Oklahoma!

DAY # 1 – Arrivals:  Oklahoma City

Participants will be met at the Oklahoma City airport and transported to our hotel.  We will kick off our Cowboys & Indians adventure with a welcome dinner in Stockyard City and take in a performance of the Stockyards Rodeo Opry (depending on arrival time.) Overnight: Oklahoma City. (D)

DAY # 2 – Western Heritage

Our first stop today is the world-class National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, containing one of the largest collections of contemporary Western art in the country.  In more than 200,000 feet of exhibit space, it also displays an extensive barbed wire collection, Western cattle town (ca. 1900), Cowboy Hall of Fame featuring the stories and lives of legends of the West, and one of the most extensive American Indian fine arts collections in the country.  A visit to the impressive museum store and lunch at the museum restaurant will cap our visit here.  We’ll spend the afternoon exploring the city further with a knowledgeable local guide.  Overnight again in Oklahoma City.  (B)

DAY # 3 – National Weather Center* / Chickasaw Nation

Today we’ll head south to the fascinating National Weather Center, where multiple organizations work together in partnership to improve understanding of events occurring in Earth’s atmosphere over a wide range of time and space scales.*  Next we will move further south to the Chickasaw Cultural Center where we will watch the Chickasaw story unfold before our eyes through powerful performances, reenactments, demonstrations, collections and exhibits at one of the largest and most extensive tribal cultural centers in the United States.  Participate in traditional dancing, eat traditional food, and learn about one of the 39 Indian Nations that now call Oklahoma home.  None of these tribes has reservations, but we will be overnighting on tribal lands at the Chickasaw Retreat atop the Arbuckle Mountains near Sulphur, Oklahoma.  (B,D)

* NWC Security Guidelines require that foreign nationals obtain security clearance.  Participants in this tour will be required to submit the NWC Foreign National Visitor Form at least two weeks in advance of the tour date. American-born visitors must present ID upon arrival.

DAY # 4 – Horseback Riding / travel

Before leaving Chickasaw Country we will take a guided trail ride in the Arbuckle Mountains.  Riding instructions promoting safe, effective horsemanship skills are included.  After our morning exercise we will embark on a journey to the eastern part of the state where we will get a peek at what life was like for early-day Natives in Indian Territory.   We’ll end the day in Claremore, the location of the Will Rogers Memorial and Museum.  We will tour the museum to learn about Oklahoma’s favorite son, and one of America’s most beloved pundits.  Overnight:   Claremore  (B,L,D)

DAY # 5 – Cherokee History Tour

This morning our native guide will join us for the first of two full days in the Cherokee Nation.  First we head to historic downtown Tahlequah, the Cherokee National Capitol, where we’ll tour the Supreme Court Museum, Cherokee National Prison, and the former Cherokee Female Seminary with its impressive Sequoyah statue and exhibit.  A special treat is in store at noon: a traditional Cherokee meal (you’ll be surprised by what’s in it!)  The afternoon today is devoted to the outstanding Cherokee Heritage Center and Museum which houses the Trail of Tears Exhibit.  We’ll immerse ourselves in Cherokee culture by participating in living history activities in the Ancient Village and Adam’s Corner Rural Village.  Overnight: Claremore (B,L)

DAY # 6 – Cherokee Old Settlers Tour

This morning we’ll begin with a visit to Dog Iron Ranch near Oolagah for some trick roping lessons on the site where famous American humorist and cowboy, Will Rogers, grew up.  Prior to the Cherokee Removal from their native home in North Carolina, several Cherokees voluntarily relocated to Arkansas (1808) and then to Indian Territory (1828) .  These people are called Old Settlers and we’ll devote the afternoon to learning more about them.  We’ll visit the original 1820 log cabin constructed by Sequoyah, silversmith and inventor of the Cherokee syllabary. Overnight again in Claremore. (B,D)

DAY # 7 – Departures

This morning we’ll we will return to Oklahoma City from Claremore along America’s iconic Route 66  for afternoon departures.  (B)