Thrillist: Top Up and Coming Cities to Visit

Where the wind comes sweeping down the plains....

Photo courtesy of Thrillist

If you haven't guessed by now, traveling is one of my very favorite things to do. I'll go anywhere and everywhere, and I've found the more I explore that the places I inevitably end up loving the most are the ones that were the most random destinations. Case in point: Oklahoma City, which I visited in a brief weekend trip a couple of years ago and became deeply enamored with. I had the chance to write about it for Thrillist recently. Click here to read the piece and discover other overlooked American cities who are worth your time.

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Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Modern neighborhoods tap into OKC’s former glory
Settled by robbers and outlaws in the late 1800s, it’s easy to think of Oklahoma as the Australia of America, but it’s time to stop calling it “flyover country.” Having weathered the largest homegrown terrorist attack in U.S. history, enormous economic fluctuation, and of course the infamous tornadoes that sweep through the state in the summertime, Oklahoma City carries chutzpah that is not to be underestimated.

The fast-developing neighborhoods smartly take advantage of their historical roots, like Film Row, which celebrates a direct connection to Hollywood’s golden age of Hollywood. In the Deep Deuce District, the city’s 1920s and ‘30s African American jazz district, new housing and attractions like a whiskey bar and gourmet hot dog eatery are reviving the area. Be sure to swing through Automobile Alley, formerly the center of a thriving automobile manufacturing industry and the district credited with jumpstarting Oklahoma City’s revitalization. The stylish Sidecar Bar features a menu of bar bites, with a wide range of craft cocktails, all at $11 or less. At Water’s Edge Winery, you can find traditional varietals like chardonnay and pinot grigio, or fruit wines made with peach, apple and berries. 

And no visit to OKC is complete without a stop at the magnificent Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum. The first half of the museum focuses on the Oklahoma City bombing, while the second half takes attendees through a CSI-level hunt for the bombers and details the way DNA was used for the first time ever to track them down. How’s that for wild? -- Becki Iverson