🥾 ActiveWeekend · from Oklahoma City, OK
Fort Sill History & the Cobblestone Village of Medicine Park
Two days around Lawton in southwest Oklahoma, blending military history with the cobblestone charm of Oklahoma's first resort town. Day one is Fort Sill, an active Army post and National Historic Landmark whose Old Post — the original 1870s stone quadrangle — houses one of the finest artillery museums in the country and the grave of the Apache leader Geronimo, held here as a prisoner of war. From there you drop to nearby Lake Lawtonka for an afternoon on the water beneath the granite bulk of Mount Scott. Day two settles into Medicine Park, a village built entirely of rounded cobblestones in 1908 along a spring-fed creek, where you can swim at Bath Lake, stroll the creekside, and drive up Mount Scott for one of the great overlooks of the southern plains before heading home. A night in a cobblestone cottage on Medicine Creek anchors it all.
Day 1 — Fort Sill National Historic Landmark & Lake LawtonkaDay 2 — Medicine Park, Bath Lake & the Mount Scott overlook
Day 1 — Fort Sill & Lawton, OK
Day 1 — Fort Sill & Lawton, OK
🚗 2 hr driving📍 5 stops
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Morning
🚗
Drive
Oklahoma City, OK → Fort Sill National Historic Landmark, Lawton
1 hr 30 min8:00 AM → 9:30 AM
Fort Sill National Historic Landmark & Field Artillery Museum
★ 4.7Established in 1869 and still an active Army post, Fort Sill is a National Historic Landmark whose Old Post preserves the original stone quadrangle of frontier-era barracks, stables, and guardhouse around a parade ground. The excellent U.S. Army Field Artillery Museum traces the history of American artillery across two large halls and an outdoor park of restored guns and rocket systems, from Revolutionary cannon to modern missile launchers. Because it is an active installation, adult visitors need a valid photo ID to enter through the visitor control center, and the Old Post historic buildings are free to tour. Allow a couple of hours to do the museum and the historic quadrangle justice.
9:30 AM📍 See location
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Lunch
Geronimo's Grave & the Apache Prisoner-of-War Cemeteries
★ 4.6In a quiet grove on the Fort Sill grounds lies the grave of Geronimo, the Chiricahua Apache leader who was held here as a prisoner of war until his death in 1909, marked by a stone monument topped with an eagle. The surrounding Apache and Indian cemeteries hold many of the Chiricahua who were confined at Fort Sill, and the site is a sober, essential counterpoint to the artillery museum's story. It is a short, contemplative walk from parking, well signed within the post. Please treat it as the sacred burial ground it is, keeping to the marked paths and respecting any visitors paying respects.
10:30 AM📍 See location
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Afternoon
🚗
Drive
Fort Sill, OK → Lake Lawtonka
20 min12:00 PM → 12:20 PM
Lake Lawtonka
★ 4.5Lake Lawtonka spreads at the foot of Mount Scott, its blue water backed by the granite dome of the mountain — one of the most scenic reservoirs in southwest Oklahoma and a favorite for swimming, paddling, and fishing. The afternoon is best spent on the water: launch a kayak or paddleboard, swim from the day-use beach, or walk the shoreline with the mountain reflected in the lake. The Mount Scott backdrop makes for superb late-afternoon photographs as the light warms the granite. Bring water shoes for the rocky shoreline and keep an eye on the wind, which can pick up across the open water.
12:20 PM📍 See location
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Evening
The Old Plantation Restaurant, Medicine Park
★ 4.5The grande dame of Medicine Park, set in one of the cobblestone village's oldest buildings above Medicine Creek. It's the natural dinner stop after a day at Fort Sill and Lake Lawtonka — steaks, seafood, and a creekside porch — a short stroll from the cottages before turning in.
5:00 PM📍 See location
🚗
Drive
Lake Lawtonka → Medicine Park, OK
10 min6:00 PM → 6:10 PM
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Medicine Park Cobblestone Cottages
Founded in 1908 as Oklahoma's first resort town, Medicine Park was built almost entirely of rounded local cobblestones and sits along spring-fed Medicine Creek at the edge of the granite hills. Restored cobblestone cottages and inns line the creek; book one directly on the water for the full effect, waking to the sound of the stream. The village has a cluster of good restaurants and cafes within an easy walk for dinner, so you can leave the car parked. If the cottages are full, Lawton ten minutes south has the full range of chain hotels.
Day 2 — Medicine Park & Mount Scott, OK
Day 2 — Medicine Park & Mount Scott, OK
🚗 1 hr 55 min driving📍 3 stops
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Morning
🚗
Drive
Medicine Park cottage → Medicine Park Village Center
5 min8:00 AM → 8:05 AM
Bath Lake & Medicine Creek Swimming Hole
★ 4.7The cool, spring-fed water of Medicine Creek is the heart of Medicine Park, and a restored dam forms Bath Lake, a designated swimming area with a small beach right in the middle of the cobblestone village. A paved streamside path threads along the creek past the cottages, cafes, and ice-cream stands, linking the swimming hole to the little art galleries and the aquarium at the village center. It is an easy, pleasant morning: swim or wade in the clear creek, then stroll the path with a coffee. The water stays refreshingly cool even in high summer thanks to the springs feeding it.
8:05 AM📍 See location
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Lunch
🍽️ Lunch9:05 AM
The Old Plantation Restaurant, Medicine Park
The grande dame of Medicine Park, the Old Plantation operates out of one of the village's oldest structures overlooking the creek, serving steaks, seafood, and Oklahoma comfort food from a wide porch above the water. It is the natural spot for a leisurely late lunch before the drive up Mount Scott and back to Oklahoma City. The setting — cobblestone walls, the creek below, and the granite hills beyond — is as much the point as the food. Reserve on busy weekends, when the village fills with day-trippers.
2 options · tap to switch
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Afternoon
🚗
Drive
Medicine Park, OK → Mount Scott Summit Drive
15 min12:00 PM → 12:15 PM
Mount Scott Summit Overlook
★ 4.9A paved switchback road spirals to the 2,464-foot granite summit of Mount Scott, the most accessible high point in the region and one of the great overlooks of the southern plains. From the boulder-strewn top the whole country unfolds — Lake Lawtonka and Medicine Park directly below, the parallel granite ridges marching west, and the flat prairie running to the horizon in every direction. Scramble out onto the summit boulders for the full panorama and a final look over the weekend's terrain before heading home. The wind at the top is constant and often strong, so hold onto hats and keep children well back from the edges.
12:15 PM📍 See location
🌙
Evening
🚗
Drive
Mount Scott, OK → Oklahoma City, OK
1 hr 35 min5:00 PM → 6:35 PM
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