*A cheeky guide to finding the beauty when visiting a city – and having a quality experience to back up that gorgeous photo. 🙂
I have no problem with ‘doing it for the ‘gram’ but what about the caption? Ugh…right? A lot of pretty things are, well, dull, especially if you don’t have an actual experience tied to them.
Don’t just leave vacation with pictures, leave with stories and memories. (plus plenty of fodder for rounding out your captions, obviously)
We partnered with Hotels.com to bring you our guide for where to find all the best Instagram-Worthy spots in Oklahoma City, and our recommendations for the best way to experience each one.
- Dining on 23rd : Food + Design + Local Flavor :: This strip has everything that we love about Instagram photos and each restaurant serves up a full menu of bucket list worthy bites. Our picks are:
Hurt’s Donuts – Y’all these are gorgeous donuts. The glass display case looks like a gallery showcase of the Lost Boys’ meal when Robin Williams finally remembers he’s Peter Pan. (Bang-a-rang Peter). Snap the photos in the shop or walk across the street to the neon blue and green ‘Roam’ mural that you can’t possibly miss.
The Drake – Brunch Oysters, good design and a silver tray are a great place to start dining and clicking. The entire restaurant has a modern upscale, casual feel providing awesome airy backgrounds that compliment a menu that is as tasty as it is well plated. Tip: Go with a group so you can try as many of the delicious options as possible. Photo Tip: The outdoor teal and white umbrellas are super cute – pack a dress in a complimentary color to really stand out.
HunnyBunny Biscuit Co – On the opposite end of the modern dining spectrum, Hunny Bunny Biscuit Co adds a southern touch to 23rd combining a Joanna Gaines Inspired down-home design with a millennium pink pallet. On top of all that, the biscuits are, well, decadent and delicious. Photo Tip: we recommend something along the lines of pairing a latte with the strawberry shortcake biscuit)
- Ride OKC Bike Tour: Ride OKC’s array of bike tours is perhaps the most Instagrammable thing in Oklahoma City. With tours specializing in taste options from boutique tap rooms to homemade cookies, each ride is chock full of places all the local rave about as well as stops at the best murals in the city. Travel Tip: Totally kid-friendly. Photo Tip: A GoPro can be attached to your helmet for that 1st person perspective.
While, you can’t possibly take all your photos on one bike ride (you’ll need at least two costume changes) – each trip will keep you enthralled and give you ideas of where you’ll want to return for reshoots.
- 21c Hotel: Imagine a hotel with the posh aires of an art gallery, the hip vibe of an underground club, and the whimsical nature of Frank Lloyd Wright – that’s 21c Hotel. There just aren’t many hotels like this in the world – which is why it’s one of OKC’s most popular hotels.
Stepping inside gives you a good idea of what’s in store, but to really enjoy it, you’ll need to book a night or two. A weekend stay gives you time to explore the rotating gallery and installations, dine in the attention grabbing Mary Eddy’s Kitchen x Lounge, and shoot a wide variety of wardrobe options in the wide hallways and in front of the floor to ceiling curtains. (We just hope the purple penguins let you out in the morning).
Oklahoma City has plenty of Instagram-worthy places to stay near The Paseo and Bricktown.
The Paseo : The Paseo is Oklahoma City’s revamped arts district. The streets are lined with brightly colored shops and galleries, each having a distinctly Southwest feel.
Dining at Oso Paseo – Ok, inside and out, this restaurant is beautiful. Light with great accents, the Mexican design flows into an amazing menu with brilliantly plated tacos and street faire. Your stomach and your gallery wall will thank us. Tip: Arrive early for your pick of seating inside.
First Friday Gallery Walk – You can wander along the sidewalk and take in galleries as the entire area opens its doors and becomes a lively place with a mix of live music, meet-and-greets, and indoor shows.
- Lake Hefner: We were looking for the best place to see the sunset, and were lead to Lake Hefner. (then our sunset was rained out). We went back on a dry day and loved taking photos by lighthouse. During the summer, this place is awesome because you can rent kayaks and head out on the water.
