Today we headed to downtown Oklahoma City to check out the Bricktown Entertainment District.
This now thriving, urban district once was a large warehouse and distribution area in the early 1900’s.
Like the rest of Oklahoma City, the original Bricktown began with the Land Run of 1889.
In an effort to make a better life for themselves, settlers flocked to the area where the Santa Fe Railroad and the Oklahoma River met. This allowed residents easy access for trade and commerce.
However, in the 1940’s and 1950’s suburbs became the living preference of most Americans. So as the residents began moving out of the city, so did the businesses.
The warehouses slowly became abandoned and many of the buildings were demolished for the building of the Interstate highways.
The Revitalization of Bricktown
In the 1980s a developer purchased several plots in Bricktown area. During the economic boom of the early 1990s, Oklahoma City approved the Metropolitan Area Projects (MAPS) program, investing public funds into revitalizing the area as a historic district.
Through several stages of renovations, Bricktown continues to progress from its origins as a warehouse and distribution district to a family friendly entertainment district.
And through the center of it all is a canal that resembles the River Walk in San Antonio.
And yes, you can even take a water taxi ride down the canal!
On either side of the Bricktown Canal, the side walks area lined with restaurants that you can enter below the main road level.
In fact, in the extended area, there are more than 45 restaurants, including Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill.
But there are more than just restaurants in the Bricktown district. There are retail shops, professional sports venues, museums, galleries and even a summer beach for use in the summer!
Art & Sculptures Along The Way
And as you walk along the canal, you will see several murals and pieces of art dedicated to the history of the area.
We both agree that our favorite monument is The Centennial Land Run Monument located at the south end of the Bricktown Canal.
It is one of the world’s largest bronze sculptures featuring 45 heroic figures commemorating the opening of the Unassigned Land in Oklahoma Territory with the Land Run of 1889.
The statues are of life size, land run participants and their horses frozen in motion as they race to claim new homesteads. A truly impressive sight that is easily accessible with a paved walkway around the entire exhibit.
We are absolutely in love of the beauty and functionality of the entire Bricktown area.
And do yourself a favor. When you visit, don’t park your car in a paid parking lot (like we did). There are plenty of free parking lots that line the historic Bricktown district!
As we like to say, you live and learn.
Happy Traveling – Jim and Mary
About Our Living Simple Tour
CURRENT TRIP STATUS TO DATE:
- Day 128 of 365
- States : 16/50
- National Parks / Monuments : 19
- Stayed In : Oklahoma City, OK
- Miles Driven : 30.1
- Total Trip Miles To Date : 14,345.7
- Total Gallons Used : 1,032.06
- Biking Miles : 0.0
- Biking Miles To Date : 158.4
- Hiking Miles : 3.8
- Hiking Miles To Date : 292.05
On September 9th, 2019, we set out in our NuCamp T@B 400 Teardrop Camper to travel to every state. You can check out all of our dates here : Dates for the States
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Who knew? Great seeing your experiences and “teaching” me about USA! Love that statue !
We had no idea that there was ‘another’ River Walk. It was absolutely gorgeous. And yes, those statues were amazing! Thanks for following our journey across the country!