The Accidental Hometown Tourist by Allison Eldredge

The Accidental Hometown Tourist

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by ALLISON ELDREDGE PHOTOS by ALLISON ELDREDGE

Every summer, most Americans take some type of vacation. Families will take trips to all the favorite spots like Walt Disney World, Branson, the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and so many more.

Last summer, I helped my mom watch and entertain my daughter and her four cousins. We tried to fill their time with lots and lots of free and low cost events and activities.

The local libraries and splash pads were the most common adventures for our crew. I’m sure all libraries are great, but we hit the closest Creek County locations: Sapulpa, Bristow and Mannford. They all have the same theme for the Summer Reading programs; however, each library is so unique in how it presents the program, crafts, and rewards. The kids read and listened to many books and received some great prizes.

The week before school started, I loaded up all five kids without any other parental help and we started our accidental tourist adventure.

I had made a list of places that we needed to visit based on their uniqueness, historical relevance, and fun photo shoot spots.

Day 1: Bristow, Oklahoma: my hometown.

We started with the oldest church, St. George’s built in 1903. Of course, the building wasn’t open, but we took pictures with the front doors. We walked down to the city building and took pictures with a bull. Yep, a bronzed bull. In front of the building by the sidewalk, we found a historical marker that I had never seen before. Picture time!

Walking across the street, we sat down and took pictures with the bronze statues of children having story time. A memorial to our summer spent in the library. Then, we went to someplace off the beaten path of local tourism; the local bank lobby. Partly because I needed to handle some bank business, and partly because it was a cool place to rest. The kids sat down with suckers and behaved as well as five kids can with sugar.

Our next stop was the Bristow Depot and Museum. We took pictures with the caboose and the water tower.

My favorite picture came from the water tower pictures. It really isn’t a pretty water tower, but it was the moment when five kids were smiling as they were happy to be out doing something different and out of the ordinary.

The museum was nearing closing time and we asked first before all piling in the door for a tour. The lady was so nice and said she’d give us a quick tour. We enjoyed every moment of the tour and the kids had some good questions. If you enjoy museums, Bristow needs to be a must see on your list. They have had visitors from many states and other countries. Being on Route 66 has brought in many visitors and I know they would love to add you to their visitor list.

The depot hosts a butterfly garden and a butterfly wing mural. It is placed perfectly for everyone to take a photo and find that they themselves have beautiful butterfly wings.

Our final stop in Bristow was Benji’s Anchor Drive In. I have memories of going and sitting at the counter on swivel seats and getting a soda. Now they will have those same memories. We got a couple of sides and everyone chose their drink or milk shake.

Day 2: Sapulpa, Oklahoma

We hit the streets of downtown Sapulpa looking for murals and unique photo shoot places. We found several. There are big murals of Sapulpa and of classic ads. There was a unique mural of horses on the side of a building; unique because they horses are painted in old window slots and framed by shutters. They appear to be in a barn looking out and the cars parked nearby. We found old gas pumps to pose with. Then the kids decided they needed to get a picture with a large potted plant in front of stop sign. It wasn’t my idea, but they loved getting to choose some of the photo spots.

We then went to the library for the last story time of the summer and of course we needed a picture with the librarian.

Next stop, the courthouse and its surrounding features: the fountain, the flag, and the gazebo. Inside, we took pictures on the stairs, we climbed the stairs all the way to the top floor, we looked for unique points of view and we enjoyed looking up and down thru the rotunda opening in the middle of each floor.

Our next stop was the Sapulpa Historical Museum. It is wonderful two-story building not far from the courthouse and it is packed full of historical documents, art, pictures and exhibits. We spent at least an hour just trying to take it all in. The tour guide was friendly and informational. He truly knew his Sapulpa history.

Our final stop was supposed to just be for pictures with the outside of the Burnett Mansion. The kids begged to see if they could see the inside and I said the oldest could go ask but not to be disappointed if they couldn’t. Well, I was completely surprised when we were allowed to go in and the lady took the time and gave us a wonderful tour.

I hope the kids will look back on these two days with fond memories, as I do. It is always a neat experience to find something new in an area you thought you knew better than everyone else.

This summer with gas prices looking to put a dent in vacation plans, tour your home town (or a neighboring town). Check out the local museum, library, historical buildings and new-to-you eateries. Take pictures with your family in spots that have meaning for you. Spots like your favorite ice cream place, your favorite parking spot at church or Walmart, where you went on a fun date with a friend or spouse, or even where you had an embarrassing moment. Make fun memories with others and share your story.

My accidental tourist crew was Elliana, Benjamin, Asia, Bubba and Kingston. n

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A: The Horse Mural, Sapulpa, OK B: The Sapulpa Museum C: Bristow Museum, Bristow, OK D: Bristow Museum, Bristow, OK E: Bristow Library, Bristow, OK