Medincine Park, OK

Now this little town isn't on The Discovery Trail, but it should be. The residents of Medicine Park are passionate about their little village. In fact they have breathed new life into what would have surely been a ghost town. Although they are still working, their progress is impressive.These are little artist shops along the main street. Now you have to get your mind ready for this, and remember this is a little town in Oklahoma. The first time we visited 7 years ago, I was less than impressed. We had heard about a little cobblestone village, I mistakenly anticipated something a little more European. As you can see, not so European, but none the less a quaint little village to stop for an afternoon of exploring.Here are my kiddos out front of the restaurant. This place was just an empty shell when we last visited. I love how they have preserved the cobblestone with so many of the structures. The Old Plantation serves burgers and salads. The food wasn't bad, but is wasn't fabulous either. Since there are not a lot of restaurants in town, this place is generally very busy. This translates to: WAIT.

On our second visit, we opted for a picnic lunch and dined down by the water. After our swimming adventure, we stopped by the ice cream shop for a little treat on our way out of town. . .YUMMY! It wasn't just any old ice cream, it was home made--with lots of flavors to choose from. We got monster cones for something ridiculously cheap, like $2 a cone. What a deal.Here are Mr. Nomad and the kiddos over by the riverfront area. Look closely and you can see the river in the background. I'm so bummed. On our first trip I didn't take lots of pictures because I knew we were coming back another day to swim. Then on our big swimming day, I forgot the camera.

Our friends brought their camera, but they just don't have an appreciation for the shots I need for my blog. So here is my one and only picture from the day we swam. I'm the dorky one with the white hat and sunglasses. I'm being swarmed by my kiddos.

What you don't see in this picture is the cute little bridge that goes over to a little island. There is also a waterfall you can sit on. It is like an old fashioned swimming hole, where there are some man-made elements to make the natural river more of a "bath", so to speak. There were also some huge fish kids were feeding out of their hands. (The General thought it was so cool, it gave me the heeby jeebies!) Now remember, this isn't over the top. It is a small little town in Oklahoma. If you keep that in mind it is a pleasant way to spend an afternoon.

Oh, I forgot to mention the cost for swimming is $2 per person. Be on the look out for the native Medicine Park resident. He is generally driving the golf cart around, making sure everyone has their wristband on. He is a wealth of information. He's lived here for a long time, and told us all about the town's recent redevelopment. He is also the one who told us about that yummy ice cream shop. Ya gotta love a man with a good ice cream source.