Trains, Planes and Animals – Free Fun in the Metro

My son turned two last month and for a variety of reasons we decided not to have a party.  Instead, my husband and I decided to spend the day doing things we knew he would enjoy as a family.  The best part? We didn’t spend a dime!

Here’s what our day looked like.

Checking out the crane car to the Oklahoma Railway Museum
Checking out the crane car at the Oklahoma Railway Museum

Stop #1 – The Oklahoma Railway Museum

You may be familiar with The Oklahoma Railway Museum from A Day Out with Thomas the last two weekends, but what you may not realize is the museum is actually open year round from Thursday-Saturday. During the late spring and summer months, the museum offers train rides on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month for a small fee, but everything else in the park is free of charge.  They have a variety of railcars that you can climb aboard and explore as well as an extremely detailed model train set that mesmerized our birthday boy.  He was especially enamored with a tiny red button, placed strategically about toddler height, that sounds a train whistle when pushed.  We spent about an hour climbing and exploring and watching the model trains go around and around.  If you have a young train enthusiast, The Oklahoma Railway Museum is a great way to start the day.

Stop #2 – The 45th Infantry Division Museum

Exploring the 45th Infantry Division Museum
Exploring the 45th Infantry Division Museum

Located right down the road from the Rail Museum, the 45th Infantry Division Museum wasn’t actually part of our original plan for the day. I know what you are thinking, and I realize this sounds a little heavy for a two year old, but if you’ve ever driven by you understand the appeal. Thunderbird Park surrounds the museum and boasts more than 60 different pieces of equipment.  It’s beautifully landscaped and we spent the better part of an hour checking out the “hachos and airpanes” (toddlerspeak for helicopters and airplanes).  My husband enjoyed reading the plaques that identify each piece.  Because we had never been, we ventured inside the museum briefly (fully expecting it to not be toddler proof) and were pleasantly surprised with all it had to offer.  While our little guy didn’t fully appreciate the WWII artifacts, there were some cool cars and planes in the back half that sparked oooohs and aahhhhs.

Stop #2.5 landed us back at home while we took a brief intermission to fill our tummies and indulge in a family nap time.

Stop #3 – The Oklahoma City Zoo

Some of our favorite spots at the Oklahoma City Zoo
Some of our favorite spots at the Oklahoma City Zoo

But wait – the Zoo isn’t free!  You’re right, it isn’t EXACTLY free, but we bought a Zoo Friends pass earlier this year at Mathis Brothers and have already gotten our money’s worth.  So for our family, it was free that day.  The best part about having a zoo pass is you can enjoy the zoo without feeling like you have to stay all day.

We didn’t get there until about an hour before they closed, but still had plenty of time to brush the goats in the children’s zoo and see a few of our other favorites before returning home for pizza and birthday cake.

If you aren’t a Zoo Friends member, feeding the turtles at Martin Park Nature Center and the Children’s Area at Myriad Gardens were also on our list of possible afternoon options and they are completely free to the public.

What are your favorite free activities in the metro?

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Lindsey
Born and raised throughout the Midwest, Lindsey has officially called Oklahoma home for nearly ten years. Wife to Michael and mother to Ivan, she left the corporate world to be home with her family full time in 2012. When not chasing her ridiculously active 18-month old, Lindsey enjoys being involved in community organizations and planning outings for a local moms group. She also enjoys running, reading, road trips and all things mid-century.

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