Pre-Conference Tours

Wichita Mountains   Cost: $40.00   Tour through the 60,000 acre Wichita mountain Wildlife Refuge - wild, rugged and weathered.  View buffalo, deer, elk and longhorn cattle in their natural setting amid likes, streams, canyons, mountains and grasslands.  See the comical prairie dog community, tour the Refuge Visitors' Center and stroll through the unusual Parallel Forest. Visit the back-country of the Refuge to see the Special Use Area, which is not open to the general public.  Eat lunch at Meers Store, a general store and restaurant which is all that's left of a former turn-of-the-century gold rush boomtown.    Links:    http://southwest.fws.gov/refuges/oklahoma/Wichita

Tulsa - Cultural Tour Cancelled   Visit Tulsa, Oklahoma's Second-largest city, a place to explore cultures and beauty.  Take a tour of downtown Tulsa to view fabulous art deco architecture designed by such renowned architects as Frank Lloyd Wright; many of these buildings are listed on the National Registry for Historic Places.  Brunch will be served at the world-famous Philbrook Museum of Art.  Nestled in one of Tulsa's first neighborhoods, Philbrook is an Italian villa set in 23 acres of gardens and grounds. Inside, the grandeur of Oklahoma's oil-rich 1920's is preserved and showcased along with fine art collections from around the globe.   Links:  www.visitTulsa.com www.philbrook.org www.tulsapreservationcommission.org

Ponca City - Oil Baron's Tour   "Full"   Ponca City was created in true Oklahoma fashion during the land runs of the late 1800’s.  Ponca City is also known for oil, which left its indelible mark on the community.  A visit to the “Palace on the Prairie” or Marland Mansion, built by oil magnate E.W. Marland, founder of the Marland Oil Company, will simply take one’s breath away.  Mr. Marland spared no expense when it came to his dream home.  Modeled after the Davanzatti Palace in Florence, Italy, this regal mansion is famous for its Waterford crystal chandeliers and hand-painted and gold-leaf ceiling.  Participants will visit the Pioneer Woman Statue, tour the Standing Bear Native American Memorial Park complete with labyrinth and peaceful walking trails overlooking the Arkansas River Valley. Lunch is included.   Links: www.poncacitytourism.com www.marlandmansion.com www.poncacitychamber.com

Southeast Oklahoma - Fall Foliage Tour Cancelled   Enjoy a memorable experience traveling southeastern Oklahoma, one of the most historic and picturesque parts of our state.  The tour will travel through Pauls Valley with its red brick streets nestled in the heart of the Washita Valley and Stratford, Oklahoma’s peach tree capital.  Lunch will be prepared and served by our Amish neighbors in a one-room schoolhouse in Clarita.  In Coalgate, time will be spent at the Coal Miners Historical Museum.  From Coalgate, the tour will meander through the McGee Creek State Park nestled in the natural scenic recreation and wildlife management areas on the edge of the Ouachita Mountains.  The group will spend the night in Kiamichi Country at Beavers Bend Resort Park in Broken Bow and choose among many evening activities including a hay ride, Halloween train ride, a museum visit and or course, the food.  On Sunday, view the best foliage scenery from Texas to Canada, across the top of mountains on the Talimena Scenic Drive.  The group will return to Oklahoma City following lunch at Poteau.    Links: www.oklahomaparks.com

Seminars on Wheels - Thursday, November 4, 2004

 

