*This post is sponsored by Visit OKC. All thoughts and opinions remain my own.
Grab a snack, this is a long one! NBA Fans! Ever wanted to follow your team on the road? I have the destination for you. Oklahoma City is such a fun place to travel to if you’re a sports fan. Not only do they have the Oklahoma City Thunder but also a minor league baseball team, Oklahoma City Dodgers, and is also home to the Women’s College World Series and USA Softball. Not only is Oklahoma City family friendly with the OKC Zoo, Memorial Museum, Myriad Gardens and others, this city on the prairie definitely makes for a fun sports getaway. Ladies, you could even send your man on a guys’ trip to OKC. Don’t think you could? OKC has something for everyone! For now, I’m giving you a quick to do list for everything to eat (and drink) and do in Oklahoma City.
We all know I love me some basketball – it’s the swankiest sport in my opinion. You can always dress up at a basketball game. Anyway! OKC has become one of my favorite places in recent years. So I went to my first Thunder game at Chesapeake Arena and I will say it was a blast. The Thunder took on the Golden State Warriors and won. Even though the Warriors are struck with the injury bug the game turned out to be an exciting one. It started with the Thunder racing out to a big lead and then towards the end of the fourth quarter the score was pretty close. Despite the late push from the Warriors, Thunder closed out and won. The fan experience was an overall 10 for me. The crowd was into the game, fans were friendly (although I’m pretty sure that’s just the Oklahoma way – everyone is friendly) and the fans were knowledgeable. Don’t sleep on OKC, they know their basketball too.
Hungry?
I’ve got a lot for you to choose from when you’re in town for a game. Oklahoma City has the eats. Y’all the food scene here is incredible. Every time I leave, I’m talking about something I ate, and OKC always leaves me wanting more. Not so much fancy schmancy, although, there are plenty of those, but we’re talking foodie vibes. If you’re into ramen there are several ramen spots that are local favorites, like Tamashii. If you want something more upscale, I definitely recommend Mickey Mantle’s. It’s perfectly situated across the street from Bricktown Ballpark and walking distance to Chesapeake Arena.
However, I have pulled together my favorite things to eat in Oklahoma City. I have breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, fourth meal – I got you! Each place can be enjoyed pre or post game, depending on your preference.
Waffle Champion – I have now been here twice. You have to get the chicken and waffle liege style. With waffle fries. Yes, waffle fries with your waffles. It’s a must. It’s the most delicious breakfast and will have you fueled and ready for the day. If you’re not into the savory, you can also get a dessert waffle. So basically you can have waffles for breakfast or dessert. You’re welcome.
Waffle Champion’s Chicken and Waffle
The Lizzie Burger at 21c Hotel – I talked about this when I was in OKC back in March and I’m still talking about it. If you don’t recall, check out my food post from OKC here. Go to 21c, sit next to a penguin at the bar, order the Lizzie burger, a glass a wine and enjoy. I promise you, you’ll thank me later.
Hot Chicken Sandwich and Fried Pickles (Mother Clucker) – Y’all. This chicken sandwhich is what deams are made of. You can pick your level of spice for everything (I choose the Cluck Yeah – it’s a nice mid grade heat. Enough to make you get a little sweaty, but not overwhelming) including fried pickles. It’s the best thing ever.
Pot Pie at Kitchen 324 – It’s comforting and there’s a fired chicken leg stuck in it. It’s perfection. Everything at Kitchen 324 is to die for. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I’ve been for both breakfast and lunch and have enjoyed everything from the mimosas, mules, pancake, potpie, omelet, shishito peppers, blueberry orange scone…the whole menu. Perfect Sunday brunch spot before leaving town.
Peperronipalooza at Hideaway – If you and the game are more down for pizza, Hideaway is my go to spot. You can definitely pre-game, or post-game here but you gotta get the pepperonipalooza and the fried mushrooms with ranch. It’s a must, you have to. Luckily, Hideaway is a chain so you can pick any location to go to. There’s also Hall’s Pizza Kitchen which is also a good pizza spot. Moral of the story, don’t order Domino’s to the room, please. Go out.
Let’s Play! Kids, Families, and Singles, too!
Ride OKC provides an active way to see OKC in all it’s glory.
If you have time before or after the game to do something fun, you’ve got to check out Ride OKC. I had the opportunity to ride through Oklahoma City by bike. I took the Art and Architecture tour with Ryan from Ride OKC and I have a new hobby. Every time I travel, I’m going to make an attempt to find a bike tour. It’s really such a fun way to explore a city. Ride OKC offers the Art and Architecture tour, Brew Tour, milk and cookies, and also holiday tours like Christmas lights. How fun is that?! If you’re not very coordinated, I also suggest a trip to the Oklahoma City Memorial and Museum (a must see), Myriad Gardens, and OKC Zoo. During the holidays there are activities like ice skating at Devon Ice Rink; this also makes for a good date night activity. Flint is across the street for a little pre-ice skating date night dinner if you don’t have kids. Sounds romantic to me. Can you imagine? Dinner. Basketball. Ice Skating? Guys, this is a date night. Thank me later.
Got Beer?
Hey fellas! I’ve got a little something for you. Besides sports, OKC has enough breweries to keep you hopping from one to the next. So if you’re ever considering a guys trip, find a basketball game to go to and surround it with some breweries. There are so many to choose from like Anthem, Coop Ale Works and Stonecloud Brewing Company. You could go brewery hopping is Sunday/Saturday brunch isn’t your type of thing. I personally got to take a tour of Anthem, and tried several of the beers. Stay tuned for a blog post talking all about Anthem Brewery. The Rad Hombre is my favorite…just saying.
If your favorite team plays the Oklahoma City Thunder or you’re an NBA fan who like to get to all the arenas, make sure OKC is in your plans. You don’t want to miss out on this gem of a city. Oh, and I promise, you’ll be planning what you’re gonna do (and eat) the next time you’re in town before you even leave.