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A visit to Shawnee is more than our art, historic sites, and Native American culture. It’s daytrips to see more of Oklahoma. Plan to spend an extra day or two. Southwest of the Redbud City, it's an outdoor and natural wonders adventure all within an hour of Shawnee. Lake Thunderbird on the east side of Norman is the closest State Park to Shawnee and features two marinas - Calypso Cove Marina and Little River Marina , nine boat ramps, and two swim beaches. It’s a hiker’s and off-road cyclist’s delight with the Clear Bay Recreation Area Trail System offering 18.5 miles of trails. Discovery Cove Nature Center at Lake Thunderbird features displays of native snakes and animals, furs and artifacts. The Cove offers programs throughout the year, including fishing clinics, Dutch oven cooking, trail hikes, and animal tracking. Lake Stanley Draper is just west of Shawnee on I-240 and features activities such as camping, hiking, mountain biking, fishing, waterskiing, jet skiing, boating and sailing. The two trail systems are a destination for hikers and cyclists. A 13-mile paved trail loops the lake. A 13-mile off-road trail offers various lengths for mountain bikers and those out for a hike. Oklahoma Motorsports Complex offers four tracks for motocross and karting. Rent karts and go for a spin around the .7 mile, 13 turn asphalt track in Norman. Sam Noble Museum of Natural History on the OU campus in Norman offers six breathtaking galleries that give you an in-depth tour of more than 500 million years of Oklahoma's fascinating natural history. Explore Oklahoma's indigenous people, native landscapes and dinosaurs including the world’s largest Apatosaurus and a Guinness-World-Record-Holding Pentaceratops. The Special Exhibitions Gallery offers several traveling exhibitions through the year, so there is always something new to see. Fred Jones Jr Museum of Art also on the OU Campus in Norman showcases the Weitzenhoffer Collection of French Impressionism, 20th century American painting and sculpture, traditional and contemporary Native American art, art of the Southwest, ceramics, photography, contemporary art, Asian art and graphics from the 16th century to the present. Temporary exhibitions are mounted throughout the year that explore the art of various periods and cultures. The museum of art is free to visit. Once it reopens to the public, at the National Weather Center , go behind the scenes, experience the forces of nature, and see the newest technology in action. More than 550 scientists, meteorologists, climatologists, students and staff from The University of Oklahoma and multiple federal and state agencies work together at the Center to improve the understanding of the Earth’s atmosphere and severe weather events. Tours are available for the public Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 1 p.m. Weather buffs will also want to visit the National Weather Museum and Science Center in Norman. It offers an opportunity to learn more about weather and science along with a gallery of historical meteorological instruments. You’ll want to see the plane and try your skill as a test pilot. While we bleed OBU Green in Shawnee, with OU so close, take in the excitement of an OU football, basketball, or softball game. Gymnastics and wrestling meets are a spectacle as well! The Museum of Osteology celebrates vertebrate life and provides visitors an engaging adventure viewing hundreds of skulls and skeletons from all corners of the world. You’ll need a hotel room in Shawnee to rest in after your day-trip! Order a visitors guide or call one of the friendly travel ambassadors to start planning your visit to Shawnee!

Whether you're looking for hard-to-find parts at a classic auto swap meet, or you want to show off your ride at a cruise in or car show, Shawnee hosts events for every autophile all year long! Find your next car show adventure here: Car Shows in Shawnee Knights Auto Club Car Show | Late June Annual show each June hosted at Boy Scout Park on Main St. Family-friendly event featuring 2-300 show vehicles! Win door prizes and awards for a winning ride. Enjoy the show as a spectator for free. Park is well shaded by mature trees and also features a splash pad so the kiddos can play while you enjoy the cars. Downtown at Sundown Car Show | Mid-July Car show in historic downtown Shawnee by Downtown Auto Body. This event is free not just to attend but also to enter cars & trucks as well. Cash prizes & custom trophies will be handed out to winners while show goers will enjoy giveaways, games, prizes, live music, food trucks, & more! Event kicks off at 4pm right in front of Downtown Auto Body on main street in Shawnee Oklahoma with prizes & other events scheduled up until dusk. ​Firelake Casino Car Show | Mid-October Big Prizes & beautiful rides annually in October at Firelake Casino. Cruise-ins & Bike Nights in Shawnee Cruise the 'Poo | Summer A classic cruise-in that meets at the historic Brown Derby Drive-in! Family friendly event, all cars + spectators welcome. Due to tornado damages on April 19, 2023, the Brown Derby drive-in was destroyed. Please check Cruise the 'Poo's Facebook page to confirm locations / dates for now. Car Auctions and Swap Meets in Shawnee Almost Ready to Cruise Swap Meet | Early March Automobile and motorcycle marketplace held annually in March at Shawnee Expo. OK Classics Car & Memorabilia Auction | 2 times a year. Classic car lovers dream of the OK Classics Car & Memorabilia Auction! View (and raise your paddles!) for vintage signage, classic cars, and other memorabilia in this indoor auction that takes place at Firelake Arena twice a year. Bring your car club or event to Shawnee! With multiple indoor and outdoor venues available that accommodate car shows & swap meets and staff that specialize in helping events thrive in Shawnee, we would love to host your next automobile event in Shawnee! We are also able to provide assistance for clubs to plan a group trip to Shawnee, including assisting in getting a hotel block, arranging activities and restaurants to accommodate your group, and more. For event planning assistance, email Stacy at info@shawneeok.org.

