Oklahoma Bucket List Adventures...

Our family loves to dream of new adventures to enjoy together. We often have dinner table talks brainstorming, "Wouldn't it be fun to try this?" Our adventure wish list (a.k.a. family bucket list) is long, but we were very excited to check off a few items on this list on a recent visit to Oklahoma.

As regular readers and loyal friends know, our third daughter LOVES bears. We often plan family getaways and adventures around her love of bears. We went to Memphis to see panda bears at the zoo, we visited the Smoky Mountains to see bears in the wild and feed black bears at Three Bears General Store, we toured a gummy bear factory in Indiana (near Chicago), we've enjoyed a polar bear overnight at the Kansas City Zoo.... we love bear-themed adventures as a family. I have a "ridiculously overloaded" Pinterest Board dedicated to bear ideas. As much fun as we've had on our many bear adventures, our recent adventure participating in a Wild Encounter at the Oklahoma City Zoo will always be one of the very best, most beloved, bear adventures of all.

Besides bears, we also have Food Network fans in our house. My older girls especially like Pioneer Woman, they enjoy trying her recipes and I think they have a connection with her family as we are also a homeschool family with four children. The girls have always wanted to visit "The Merc," eat at the restaurant and tour the lodge.

So, with those two adventures in mind, we embarked on an Oklahoma adventure for a weekend.

Wild Encounter at the Oklahoma City Zoo: FEEDING GRIZZLY BEARS

Our family loves visiting zoos on vacation. We were especially excited to visit the Oklahoma City Zoo as it is home to several animals we do not have, including grizzly bears and black bears, and a baby elephant was recently born at the zoo, and you can feed giraffes! So much fun was in store! On our trip, we visited the zoo with a good friend and her two special-needs daughters. The girls are both in wheelchairs. We were extremely impressed with the accessibility and hospitality of this zoo. The staff was helpful and friendly ensuring that our entire group had a great time riding the train, carousel, feeding giraffes (and bears), and enjoying the exhibits.

Tips: Kansas City FOTZ members receive free or discounted admission when visiting other zoos. Also, they do permit outside food, or you may purchase lunch from concession stands.

So, first up... the Wild Encounter. The Oklahoma City Zoo offers a special add-on package that must be reserved in advance called "Wild Encounters." Visitors enjoy a behind-the-scenes experience with your choice of animal (you select the type of animal and corresponding time slot when you reserve your space): grizzly bears, sea lions, elephants, flamingos, rhinos, and Galapagos tortoises. Children must be accompanied by an adult and they can accommodate groups of up to 10 guests of all abilities.

For the Wild Encounter with Grizzly Bears, we met our zoo ambassador near the bear exhibit at our instructed time. She then led us on a tour through the Oklahoma Trails exhibit as we saw black bears and other animals and she answered our questions. Then, we were taken to the zookeeper entrance of the Grizzly Bear exhibit. We were given basic safety instructions and guidelines to follow and then, we saw the bears.

The children's faces lit up with joy at the sight of Will and Wiley, Oklahoma City Zoo's resident 850-lb Grizzly Bears. Having never been this close to a live grizzly before, we were overwhelmed at the massive size of their paws (grizzly paws can be up to 24-inches), their long claws (2-4 inches long), and their faces. These majestic creatures were beautiful and clearly well loved at the zoo. The zookeepers told us how they care for the bears, they answered questions, and then, they gave each of us the opportunity to feed one of the bears a treat of peanut butter on celery. We were each told exactly where to stand and what to do in order to remain safe during this experience. All of the children loved feeding the bears. Then, we were given the chance to take photos with the bears before they went on exhibit for the public.

Other cool experiences at the Oklahoma City Zoo (available with regular admission apart from the Wild Encounter experience), included:

Watching as our souvenirs were made on the Mold-O-Matic Machine!

Feeding giraffes!

Riding the train through the animal exhibits (this train is accessible for wheelchairs).

Riding the zoo carousel (also accessible for wheelchairs).

The baby elephant was about 3-months old when we visited the zoo!

The Oklahoma City Zoo is a beautiful zoo with many great animal exhibits. We highly recommend the Wild Encounter experience and a visit to this zoo on your visit to Oklahoma.

A Pioneer Woman Fan Adventure: VISITING THE MERC AND THE LODGE IN PAWHUSKA, OK

My girls enjoy watching Pioneer Woman on Food Network, so we opted to go through Pawhuska on our way to Oklahoma City for an afternoon at The Mercantile (532 Kihekah Ave, Pawhuska, OK), Ree Drummond's store, bakery, and restaurant.

Before the trip, I watched her site for the Lodge Tour schedule in hopes to have a chance to see The Lodge where the show is filmed. That week, the day we would be there was added to the tour schedule! In order to take the tour, you must first visit The Merc (on the same day), where you'll be given driving directions (it's about twenty-minutes from The Merc) and tickets to tour the Lodge that day only.

Our girls hoped to eat lunch at The Merc, but we were on a limited schedule and they do not accept advance reservations, so we considered lunch at P-Town Pizza (515 Kihekah Ave, Pawhuska, OK) as our "plan b." So, my mission upon arriving at The Merc was to secure lunch reservations (if possible) and Lodge Tour tickets. We were happy to accomplish both right away! Our super early morning departure for our weekend getaway worked in our favor, and we were given a 15-minute wait time for lunch when we arrived at The Merc, so we were able to dine at her restaurant (we'll have to try P-Town Pizza next time)! (As we were being seated, new guests arriving at the restaurant were given 45-minute to hour wait times, so we were truly fortunate with our timing having arrived around 11 am on a Friday.)

Lunch portions are large and our children are not big eaters, so one of our girls split a steak lunch with dad, another opted for a bowl of soup, one split the chicken fried chicken with me, and another ordered a sandwich. All of the food was delicious and, even with sharing, we still had leftovers.