- Myriad Botanical Gardens: Located downtown, this oasis in the middle of the concrete jungle is the perfect afternoon escape. Lush florals, gorgeous windows, and a pretty bridge make this the ideal spot for family photos plus it’s sensory overload for your eyes.
- Breaking Down Bricktown: A lot of people list Bricktown as Instagram gold. Here are the highlights that really are ‘must sees’, and the best way to showcase each one.
River Taxi – The River Taxi is the way to best experience the canal, waterfall, and the Centennial Land Run Monument. This approximately 40-minute round-trip ride snakes through the river level dining area before taking off to the other end of town, passing by the waterfall and sculptures. It’s hop on hop off, so we suggest riding one direction and then hopping out and walking back for better photos.
Abstract Passages – One of my favorite murals in all of OKC, this multi-layered mural under the Main Street railroad bridge is a great place to be creative as you walk through Bricktown. Artist Kristopher Kanaly has invested so much of himself into the city and he’s the nicest guy too. We were lucky to met in person for a tour of street art in the city and he definitely put a lot of things in perspective that we would have never known if not for his knowledge. Tip: There’s a scavenger hunt to find all the hidden gems within the painting- how many did you find?
- The Wheeler Wheel: This is the antithesis of combining snaps for Instagram with a great ‘only in OKC’ experience. The Wheeler Wheel is actually the historic Santa Monica Pier Ferris Wheel, now refreshed and refurbished and overlooking downtown Oklahoma City. This is a great spot to visit day or night. During the day, lazy hammocks and an open grass play space are a great place to relax. At night, the wheel lights up providing an amazing backdrop for selfies or time-lapse photos. (If you’re into landscape photography, cross the river and shoot the wheel without the city backdrop. It’s a very unique perspective, especially with a time lapse.)
- Plaza Walls: This was my personal favorite place to take photos from our entire visit. (I have two 20” prints hanging on my walls from here right now) This outdoor gallery is home to a rotating series of murals created by some great local and well-known International artists. The team behind the creation and curation of Plaza Walls has actually outstretched their initial space and now the blocks surrounding it are equally covered with unique, vivid, eye-catching murals.
- Photo Pours / Drinks + Pics : The OKC bar and brewery scene includes a backdrop and a drink for every palate. From the clean design and warm tones of local tap houses to the upscale and fashion forward cocktail bars, here are our favorite OKC sweet pic picks.
Prairie Artisan Ales – This was one of our first stops in OKC, and it was da bomb (literally their signature pour is ‘the Bomb’). Everything from the simple wood on slate color scheme that dresses the OKC Taproom to the pop-modern illustrations that cover their bottles and can makes it feel that their team believes in the power of design and isn’t afraid to be bold – just like their beer.
Vanessa House Beer Co – Ready to slip back into the 80’s/90’s? Vanessa House does everything that Prairie Artisan Ales doesn’t, and it’s perfect. Forgoing the modern look of most tap rooms, Vanessa House uses a lime green color pallet, which matches the Slimer they have on display on their memorabilia wall. Not totally stuck in the past, their largest wall is covered in a totally unique retro superhero mural.
Bar Arbolada – Pretty tile, gorgeous plants, cute outdoor seating, we love everything about the vibe at Bar Arbolada (plus it’s within walking distance of 21C.) They change up their speciality cocktails with the season, so there is always a reason to come back and they are all the most colorful concoctions we’ve ever seen.
Bar Cicchetti – We didn’t get a change to visit on our last trip but it’s at the top of my bucket list for when we return. While the tapas all sound delicious, the pinky-purple “Crush Pad” cocktail with black grapes, rosemary, Mediterranean Gin and lemon juice is what first attracted me to this spot. It seems like reservations are a good idea, so book one before you fly in.
Other spots worth a stop and a snap:
- Plant Shoppe
- Auto Alley OKC
- Café Disco
- Waffle Champion
- Halls Pizza Kitchen
Anything we missed? We can’t wait to plan our trip back so please send us other options to add to this!