Monsters on Main is a newly-reimagined Halloween Festival you may remember as Boo on Bell -- Shawnee's annual spooky season celebration, held in historic downtown on the brick-lined Bell and Main Streets and now hosted by Community Renewal of Pottawatomie County ! Carnival open Oct 26 - 28, 2023 Halloween Festival Oct 28th, 11 am - 7 pm Held each October, Monsters on Main welcomes guests from around the region for a carnival, vendors, children's activities, and a Main Street-wide trick or treat. 2023 Festival Schedule Thursday, Oct 26 and Friday, Oct 27 6 - 10 pm Carnival Rides open at 7th and Bell St Saturday, October 28 11 am - 7 pm Artisan Vendors & Food Trucks open at Bell & Main 11 am Carnival rides open 1:15 pm Dance Showcase at the Bell Ave stage 1:30 pm Pet costume contest at the Bell Ave stage 1:45 pm Costume Contest (4 categories; Infant - 3, 4-7, 8-12, and Family) 3 - 5 pm Trick or Treat on Main Street (red balloons mark candy stops) 5 - 7 pm Live Music / Dance Party at the Bell Ave stage 11 pm Carnival rides close Vendor Information Want to have a booth at Monsters on Main? Register here.

A visit to Shawnee is more than our art, historic sites, and Native American culture. It’s daytrips to see more of Oklahoma. Plan to spend an extra day or two. Southeast of the Redbud City, are music-buff’s destinations, cultural and art centers, and play adventures all within an hour of Shawnee. The Okfuskee County Historical Society and Museum in Okemah is housed in a 1926 Masonic temple. The museum features exhibits and displays about Okfuskee County's past. Plan your trip to Shawnee and Okfuskee around the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival . The annual festival celebrates the life and musical legacy of one of America's greatest folk music songwriters and troubadours, Woody Guthrie. Okemah was Guthrie's hometown. This festival held mid-July offers music, plays, children's activities, poetry readings, craft vendors and more. The Holdenville Society of Painters and Sculptors Art Gallery features the works of local Oklahoma artists. The center features a permanent collection, as well as works for sale. Ron Allen Studios in Wewoka features fine art, sculpture, paintings, collage and assemblage art for your collection. Also in Wewoka is the Seminole Nation Museum . This museum documents and interprets the history and culture of the Seminole Nation. Artifacts, historic photographs, and interpretive exhibits chronicle the captivating events and stories that shaped the Seminole people. The Maud Historical Museum has a large display of Rock-a-Billy singer Wanda Jackson, who was born in the Oklahoma town. St. Louis Oklahoma . No big arch. No Cardinals baseball games. No brewery tours. But at least you can stop through St. Louis Oklahoma and brag you’ve been to one of the eight St. Louises in the United States! (FYI: California, Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Virginia; 17 total in the world.) The Ravine Outdoor Adventure Park in Macomb gets you outdoors exploring their 80 acres of Oklahoma beauty! Whether on foot, bike, or off-road vehicle - the land is very diverse, ranging from open prairie to woods, to some of the coolest ravines and small canyons outside of a state park. There are extremely challenging places to explore, as well as plenty of family friendly places to explore and play with little ones. The Tecumseh Historical Museum is in a 100-year-old building that was formerly a bank, hat shop, and insurance office. Seeing this historic building is worth the stop alone. While in Tecumseh, no trip is complete without a stop at the Farmer’s Daughter Market . This combination dining and shopping destination offers two eateries, a bakery, and two shops containing everything from home decor and gifts to furniture and antiques. The kids ready to play? The Jasmine Moran Children's Museum in Seminole offers the unique experience for children of all ages to pretend to be everything from a surgeon to a pilot! There are hands-on activities like duck races, a bubble factory, dinosaurs, the Jasmine Ark and Playground Towers, and a 16-foot climbing labyrinth. With more than 35,000 square feet of indoor adventure (and even more outdoor,) there's a day's worth of kid-friendly fun at the Jasmine Moran. Animal lovers will flock to Nomad's Animal Encounter . It’s a fully hands on petting zoo with an experience you can’t get just anywhere. Unlike other zoos, Nomads take you into each of the animals’ enclosures to interact with and feed all the animals. Whew! You will need a hotel room in Shawnee to rest in after your day-trip(s)! Order a visitors guide or call one of the friendly travel ambassadors to start planning your visit to Shawnee!

