Informative and lots of interactive displays…read more Reviewed May 5, 2019 A very nice small museum that does a great job of conveying what life was like on the cattle drive. They have several hands on displays that are great for kids and adults. There is a movie theater that shows an 18 minute video about life on the cattle drive. I especially enjoyed their collection of western art. Their collection includes Remington, Russell and Catlin paintings. The outdoor bronze sculpture is amazing. The staff is very nice! They are very knowledgeable of the history of the Chisholm trail and more than willing to share their knowledge with visitors. Note: This review and photos were originally posted on Tripadvisor by Spike S.

We love it here. The staff is always helpful and there's lots of hands-on activities to include a…read morecampfire scene and a theater with a show that really immerses you in the experience of the cattle drive up Chisolm Trail. The audience feels the wind, the rain, and even the lightening extends past the big screen (still safe though... projects on the walls). The audience even experiences the scents of the prairie grass.

Was a little apprehensive about visiting after the recent negative press, but we had free tickets…read morefrom a charity auction for Hilltop clinic and thus we were locked in to pay a visit regardless. Museum hours are 9 AM to 4 PM and we leisurely drove in at 10 AM on a Thursday thinking that would be more than enough time to experience all they have to offer. Boy, were we wrong! Started with the indoor experiences in the Main Street area spending a minimum of 15 minutes to a maximum of 45 minutes per room(could easily have been more if we weren't trying to experience the whole thing, FOMO). Our favorites were the bubble factory(kids can encase themselves into a giant bubble!) and the grocery store with a pizza oven. Once we moved on from Main Street, we went to Explorer's Hall where there's a faux camping area, real life airplane cockpit, climbing wall, sand area with dinosaur fossils, and aquarium where we spent close to an hour. Broke for lunch at the cafe there where the food is terrible but edible(which we were expecting so no points lost there). Orders are placed thru an app, which didn't work for us due to poor signal so ordered at the front desk instead. Explored upstairs afterward, which had a STEM area which was the most enjoyable place for our 7 year old. Compressed air pipes, kinetic energy ball machines, bed of nails etc. Our 4 year old went to Roessler Hall downstairs, which had a large slide and water mill play area that kept her occupied for some time. Finally, we went to the outdoor exhibits which are fairly sizable in their own right. We started off with a train ride that leaves at the top of every hour. It's a good way to get a feel for everything offered outside(especially when the weather is hotter) to help pick and choose what's worth doing. There's playground areas, a sensory garden, walking trail/pond among other things. Overall, the visit was above my expectations and I would come back again for a day trip!

This is my grandkids, favorite play place ever! I would suggest you pack a lunch and plan on…read morespending the day. You can take your lunch inside and they have a big cafeteria where they will hold it until you're ready to come and eat. Or you're welcome to leave the facility and go have lunch and come back as long as you have your wristband on. They have the coolest interactive play stations throughout and they change periodically so it's not the same the next time you go back. So so much fun!

I was extremely impressed by the cultural center. We…read morestumbled upon the cultural when looking for lunch on a road trip thanks to the attached cafe. The man warmly welcoming us at the gate was wonderful, the food at the cafe was a delight, and the grounds were relaxing and educational in equal measure. We intended to just get lunch and go, but we stayed around, exploring the grounds and learning of the Chickasaw people for 3 more hours. My opinion of this place cannot be overstated, I have paid good money for admission to much, much worse parks, and this one is absolutely free!

There is so much history to learn about and this venue has cultural experiences that are visual,…read moreaudible and eatable. Beautiful property that is accessed for free with the drive when in Oklahoma. There is a cafe with lots to try, some may say it is bland... it is authentic and pretty sure there was no isle 4 spice racks out in the wild. The flavors we were clean, fresh and the grape dumplings were unexpectedly morsels of tasty. Felt like every turn was a chance to learn, not overly crowded and one of my favorite spots. We learned of this when staying in Tishomingo and they highly recommended and we are so glad when people just take a few minutes to talk and give suggestions. GO HERE it is a must "HIKA".

By making this your 1st stop it opens your eyes to many other possibilities in the area…read more Stopped here as we came into town. Son & I have a camp site reserved at Chickasaw campground. We were met by a very friendly & knowledgeable staff who answered all our questions. We were able to add some extras things to our visit. Nice displays, very well set up. Great maps Nice gift shop.