Then, we perused the store (in the same building as the restaurant, next door to the dining room) and chose a couple souvenirs. Upstairs from the shop, we found the bakery where we watched the staff prepare pastries and we tried a few - all delicious.

Fresh lemonade at The Merc!

The bakery in action!

A yummy fruit tart from the bakery.

Two thumbs up!

Inside The Merc.

After feasting, shopping, and snapping pics, we headed to The Lodge. The over 400,000-acre Drummond Ranch is an absolutely breathtaking piece of America. The Oklahoma prairie stretched as far as the eye could see. Inside The Lodge, the girls had fun snapping pics in front of the stove where she tapes the show, discovering a snake hidden in the fridge (we re-hid him in a soup pot) by one of her children (they share a sense of humor with my kids), seeing the tables, prop rooms, and space where the show happens. This was a fun, free, day trip on our way to Oklahoma and one we recommend for Pioneer Woman fans.

"Some" of the ranch...

Where Pioneer Woman is taped!

The table where they enjoy meals on the show!

The backstage props pantry!

Prep kitchen at The Lodge.

One of Ree's most-loved photos at The Lodge.

Where Ree preps for the show. Notice the Bible on her dressing table.

We had a deliciously fun time on our visit to Pawhuska and we recommend it for all Pioneer Woman fans. Pawhuska is about four-hours from Kansas City, making it a great weekend getaway option!

MORE Oklahoma City’s Must-See Attractions for Families:

Where to Go for Beauty:

One of the most beautiful structures in Oklahoma City is 15-acre Myriad Botanical Gardens is the Crystal Bridge Conservatory, home to thousands of beautifully displayed tropical and desert plantings. This beautiful botanical garden is home to hundreds of plants, waterfalls, and a breath-taking sky bridge with beautiful views into the tropical forest.

Tip: Admission is free for Powell Gardens members.

Where to Go for Adventure:

Riversport Adventures in the Oklahoma Boathouse District (800 Riversport Dr., Oklahoma City, OK, 405.552.4040). Our family rates this as one of the coolest attractions we’ve ever experienced. Oklahoma, a neighboring land-locked state, has created a new attraction in their Boathouse District that is a state-of-the-art outdoor adventure. The adventure park is home to amazing whitewater rafting and kayaking courses. They also offer adventure courses, zip lines, slides and playgrounds. The SandRidge Sky Trail is our family’s favorite and is the tallest adventure course of its kind in the world. The structure is 80 feet tall and offers six levels of challenges. Adventurers are harnessed into a seat and climb from one level to the next, daring to try various rope and balance beam challenges. Once you reach the top, you may exit via zip line, a 72-foot Sky Slide or an 80-foot Rumble Drop, a free-fall jump experience! The park also features children’s attractions, gigantic slides and climbing walls. Tip: Visit RiverSportOKC.org/adventures for prices and height/size requirements for attractions before planning your trip.

Where to Go for Only-in-Oklahoma Experiences:

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum (1700 NE 63rd St., Oklahoma City, OK, 405.478.2250). There is no better place to learn about the state’s cowboy history than this museum. The huge complex features Western art galleries, Native American history exhibits and exhibits paying homage to cowboy history and entertainment, including film and rodeo celebrities. Children especially enjoy Prosperity Junction, a replica Old West town that allows families to explore old buildings and listen to dialogue depicting life for early Oklahomans. Plan to spend three to five hours exploring the museum.

Museum of Osteology (10301 S. Sunnylane Rd., Oklahoma City, OK, 405.814.0006). Oklahoma City is home to the only museum of osteology (the study of bones and skeletons) in the world. Displaying more than 350 skeletons of animals from all over the world, this museum is fascinating. Visitors are provided with an I Spy or trivia game to play as they go through the exhibit. From the smallest birds and mammals to a 40-foot humpback whale skeleton, exhibits showcase not only the skeletons of various species but also explain the animals’ anatomy and physiology.

Where to Take the Kids:

Science Museum Oklahoma (2020 Remington Pl., Oklahoma City, OK, 405.602.6664). Our family makes it a point to visit hands-on museums whenever we travel, but this science museum was hands-down one of the best we’ve ever seen. The museum features a variety of hands-on exhibits, many of which are truly unique. We started in CurioCity, a 20,000-square-foot exhibit with various neighborhoods where children learn through play. The girls loved the giant hands-on playground and whimsical treehouse play area.  We spent four hours, and that was not enough! The Science Floor is a huge open gallery with hundreds of hands-on exhibits. My favorite was learning to drive (included with admission) on their Segway Course. From weather exhibits, to the human body, space exploration, to physics, intriguing options let you easily spend hours exploring. Tip: Science City Kansas City members receive free or discounted admission to this partnering museum.

Where to Go for a Ride:

Bricktown Water Taxi (111 S. Mickey Mantle Dr., Oklahoma City, OK, 405. 234.8263). Bricktown is Oklahoma City’s thriving downtown district with a variety of restaurants and entertainment options. The centerpiece of the district is a canal, reminiscent of San Antonio, where you can enoy water taxi rides. The rides include a tour of the area with a bit of history and humor.

Oklahoma Railway Museum (3400 NE Grand Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK, 405.424.8222). My husband loves trains—and that means we visit every train museum or attraction we can when we travel. What I love most about these attractions is that they’re typically operated by enthusiastic and caring volunteers, and this museum lived up to my hopes for friendliness and enthusiasm—and then some! Many train rides are inaccessible to wheelchairs because of the antique nature of the trains, but this museum is accessible! We enjoyed a 45-minute round trip train ride and a tour of the museum. The collection is vast, with freight cars, passenger cars and a steam engine.