Need help finding your way around Shawnee, OK? For an overview of how Shawnee is laid out and where our biggest attractions and historic landmarks are, scroll to view it right here in your browser, and use the button below to download your own copy:

With four lakes, 30 parks, golf courses, and an arboretum in and around Shawnee, there’s plenty to enjoy outdoors ! We welcome all to visit and fish, hike, kayak, swim, or simply be outdoors. To preserve the areas for others and for many years to come, we ask you and those with you to follow these outdoor manners for visiting Shawnee. • Your goal is to leave no trace of having even been in the outdoors (other than selfies and social media posts!) That means you help keep trash and garbage out of lakes, streams, fields, woods and roadways. • Take all of your garbage with you after a hike, campout or picnic. • Remember the adage ‘Leave It Better Than You Found It.’ • Be careful with fire. Only build fires in permitted and appropriate areas. • When finished using a fire be sure that the fire is cold out. Put the fire out with water and ensure that it is cold before leaving. • Leave a clean fire ring or remove all evidence of fire. • Camp and hike on durable surfaces. Hike on the trails provided so there is less impact on our environment. • Choose camping sites that do as little damage as possible to plants and animals. For example, when you pitch your tent try and not to do it over plants, it will damage the plants and possibly your tent. • Be conservation-minded and help conserve our environment. Reduce: plan the foods you bring on a hike or campout wisely so you will have very little waste or garbage, Reuse: use a reusable water bottle instead of plastic disposable water bottles; reuse damaged equipment by learning to repair it instead of buying new items and throwing away repairable ones, and Recycle: if you do have a lot of plastic at the end of a camp-out, recycle it so that it does not get thrown into a landfill or left around to find its way into our waterways. If we all t reat the outdoors as a heritage and abide by these outdoor manners, we can keep these fun outdoor areas in and around Shawnee in good condition for ourselves and others so that generations to come can enjoy what God has given us.

The Historic Ritz Theater in downtown Shawnee, OK became an icon of entertainment in the early 1900s as a movie theater, and continues that tradition today as a venue for live music, comedy, and more! Upcoming Shows at the Ritz

