Colcord Hotel, 15 N. Robinson Ave, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: noon. This boutique hotel is in the heart of the Central Business District near the Myriad Botanical Gardens and is the city's new hip joint. Varies. (updated Jun 2015)
• 🌍 Courtyard Hotel, 2 West Reno, Downtown. AAA 3.5-Diamond, this hotel is also one of the hippest place to lay your head in the city. 
• 🌍 The Skirvin Hilton, 1 Park Avenue, Downtown, ☎ [phone]. This renovated hotel features an elegant lobby and new restaurant, the Park Avenue Grill. It features 225 guestrooms, including 20 suites and one Presidential suite. It is a short walk to the Cox Business Services Convention Center in Oklahoma City Meeting rooms incorporate state of the art technology including high speed internet throughout. The historic fourteenth floor Venetian room has been restored to its former glory and is available for events. The stylish and comfortable Red Piano lounge is just off the lobby. 
• 🌍 Renaissance Oklahoma City Convention Center Hotel, 10 N. Broadway. AAA 4.5-Diamond accommodations in the heart of the Central Business District. 
• 🌍 Ambassador Hotel, 1200 N Walker Ave, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. Historically elegant yet completely modernized. Situated within the beautifully renovated Osler Building - at the intersection of NW 11th and Walker Streets – Midtown Oklahoma City’s only hotel. Varies. (updated Jun 2015)
• Courtyard by Marriott, 2 West Reno (Bricktown), ☎ [phone], fax: [phone]. 
• Marriot Renaissance, 10 N. Broadway (Bricktown), ☎ [phone]. 
• Residence Inn, 400 E. Reno Ave (Bricktown). Extended stay accommodations in Bricktown's first hotel. 
• The Sheraton Hotel, One North Broadway Ave. AAA 3.5-Diamond. The Sheraton was renovated and is the largest hotel in the Central Business District. 
• Waterford Marriott, 6300 Waterford Blvd (Bricktown), ☎ [phone]. Upscale suites, relaxing spa, on-site dining. 

Connect

• Free Wi-Fi at Bricktown Brewery, 1 N. Oklahoma