Anadarko — Heart of the Southern Plains Indian Nations

An hour southwest of Oklahoma City, the town of Anadarko sits at the center of a landscape that is home to the Kiowa, Comanche, Apache, Caddo, Wichita, Delaware, and other Southern Plains nations, whose reservations and allotments once covered this corner of the territory. It is one of the great centers of living Native American art and culture in the United States, and a single day here offers a deep and moving introduction to it. This journey visits the Southern Plains Indian Museum, whose collections showcase the extraordinary artistic traditions of the region; the open-air National Hall of Fame for Famous American Indians, where bronze busts honor figures from Sequoyah to Jim Thorpe; and the site of Indian City USA, long a landmark of reconstructed dwellings and heritage interpretation. A hearty lunch in Anadarko or nearby Chickasha rounds out the day.