To everyone attending the Native American Indigenous Studies Association conference -welcome to Oklahoma City! We are excited you are here! If I were visiting America's 20th-largest city and I had the chance to meet the Mayor, I imagine I'd ask, "Mayor, what are the things I have to do in your city?" Well, in case we don't run into each other, here's the list:

The Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum. This sacred place tells an important chapter in our city's history and our nation's history. If you only have time to do one thing, this is it.

Sports & Arts. Check out our Oklahoma City Comets or Remington Park. (And come back to watch the Oklahoma City Thunder, the OKC Blue or one of our major paddlesport events.) For the arts, try Lyric Theatre, OKC Ballet, OKC Philharmonic, Canterbury Voices or Shakespeare in the Park. There are many more options as well; check out alliedartsokc.com to get a full list of our local arts agencies.

Museums. Our state-of-the-art First Americans Museum, the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, the Science Museum Oklahoma, the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Oklahoma Contemporary, the Oklahoma History Center, and the National Guard Museum are just some of the highlights for a city with more museum options than I could possibly list here.

Entertainment Districts. Bricktown is our region's premiere entertainment district. The Stockyards provides a unique western experience. The Adventure District has fun for all ages. Downtown contains a variety of districts to meet every need, including MidTown, Automobile Alley, Deep Deuce and West Village. For unique neighborhood districts beyond downtown, try Plaza, Uptown (along Route 66), Paseo, Western Avenue, Capitol Hill, Northeast 23rd, Britton, the Horizons District and the Asian District. Our city has multiple James Beard Award winners and all of our districts offer unique dining options.

Unique attractions. Scissortail Park, the Myriad Gardens, RIVERSPORT, OKANA, our world-class Zoo, the Land Run monuments along our Bricktown Canal, the OKC Streetcar, our 100-mile trail system, and the State Capitol all offer authentic and unique experiences found nowhere else.

Shopping. In addition to the entertainment districts listed above, Penn Square Mall, Quail Springs Mall, OKC Outlets, the 1-240 corridor and boutique shopping centers like Classen Curve, 50 Penn Place, OAK and Chisholm Creek provide all the retail options you could desire.

I hope this helps! And if you want up-to-the-minute updates about what's happening in OKC right now, follow @visitokc or follow me @mayordavidholt on lnstagram and Threads! Have fun exploring our unique and diverse city!

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Sincerely,

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​David Holt

Mayor

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