Anadarko - Indian Capital of the Nation     Founded in 1901, as the nearby Kiowa-Comanche and Wichita reservations were opened to white settlement, Anadarko is home to many American Indian activities.  Indian City USA is the only authentic reconstruction of America Indian dwellings and way of life in the United States.  Tour guides will be in full Native American dress and demonstrations of Indian ritual dances will be performed.  The tour will also include a visit to the Southern Plains Indian Museum and Crafts Center displaying historic artifacts and art of the western Oklahoma tribes.  Both tours include shopping for genuine handcrafted Indian arts and crafts.  Anadarko’s mayor will warmly welcome guests during a lunch of authentic Indian Taco’s donated by the City of Anadarko.  Check it out at www.anadarko.org and www.indiancityusa.com.  Cost $35.00		Historic Oklahoma City     Visit the Harn Homestead comprised of a 1904 farmhouse, 1897 Stoney Point one-room Schoolhouse, 1904 Shinn Barn, and a stone and cedar barn with an enclosed windmill.  The tour will give participants a chance to experience life in Territorial Oklahoma with activities such as baking biscuits, grinding corn, washing clothes and attending school.  The original 160 acre claim was part of the Great Land run of 1889.   Next, tour the Oklahoma State Capitol which features neoclassic Greco-Roman architecture.  Located on more than 100 acres, it is the only capitol in the  world surrounded by working oil wells.  The structure comprises 650 rooms and 11 acres of floor space with murals, restored stained glass, tribal flag plaza and changing art exhibits Lunch will be served at the Harn Homestead. Cost $35.00   Links: www.harnhomestead.com www.oklahomadome.com
Norman - Where the Dinosaurs meet Tornados   . Travel just south of Oklahoma City to visit the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History located on the campus of The University of Oklahoma.  In one of the nation’s finest university-based museums, journey through Oklahoma’s Age of Dinosaurs and the Hall of Natural Wonders, featuring realistic dioramas of native landscapes.  The museum also features an exhibit of how the state’s first people lived and worked thousands of years ago.  Lunch will be served at the Museum.  Norman is located in the heart of “tornado alley” an ideal home for the National Severe Storms Laboratory.  The Lab leads the way in investigation of severe and hazardous weather and is dedicated to improving the lead time and accuracy of severe weather warnings.  Included in this stop are the Doppler Radar Center, the National Severe Weather Service for Central United States and the nationwide Storm Prediction Center.    Lunch will be served at the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History.  Cost $35.00   Links: www.visitnorman.com www.snomnh.ou.edu		Arcadia Round Barn, Tres Suenos Vineyards and Winery, Lazy E Ranch     Travel historic Route 66 to visit these three sites.  The Arcadia Round Barn was built in 1898 and restored by the “Over the Hill Gang” of volunteers in 1988.  They received the 1992 National Preservation Award for their work.   The next stop is the award-winning Tres Suenos Vineyards and Winery at Luther.  In 1999 the winery opened after being built on an old Christmas tree farm.  A catered lunch will feature wine tasting.  Check it out at www.oklahomawines.org.   The 300-acre Lazy E Ranch was built in 1984.  It is one of the most progressive horse breeding and sales facilities in the nation.  The ranch actively strives to be an elite marketing force within both the Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred industries.  Check it out at www.lazye.com.  Cost $35.00
Oklahoma City Zoo and Omniplex     Visit two of Oklahoma City's most popular attractions.  The Oklahoma City zoo is one of the top ten  in the United States.  It features diverse and fascinating animal collections such as the Cat Forest/Lion Overlook, Great EscAPE, Aquaticus, Island Life, Butterfly Garden, and a huge hoofed animal section in a safari-like setting.   The Omniplex is Oklahoma city's "Amusement Park for the Mind".  It houses 10 acres of museums and attractions - all under one roof.  Included are the: Air Space Museum, Hands-On Science Museum, Kirkpatrick Planetarium, Kirkpatrick Gardens and Greenhouse, Kirkpatrick Galleries, International Photography Hall of Fame, Red Earth Museum, OmniDome Theater and Omniplex Museum Store. Cost $35.00   Lunch is a the Canopy Food Court at the Zoo.   Links: www.okczoo.com www.omniplex.org		Langston University     Tour the world-renowned M.B. Tolson Black Heritage Center which houses a fine collection of African Art and Artifacts.  After a lunch buffet, there will be a tour of the E, (Kika) de la Garza Institute for Goat Research, whose primary trusts are dairy goat nutrition and Angora, meat and cashmere goat research.  Participants will get to sample goat cheese, ice cream and summer sausage.  The historic Black Airman’s Hanger is also part of the Goat Institute.  Langston University has an outstanding Aquaculture facility consisting of 46 ponds and a fish hatchery.  The Aquaculture Research program provides information on sustainable commercial aquaculture and pond management.  Check it out at www.lunet.edu.   Cost $ 35.00
Guthrie - Oklahoma's First State Capital .   Tour the National Historic Landmark city of Guthrie, our first state capital.  The city has preserved its charming Victorian splendor.  Guthrie boasts the largest urban district on the national Register of Historic Places.  The city houses 18 bed and breakfast inns, the Oklahoma Territorial Museum and the Scottish Rite Masonic Temple – one of the largest Masonic buildings in the world.  Guthrie is an antique shopper’s paradise.  Lunch will be enjoyed at the uniquely decorated Granny Had One restaurant, featuring wall murals depicting scenes of early Guthrie.  Check it out at www.guthrieok.com and www.guthriebb.com.  Cost $35.00		AgVenture in Oklahoma   Travel west of OKC to visit the “Express Clydesdales” some of the most rare and beautiful black and white Clydesdale horses in North America.  Housed in a 1936 barn that was completely restored by Amish barn specialists, the Clydesdales have graced events such as the Kentucky Derby, Fiesta Bowl and Hollywood Christmas Parade.  Finish the tour with a catered lunch.  The tour moves further west to Fort Reno.  Established as an Indian Territory military fort in 1875, it served as one of two remount depots from 1908 through 1947.  Many of the original building have been restored to preserve our portion of our nation’s history.  Currently the Fort is home to the Agriculture Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture.  The 6,000 acre site specializes in drought resistant crop, improved livestock, and grazing forage research. Cost $35.00 Links: www.expressclydesdales.com www.fortreno.org