Wonderful little place on the road home or elsewhere. Clean bathrooms and friendly folks selling…read morecharm and cute little items to boot. Lots of unique crafts and gifts for all and chocolate is right across the road. Can't really ask for more. Go here if you're on the highway and need a rest. It beats ANY rest stop around. Really all around a wonderful little stop along the road. Worth a trip to in itself. Staff are super friendly and helpful and the atmosphere is 10/10. They have tons of items for sale and local stuff too so it's very much not commercial in its approach. Really nothing bad to say about this little stop.

Pretty cool history spot, it's free but it runs on donations. They have 3 sections! Plenty of…read morefirearms and vehicles!

A fantastic military museum on the campus of Fort Sill. The museum is divided into three sections:…read more1) Revolutionary War to WWI; 2) WWII to Vietnam; and 3) modern wars of Desert Storm and Afghanistan. The lobby display includes artifacts of the fallen Berlin Wall and 9/11. So much information along with artifacts and military vehicles and planes. The outside display include many other military vehicles, aircraft, and cannons. Hubby and I spend hours reading and visiting this fantastic museum. There is no entrance fee, but donations are accepted. Well done!

Clearly their budget has increased; they hired someone to manage their Yelp page...and they spared…read moreno expense! In all my years of writing reviews, I have never received such a hilariously thoughtful comment from a biz owner. While I highly doubt I will ever find myself back in OK, let alone in this particular part of OK, I am happy to shower the folks at Gene Autry with more stars, because A for effort! It sounds as if the museum has made a lot of improvements in the last 4 years, not to mention, added a punch of personality to an otherwise drab subject matter! Still no singing cowboy, though :(

Had a lovely time here. The lady director opened a few minutes early when she saw us waiting. She…read moregave us a personalixed tour lasting about two hours. Her knowledge of the genre was bottomless. We plan to return with the grandkids if we can.

This place was amazing and the staff were awesome. My kids were not initially excited when we…read moreparked, but once we talked to the staff and started the scavenger hunt, they were all about to it and they explored on their own and enjoyed it a lot. I thought we be there about a half hour and it was more like 1.5hours. There is so much to see, so much nostalgia from my childhood, soany toys I had forgotten about...it was great. Parking out from was free and abundant. It was also super inexpensive and I highly recommend it to anyone passing through the area.

A timeless and unique museum between OKC and Dallas. I enjoyed every exhibit. The attention to…read moredetail was remarkable. Worth the drive.

Looking for something to do while passing through southern Oklahoma? We were staying at Lake…read moreMurray and decided to check out the Greater Southwest Historical Museum. We were certainly glad we spent several hours there. We've visited lots of "local" museums but this one gets the grand prize. Located in a former national guard armory, they have thousands of feet for displays and they've utilized all of it. They've moved settlement log homes inside, after disassembling and documenting each part so they could be reassembled perfectly. The whole museum is a collection that shows how people in the area lived in years gone by. A doctor, a bank, a school, a drug store soda stand, a blacksmith shop... the list goes on and on. They have extensive coverage of the oil and agricultural industries, which played a very important part in the local economy. The docents were very friendly and answered all of our questions about the exhibits. We also listened to some funny stories, too. Be sure to visit the Military History Museum while you're here. It's located in the same building and it's very interesting. Both museums are free to enjoy, but be sure to leave a nice donation for each one to help keep them going.

What a gem this museum is in Ardmore! They have so much packed into this museum. I expected this…read morestop to be a quick one but 2 hours later there I was still looking round. It is free but be sure to leave a donation so this can stay open. The people working the front desk were so helpful giving us info on the museum and the area. They have a full sized log home inside that was moved from a nearby area. Be sure to check out the back building with the farm and the outside area with oil field equipment.

The Military Memorial Museum is located inside the Greater Southwest Historical Museum, toward the…read moreback. Stop in if you have a few minutes, or a couple of hours. The collection is huge. Every branch of the service is covered and every conflict from the revolutionary war has displays. There is a lot of weaponry, uniforms, models and many more interesting items. The docent is very friendly and happy to talk about the displays and answer your questions. Admission is free but please leave a nice donation to help keep it going.

This museum is a hidden gem in Ardmore, it is tucked into the back of the Greater Southern…read moreHistorical museum. The docent is very informative and walked us around explaining alot of the history behind each room (there are 3 packed rooms) it is free but be sure to leave a donation. One room is all uniforms which I found interesting. So much to learn and see here. I forgot to take pictures was so busy reading and listening to our guide.