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FRONTIER COUNTRY A new frontier of fun helps families blaze memorable trails on a budget


River cruises relax visitors in Bricktown. Photos Courtesy of Frontier Marketing Association.


By Hayley Imel really is.” A


A trip to central Oklahoma will be worth more than the tankful of gas it will take you to see an in- credibly diverse range of internationally recognized museums, high performance sporting facilities and award-winning wineries, all mixed with the feel of classic Route 66 nostalgia.


“We’re back to thinking about the family vaca- tion,” Rogers says. “I feel like as a country we’re get- ting back to family values and we’re a great place to build those memories.”


Blaze a new trail on a budget in Frontier Country, the only tourism country with access to three ma- jor interstates and a historic highway. Rogers says the best way to begin exploring the 12 counties is by drinking in the sights of Route 66.


Oklahoma’s Napa Valley FRONTIER COUNTRY


The “Grapes of Wrath” have turned into paths of grapes lining the countryside. Oklahoma has gained international recognition for its thriving viticulture. Dale Pound, an Oklahoma winery owner and viticul- ture researcher, has been in the industry for 14 years. “There are two sides to making wine: one side is the science side and the other side is the art,” Pound says.


Frontier Country includes Canadian, Cleveland, Grady, Hughes, Lincoln, Logan, McClain, Okfuskee, Oklahoma, Payne, Pot- tawatomie, and Seminole counties.


24 OKLAHOMA LIVING


Pound says the sandy clay lines naturally help soften wines, creating a product similar to wines produced in Spain or southern France. “Wines in Oklahoma will be softer or slightly less ‘bitey’ than wines of California, that have more of a gypsum or limestone based soil,” Pound says. Many wineries in central Oklahoma offer tours, tastings and entertainment throughout the summer


round here our saying is ‘It’s worth the trip’,” Sherri Rogers, executive director of Frontier Country Marketing Association says. “And it


season.


Erin Coleman, business manager at the Stable Ridge Winery near Stroud, Okla., says, “We were Napa Valley before Napa was Napa Valley.” One of 15 wineries in the region, the Stable Ridge Winery tasting room is located in an original 1898 Catholic Church building, made with materials milled from local farmers and ranchers. At any given time, if you stop off Route 66 to see the folks at Stable Ridge you can treat your palete to sampling some of the 13 different wines they offer. “We grow all our own grapes and make all our wine next door,” Coleman says.


A visit to Stable Ridge in the summer can be fun for the whole family. Coleman says they look for- ward to offering free live music every Saturday af- ternoon this summer.


Get Your Sips on Route 66 Driving on down Route 66 you can continue to quench your thirst for fun at POPS Diner in Arcadia, Okla. The feel of the place may blend in with the feel of the “Mother Road,” but the bold landmark has quickly managed to stand out and make a name of its own.


It’s hard to miss the popular photographic spot: a 66 foot tall giant pop bottle that weighs in at more than 4 tons.


“With Route 66 being about icons, POPS has defi - nitely become an iconic structure,” Mary Doepke, general manager, says.


Doepke says when people step into POPS for the


fi rst time, it’s usually a wow factor. Visitors can’t help but feast their eyes on the fl oor to ceiling shelves fi lled with colorful glass soda bottles. “A lot of people forget not only how important Route 66 once was to the U.S., but also how popular it still is, especially overseas,” Doepke says.


Continued on Page 34


Olympic hopefuls train at the OKC National Per- formance Center. Photo by Georgia Read


Frontier Country is home to 15 thriving wineries.


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