WelcomeFrom the Mayor We hope you enjoy your stay in our wonderful city. Oklahoma City is rich with visitor opportunities, offering a variety of attractions and entertainment activities, and has a small-town flavor while offering the benefits of a large metropolitan city. You can experience first-class cultural programs of music, theater and dance, as well as museums and galleries. These, combined with our excellent shopping, hotels and restaurants, will create an unforgettable visit to Oklahoma City. I am pleased that you have chosen to visit Oklahoma City and let KEY Magazine be your guide. KEY Magazine is a comprehensive guide to events and attractions and provides helpful information about tourist sites, restaurants, and places to shop. I am sure that you will enjoy our unique brand of western hospitality and our friendly people! Sincerely, Mick Cornett, Mayor 4 Travel Guide of the Month 6 Oklahoma City: The Newest Frontier 10 KEY Cover Feature: Stockyards District 12 City Sources 14 What to See & Do 20 KEY Dining: Mickey Mantle’s Steakhouse 22 Entertainment Districts 24 KEY Day Trip: Oklahoma Wine Fest ‘08 26 Calendar of Events 36 Dining Guide 40 Clubs and Entertainment 42 KEY Entertainment: The Rat Pack 46 KEY Attraction: Cowboy Museum 48 Oklahoma City Map 50 Downtown Map 52 Shopping Contents OKLAHOMA CITY ® Casey Trebbe Vol. 63 • November 2008 • No. 9 Colcord Hotel Established 1947 Key of Oklahoma, Inc Corporate Offices 25 S. Oklahoma Ave. Suite 112 Oklahoma City, OK 73104 PROFILE: As a life long resident of Oklahoma Office: 405-602-3300 City, Casey is well versed on the City. Want to FAX: 405-602-3800 know where to go, what to see and do or where [email protected] to eat? Take a moment to visit with Casey and www.keyokc.com you'll have more choices than time. Favorite Restaurants: “Most people over look Publisher a hotel restaurant - ours is one not to miss! Chef Frank Sims Alain Buthion of Soleil, The Restaurant, offers Managing Editor adiverse menu with a French influence, including Mary Motter fresh seafood and an oyster bar. The restaurant is located on the ground floor of the Colcord. If a Contributing Writers guest does want to venture out of the hotel to get Susen Foster a feel for the City, we are just a short walk from [email protected] some great choices. I suggest Mickey Mantle’s Advertising Manager Steakhouse for a great steak; Abuelo’s Mexican Carter Ballard Food Embassy for gourmet Mexican food; Toby Keith's “I Love This Bar and Grill” for a taste of National Advertising Sales Hurst & Associates, Inc. Oklahoma: and Trattoria for authentic Italian. 1-800-397-8908 There are a number of great restaurants around E-mail: [email protected] downtown - one to fit every palate.” Design & Layout Favorite Entertainment Area: “The Colcord Welch Creative is located in the heart of Oklahoma City and just Distribution a short walk from Bricktown. In addition to Matt Page great restaurants - it’s a great destination for late night. Two of the hottest nightspots - CityWalk and Skkybar - crank it up when the sun goes down. For those with a quieter evening in mind, © COPYRIGHT 2008. No part of this publication may I suggest Maker’s Cigar and Piano bar located be reproduced in any form, including electronic and photo- on the canal.” copy, without the permission in writing from the publisher. All ads designed by Oklahoma City KEY Magazine may What to do: “Downtown - and within walking not be reproduced for publication elsewhere. Distributed distance of the hotel - don’t miss the Oklahoma monthly to hotels, motels and other distribution points in City National Memorial, The Museum of Art and Oklahoma City, Norman, Edmond, and statewide at Tourist the Myriad Botanical Gardens. As you venture Information Centers. out across the City - I recommend a visit to the Subscription rate: $40 per year, first class mail. Single copies mailed at $3.95 each. Bulk orders filled at no cost National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. to conventions and special groups. The museum contains an unbelievable history of Oklahoma City KEY Magazine is a registered trademark. the American West and exhibits change frequently This magazine is authorized by KEY Magazines, Inc., a and provide visitors with an ever-changing picture national chain of visitor publications located in Arizona, of our rich heritage. While you’re in the Carmel/Monterey, Chicago, Cincinnati, Colorado, Dallas, neighborhood, you can enjoy the Oklahoma City Fort Worth, Memphis, Milwaukee, Nashville, Oklahoma Zoo, Remington Park Casino and the Science City, Palm Springs. Affiliates: Boston Panorama, Florida Museum Oklahoma.” See Magazines, This Month in Houston, Today in Las Vegas, New York City Guide, Pittsburgh Point, This Week in San Diego. 