Road trips are fun, but if you are traveling with your furry friend then it can make things a little more tricky to plan. For many Americans – approximately 40% of them, in fact – the idea of boarding their fur baby is inconceivable. As traveling with pets becomes more common, the demand for pet-friendly hotels, restaurants, etc. increases! Fortunately, Shawnee has a variety of pet-friendly hotels for you and your fur baby – including LaQuinta Inn & Suites and Super 8 . All 5 of our RV parks are pet friendly, as well! Also, if you are traveling with your furry friend then you might be interested in some of these stops and events in Shawnee. The Doggie Spot The Doggie Spot is THE spot to find the ultimate treat for Fido. With a variety of treats, toys, and bones available it is easy to find something special for your pet. They even carry gluten-free and raw food for the truly pampered pet and their treats are proudly “Made in the USA.” The Doggie Spot also offers services such as day camp, grooming, and training by a stellar staff that is knowledgeable and passionate about pets. Dog Parks After hours of riding in the car, let your fur-baby stretch her legs at Mary Maxine Williamson Dog Park just across the street from the Shawnee Expo Center. The park, which is divided into separate sections for big dogs and little dogs, allows for pets to socialize off the leash with others and offers ample room to run. There is also plenty of shade and even a pup-sized water fountain to keep your pet cool. If you're only stopping for a moment along I-40, the Domino Dog Park will be just what you need! A smaller park ideal for a quick potty break for the pups and a short walk to stretch your legs on the winding walkpath, it's located less than a half-mile south of I-40 on Harrison. Theopolis Social Club This downtown eatery serves up fine-dining level fare Tuesday - Sunday that sources local produce and flour year-round, and their covered patio and "backyard" dining spaces are good dog friendly! Check their Facebook page here for specials and info on events. Pet Events in Shawnee Doggie Dip Day at Shawnee Splash Help your canine pal beat the dog days of summer by taking them to Doggie Dip Day at Shawnee Splash . The special event, which runs the last Saturday of the season, gives pet owners the chance to bring their dog to the pool for a day of water fun. For safety reasons, big dogs and small dogs are scheduled for separate swim times and owners must show proof of vaccination. No humans are allowed in the pool – this special event is for canines only! Bark in the Park Each spring, Bark in the Park features treats and activities for you and your furry friends. Check out Pogo's Facebook page each spring for info on the next Bark in the Park.

Shawnee's murals range from several historic advertisements painted on brick buildings to new, modern and colorful designs on sheet metal. Find them all below - more added regularly! Looking for more art to see while you're in Shawnee? Check out the Painted Horses ! Mural memoriam One of our historic advertisement murals was unfortunately lost when the building (an historic saloon which had been vacant since the 70s) caught fire in December 2021 and was destroyed. It lives on through photographs like this one, which was submitted in our 2019 photo contest by Steve Mills:

If you’re from out of town, one of the first things you’ll probably notice about Shawnee driving around are the large, painted horse sculptures : Scattered throughout town on street corners overlooking sidewalks, either standing strong or bucking wildly, all with bold and unique designs. Maybe you’ve seen similar public art initiatives elsewhere, like the painted bison in Oklahoma City or the penguins in Tulsa. Regardless, Shawnee’s painted horses have a story behind them, and their legacy has become the talk of visitors and residents alike, with businesses asking to sponsor new horses every year. So, how did the painted horses get their start? Back in 2007, Shawnee mayor Chuck Mills saw an opportunity for a great public art project to coincide with the State of Oklahoma’ Centennial Celebration. The original project was a public art and civic pride partnership, designed to range from September 2007 through February 2008. Initially titled “Horses in the City”, the spirit of the project hoped to celebrate the civic pride and artistic creativity of Oklahomans in a way that all Oklahomans can enjoy. As it is originally described in its formative documents, “Horse in the City is a citywide public art presentation designed to enliven cultural activity and increase tourism to Shawnee. The horses are to be sponsored by companies, organizations, and individuals, and be transformed into multimedia works of art by local artists and craftspeople.” The original framework made it an officially recognized partner with the State Centennial and allowed room for up to 100 painted horses. While the project landed a little short of that milestone, horses continued to be sponsored far beyond its original timeframe. The project was meant to simultaneously accomplish three things: 1. Introduce art to the public 2. Express Shawnee’s heritage via an emblematic animal symbol 3. Bring artists and sponsors together to collaborate in order to enrich the community around them. The documents continue to explain the motivations behind the project: “Horse in the City is an exciting way to introduce art to the general public. Life-size fiberglass horses will make an impression hard to miss around Shawnee as some of the region’s most talented artists ‘bring to life’ these magnificent ambassadors and icons of times past and present.” Not meant to be advertisements, but an initiative for public beauty, the original vision for the painted horses was to allow sponsors to have their identity worked into the artist’s design. “It is extremely important for both the artist and the sponsor to understand that we are promoting public art as our number one goal.” “The horse is the perfect icon for this project,” the documents elaborate. “They are easily recognizable symbols of our state. Big and powerful, yet peaceful and quiet.” Horses are also a significant part of local culture, such as the International Finals Youth Rodeo and other Western-style events Shawnee hosts annually. The popularity of the horses is enduring, and while one is occasionally retired, there are over thirty horses on display in the city of Shawnee as of 2021, and new horses are added each year! Check out an interactive map of the horses here!