Attractions in Lawton, Oklahoma

There are many things to say about Lawton, Oklahoma. Everyone has an opinion on this place and 90% of the opinions are that this place sucks. If you are unfortunate enough to get to live here for a few month, as quite a few army folk are, there are things to know for entertainment purposes.

Summer is by far the best season to live here! Although it is about 115 degrees during the day and extremely arid, the entertainment value is great. Most people have never been to a small town festival and this place seems to have one every weekend! For fourth of July weekend you are not short on a family trip for arts and crafts and fair food. In August, there is the watermelon festival, which is delicious and interesting, complete with arts and crafts and rickety rides. Also in August, the highlight of allllllll of your time in Lawton, the rodeo comes to town for a weekend. If you've never been to a rodeo, it is worth going to just to see the mullets and giant belt buckles! Around Halloween, there is a sad haunted compound in a cornfield; it is expensive and pathetic but about that time you realize it is the only thing going on and worth the money to get out of the house for! I suggest drinking first... that just about sums up events in Lawton.

If you thought the events were slim pickins' so are the things you can think to do on your own. We spent a day driving to the top of Mt. Scott (the highest mountain in Oklahoma, which is slightly bigger than a hill) to take in the views. They were beautiful, but a lot of shades of brown, while out that way one can hit up the "legendary" Meers Restaurant with giant burgers. My husband thinks it is amazing, I think it is slightly above overrated. Another activity that may entertain you a bit is driving through the wildlife preserve that is out near Mt. Scott. We spent some time hiking around there, take a lot of water!!

If you weren't getting slightly sad about moving here yet, we have more... the town is surrounded by chain restaurants. There are very few original restaurants, however we did find a cute little restaurant that we went to for our anniversary called Rinie's kitchen and wine bar. Another downfall, if you are used to a more populous area, is the shopping mall is down right pathetic and depressing, the highlights are an American Eagle, Bath and Body works, Victoria's secret and a motherhood. The area is not short on walmarts however; ever seen the photos on the website people of walmart? I'm convinced they were all taken here... those are your neighbors, enjoy. The whole town may have a set of teeth between all of the locals. A great aspect of Lawton... if you are a crafty person and enjoy projects, Hobby lobby is amazing here! If you are hard up for a mall, Oklahoma City has a really nice mall! It is only a convenient 80 mile drive each way! Depressed yet?

Lawton, Oklahoma's saving grace... It is in a rare spot in the USA where you can see cities that you would normally never visit. The army is never short on 4 day weekends and you can pick a few places to visit on those 4 days! We went to Austin, Texas one weekend. It was a truly beautiful city and it gave us a much welcomed break from Lawton. Other cities in driving distance, Dallas, San Antonio, Santa Fe, St. Louis, Memphis and Houston. Some of those drives are a bit far, but worth it if you always wanted to see those places. I also suggest taking a 4 day and visiting your next post, we drove to Ft. Knox in Louisville, KY (13 hour drive) and ended up buying a house that weekend. It'll give you something to look forward to.

Some people love this place, some people hate this place. I can tell you not one person came to visit us at this post. Can you blame them? I did learn something great however while I was here. I may have thought I hate Savannah, Georgia but I regret ever having that thought. Lawton, Oklahoma will make you realize how great other places in the United States are! Take this post into your thoughts but experience it for yourself and form your own opinion. Happy traveling!