A fun excursion for locals, as well as out-of-towners is Oklahoma City’s Bricktown, which has been resurrected from a crumbling warehouse district. Located on the east edge of the downtown area, it offers you a wealth of entertainment, both day and evening. Enter the area through the roadway tunnels under the Santa Fe tracks, and you step into a “happening place.”
One of the anchor locations is the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, home of the OKC RedHawks, a Triple-A baseball franchise and affiliate of the Major League Baseball Houston Astros. (UPDATE 12/2014: THE TEAM HAS A NEW OWNER AND IS NOW A TRIPLE A FRANCHISE OF THE LOS ANGELES DODGERS, KNOWN AS THE OKLAHOMA CITY DODGERS). Located on Mickey Mantle Blvd., this is a first-rate ball field, with all the amenities. The coordinates given above will bring you to their main gate. To visit their website and see their schedule, (
visit link) Surrounding the ballpark are numerous sculptures of Oklahoma-raised ballplayers, such as Mickey Mantle and Johnny Bench.
If you’re hungry or want some entertainment, there are literally dozens of places you can visit. Restaurants like Abuelo’s, Chelino,s (in the Avery Building on California Avenue), Bricktown Brewery, Crabtown (303 E. Sheridan – 35 27.998 97 30.444), and Earl’s Rib Palace are just the tip of the iceberg. Nightlife includes Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill, Mojo’s Blues Club and many others. For a list of entertainment spots and a map, (
visit link)
Hotel accommodations are available within Bricktown, and in the adjacent Oklahoma City area. Plan to walk around the area, just enjoying the restored factory buildings, with their old ghost signs still intact. At the far southeast corner, Bass Pro Shop will offer many interesting sights.
For sure, take one of the water taxi rides. Bricktown Canal is a mile-long waterway which meanders through the area. The boats carry 40 passengers and run every 10-15 minutes from 10AM to 11PM April-October, with varying times in the off-season. The trip takes 40 minutes and is a guided tour with an announcer. All-day passes can be obtained at any of the Canal docks, or at the Red Dirt Emporium in the Miller-Jackson Building on California Avenue (35 27.928 97 30.597). Docks are located on the west side of Mickey Mantle Blvd., across from 3rd base at the ballpark (35 27.918 97 30.570), or on the West side of Bass Pro Shop (35 27.833 97 30.170), or near the Harkins Cinema 16.
As you walk around the streets of Bricktown, be sure to stop at these spots:
--Land Run Sculpture – this is an heroic-sized group of bronze sculptures depicting the Land Run of 1889 which opened this area for settlement. It will take 12 years to fully complete the grouping of 45 sculptures, which will end up being 365 feet long and one of the largest bronze sculpture groupings in the country. (35 27.672 97 30.292)
--Devon Mosaic – A Oklahoma Centennial project provided by Devon Energy. (35 27.919 97 30.731)
--Ray Ackerman Dancing Fountains – Enjoy the mural and get your feet wet in the fountain (35 27.975 97 30.728)
--Centennial Fountain – (35 27.833 97 30.557)
--In the evening, enjoy the many neon signs, especially the guitar at Toby Keith’s “I Love This Bar & Grill”. (35 27.799 97 30.445).
--Visit the American Banjo Museum at 9 E. Sheridan which is open Tues-Sat 11-6 and Sun noon-5.
Bricktown is a family-friendly entertainment area. There are trolley buses and horse-drawn carriages to enjoy as well. Plan to spend the entire day or evening.