Oklahoma and OKC have plenty to offer to satisfy any day tripper’s appetite

Oklahoma is a pretty big state with lots of unique places to see and experience. The best thing about these places is you do not have to travel far from home to get there! Going on a day trip can be a fun and memory-filled adventure for you, your friends or your family. And with Oklahoma City situated practically in the middle of the state, those drives can be easy peasy!

Depending on your desired destination, you could practically leave your house in the morning and be back home with enough time to shower and relax before hitting the sack. Many of Oklahoma’s interesting get-aways involve short drives from Oklahoma City, taking no more than an hour or two to get there. Either way, you are guaranteed to have something to talk about the next day or for many years to come.

A favorite for many outdoor or nature lovers around these parts is a trip to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge north of Lawton, the oldest managed wildlife facility in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, where you will be enthralled with its rustic beauty and rugged charm. All kinds of recreational activities await you in the Wichitas such as hiking, fishing, cycling, camping, wildlife watching, swimming, boating – the list could go on and on. Two things that are a must before you leave the refuge is a drive to the top of Mount Scott and a visit to the vintage cobblestone town of Medicine Park.

About an hour south of Oklahoma City just off Interstate 35 near Davis are the Arbuckle Mountains and Turner Falls, the largest waterfall in the state. The scenery there is spectacular. As a bonus, take a breathtaking ride on the Soaring Eagle Zipline that takes you high above the waterfalls and back. Not too far from those adventures is the Chickasaw National Recreation Area in Sulphur, a great venue to hike, swim and enjoy the many small waterfalls, including local favorite Little Niagara. These places are favorites among outdoor enthusiasts and provide visitors with plenty of things to do and see.

The northern part of Oklahoma also has some fun and exciting adventures waiting for you. If you loved playing in the sandbox as a child, or always wanted to roll down a sand dune, you will have a blast at the Little Sahara State Park near Waynoka. With sand dunes reaching as high as 75 feet, you will feel like you’re in Egypt, expecting a caravan of camels to come by at any moment. Visitors will find this attraction a great place to ride ATVs or dune buggies.

Oklahoma is known for having more astronauts per capita than any other state. One of the most heralded astronauts to have ever blasted off into space was Oklahoma native Gen. Tom Stafford. His legacy in outer space lives on at the Thomas P. Stafford Air & Space Museum, which is a little more than an hour west on I-40 in Stafford’s hometown of Weatherford. Considered one of the finest and most comprehensive air and space museums in the central U.S., encompassing 63,000 square feet of exhibit space, it boasts more than 3,500 artifacts on display, including a full-scale replica of the Apollo 11 Lunar Module that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin used to land on the moon’s surface on July 20, 1969.

If driving in a car for many hours is not your cup of tea, perhaps you should try visiting places a little closer to home, including right here in Oklahoma City. Not only does OKC have great shopping districts and a plethora of eateries to please every palate, but it also is home to many city parks, museums and other attractions that can easily fill your afternoon and/or evening. Some of the more popular destinations include the Oklahoma City Zoo, one of the finest zoos in the nation; Martin Park Nature Center; Frontier City and Hurricane Harbor, both owned and operated by Six Flags; the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum; Topgolf; Main Event Entertainment Center; and Riversport Adventure Parks, where you can enjoy a variety of outdoor activities such as rafting or kayaking on man-made, world-class whitewater rapids, tubing, stand-up paddle boating and other outdoor adventures. You can also try your hand at surfing and snow skiing on Riversports’ new indoor simulators! You might even think about booking an unforgettable train ride on Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer, which travels daily to Ft. Worth, Texas, and back. And what better way to spend a leisurely day than a road trip on historic Route 66 checking out the many museums, roadside attractions, historical sites and diners situated along this stretch of America’s favorite highway, including the Round Barn and Pops Soda Ranch, with its iconic 66-foot-tall soda bottle, located in nearby Arcadia, as well as The Chicken Ranch in nearby Luther.

Of course, we have only scratched the surface of things to do and places to see in and around Oklahoma City and the entire state of Oklahoma. Regardless of your destination, or whether you end up spending one day or many days there, rest assured you are building memories that will last a lifetime!

This article originally appeared on The Better Life blog.