4 Oklahoma City KEY • November 2008 OklahomaThe Newest Frontier City Cowboys began their history on the Texas plains. Texas ranchers found they had large supplies of beef with no place to sell it. The East Coast needed beef. To meet that demand, Texas ranchers had to move their cattle to the closest rail- roads, which were in Kansas. The Chisholm Oklahoma City is a ABOUT OUR PAST… Trail and other cattle routes surprise to many visitors Oklahoma’s written history were made through and newcomers, with all began in 1541 when Oklahoma between 1866 the friendliness of a small Spanish explorer and 1889. While traveling town and the amenities of Coronado ventured through Oklahoma, the our nation’s biggest cities. through this area. At that ranchers And with over fifty time, it was the home of realized the territory was attractions, museums and the Plains Indian tribes, not only closer to the rail- other activities, visitors such as the Osage, Kiowa, roads, but a good location will never be at a loss for Apache and Comanche. In for raising cattle as well. fun things to see and do. 1803, Oklahoma was sold There was one parcel of to the U.S. as part of the land that was never given Oklahoma City was born Louisiana Purchase. over to any Indian tribe - in a single day - April 22, the Unassigned Lands. In 1889. Just a little over a In the 1830s, the federal the 1880s, many frontier century ago, the site of government forced the Americans wanted to move Oklahoma City was a Five Civilized Tribes to into this land. Soon, land- grass-and-timbered land of leave their homelands. less pioneers began slip- These tribes were living in gently rolling hills flatten- ping over into this area ing out into prairie in the the southeastern part of the without authorization. west. In just over 100 U.S. They had to walk to These were the “Boomers,” years, this collection of Oklahoma over a trail that who were trying to force tents grew to a became known as the metropolitan city that “Trail of Tears.” Many the government into open- sprawls across 625 square men, women and children ing the territory up to miles of America's heart- died during this long and homesteaders. land. Its metro population treacherous trip. Once President Benjamin numbers over a million - a these people settled here, Harrison signed legislation third of the entire state’s Oklahoma became Indian that opened up the population. Territory. Unassigned Lands and on 6 Oklahoma City KEY • November 2008 ID OU NOW April 22, 1889, about likely to be wearing boots D Y K ? 50,000 homesteaders and a cowboy hat as they gathered at the boundaries. are a suit and tie. The world’s first installed At noon, the cannon Magnificent attractions parking meter was in roared, and the hordes of like the National Cowboy Oklahoma City, on July 16, people streamed over the and Western Heritage line on wagons and Museum, Remington Park 1935. Carl C. Magee, of buckboards, horseback, on Race Track, Frontier City Oklahoma City, is general- foot and even on bicycles Theme Park, and the Red ly credited with originating into the two million acres Earth Indian Center all of land, made their claims reflect the strong ties this the parking meter. He filed and, overnight, Oklahoma area has with its western for a patent for a “coin con- City grew out of the heritage. plains. The settlers who trolled parking meter” on In the early 1990s, the entered to claim land leaders of Oklahoma City May 13, 1935. before the official start of were faced with a the land run were called decision: to compete or Sooners. Hence the state’s retreat. The decision was nickname. On November made to compete and the 16, 1907, the Oklahoma city launched a visionary Territory and Indian project -- one that would Territory joined, and change the face of Oklahoma became the Oklahoma City forever. 46th state. That plan was Metropolitan Area Projects OKLAHOMA CITY (MAPS), an ambitious TODAY program that is one of the The pioneer zeal of those most aggressive and early settlers is just as evi- successful public-private dent in the Oklahoma City partnerships ever under- of today. The western spir- taken in the U.S. The it that helped found current amount being Oklahoma City is apparent spent in this public/private everywhere you go. partnership exceeds Oklahomans are just as $1 billion. Above: Cowboys and Rodeo are center stage each January at the International Finals Rodeo. Left: City Church Opposite Page: Metro Transit Trolley; Bricktown Ballpark. 8 Oklahoma City KEY • November 2008 As a result of that vision, visitors can now enjoy a multitude of new attrac- tions and entertainment options. The 15,000-seat AT&T Bricktown Ballpark is home to the Oklahoma RedHawks, the Texas Rangers Triple A affiliate, and has been named one of the nation's top two minor league base- ball facilities.