Best Kid-Friendly Destination: Oklahoma City Zoo By Kaylan Watkins Photo courtesy Oklahoma City Zoo
Oklahoma City’s Adventure District is home to Oklahoma Living readers’ choice for Best Kid-Friendly Destination—the Oklahoma City Zoo. The zoo was estab- lished in 1904, even before Oklahoma’s statehood and is one of only seven zoos that is accredited as both a zoo and a botanical garden. “We have a wonderful zoo here in Oklahoma City,” said Candice Rennels marketing and public relations manager for the Oklahoma City Zoo. “A big part of that is the sup- port we receive from visitors, friends and community members.”
Some of the highlights the zoo has to offer are the
Children’s Zoo, a Nature Explorers Preschool program, the Botanical Gardens, and the elephant habitat. Little ones who are visiting the zoo are in for a unique experi- ence that includes hands-on interactions with goats,
Best Chef: Sam Bracken By Laura Araujo
Local and sustainable—two words that describe Chef Sam Bracken’s culinary passion. The owner of the Canebrake Resort and Restaurant in Wagoner, Okla., and Lake Region Electric Cooperative member, Oklahoma Living’s “Best Chef” has been serving up lo- cally grown, sustainably sourced food for eight years. “When we started the restaurant, the local food move- ment was happening in big cities and along the coasts but not in Oklahoma,” Bracken says. Originally from Midwest City, Okla., Bracken worked in the restaurant industry in Colorado for several years before returning to Oklahoma with wife Lisa. Their vi- sion was to create a place to eat good quality local food— a goal they have accomplished. Two robust gardens on the resort’s 170 acres generate a third of the restaurant’s produce in peak season. What they don’t grow, Bracken purchases from farmers in
Oklahoma and Texas. The Canebrake’s chicken, quail, pork and beef are also
sourced from Oklahoma and Texas. Fish is flown in fresh from Florida, Alaska, Hawaii and Washington. “I have a ‘no junk’ rule with my proteins—no antibiot- ics, no hormones, no junk. I know how it was raised, who harvested it, who slaughtered it and how it was packaged and shipped,” Bracken says. “When I call my fishmonger, they send someone out to go fishing and it’s in my kitchen in 24 hours.” The Canebrake features an award-winning wine list and a menu that changes seasonally. Winter offerings include Chicken Fried Quail, Braised Pork Shank and Maple Oklahoma Pecan Pie. A highlight of the week is the Sunday brunch of homemade pastries, waffles, bis- cuits and gravy, eggs, a carving station, a seafood spread, and more. For restaurant hours and a full menu visit
www.thecanebrake.com.
Photo courtesy Canebrake Resort and Restaurant
bunnies, miniature donkeys and pot-bellied pigs, among others. “Our Children’s Zoo is an incredible exhibit,” Rennels
said. “It’s all about being playful and connecting with nature.” The Nature Explorers Preschool program is just like any normal preschool program, with a twist of excitement. “We look at the zoo as a living-learning classroom,”
Rennels said. “The little ones have lesson plans and little programs they work on and then they get to go out in the zoo every day and explore and connect with nature.” Home to 119 developed acres of land and more than 1,900 animals, the zoo is a destination that has something to offer everyone. “Our zoo is a treasure of the state and a true jewel in the crown of Oklahoma City,” Rennels said. The zoo is open year-round and welcomes everyone to come enjoy its vast array of animals.
Best Spa: Riddel’s Skin Care Center
By Kaylan Watkins Quality spa services at an affordable price can be
Photo courtesy Riddel’s Skin Care Center
difficult to find. Add in a professional, friendly and family-like atmosphere and it could be almost impos- sible. Riddel’s Skin Care Center, located in McAlester, Okla., offers all of these to customers and was chosen by Oklahoma Living’s readers as the best spa in the state of Oklahoma. Since December 1999, Riddel’s Skin Care Center has been aiming to offer men and women from Southeast Oklahoma services that, until then, had only
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been available in larger metropolitan cities. Their phi- losophy is to pamper and rejuvenate through unique physician-formulated spa treatments. Joyce Riddel opened Riddel’s Skin Care Center with
the hope that she could provide a unique, affordable service to customers in rural areas. “We’re a very reasonably priced facility,” Riddel said. “I see a lot of working class people in here who have to save their money for the services we offer. We really want our services to be as affordable as possible for them.”
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