Summer Adventures: Plenty Of Fun, Kicks Along Route 66

A great summer adventure in Oklahoma begins on the mother of all roads, Route 66.

The neon lights at the Tower Theater in Oklahoma City are just one of its well-known landmarks. News 9 anchor Amanda Taylor and her family are headed west down Route 66 to see what else they could find.

But leave it to Amanda to discover a beach in Oklahoma.

Whether by yourself or with the kids, in hopes of finding an activity to 'wear them out' a little, here's a spot where you can do it all.

"When I moved here in 1976, I always thought Clinton needed an indoor swimming pool, but we never got it," said Walt Shumacher.

He did one better. Right off Interstate 40, he created the Clinton Indoor Water Zoo, a great option rain or shine.

The indoor water park has slides with different levels of intensity. There's a kiddie pool with just 5 inches of water. There's a wave pool, a water basketball area and a lazy river. It also has a mezzanine for more water fun.

"We're a whole lot closer than Dallas and less costly and no Metroplex traffic," Shumacher said.

Helping to make this a true staycation is a hotel connected to the water park.

All the play works up an appetite. A little off the beaten path east of Clinton is The White Dog Hill restaurant with the motto, "Come for the view... stay for the food."

The steakhouse and next-door bar were built in 1925 as the clubhouse and caretaker's home of the then Clinton Country Club and Golf Course. Now named after the owner's dog, the place has character -- not to mention an amazing charcuterie tray. It also has a panoramic view, making this the perfect spot to watch an Oklahoma sunset.

One weekend summer adventure also took Amanda and her family to a museum in Clinton focused on the famous mother road that goes right through town.

Pat Smith has been running the museum for nearly 30 years and says it's the largest museum in the world dedicated to the history and culture of Route 66. Each room in the museum represents a different decade.

The kids got a kick out of the Route 66 scavenger hunt where they went room to room looking for different pieces of memorabilia. As they were searching, they met a couple vacationing in Oklahoma all the way from England. A quick peek at the guest boook shows visitors from as far away as Hawaii and Spain.

Oh, about that beach ...

This gem is just about 15 miles west of Clinton inside Foss State Park. Park manager Barry Hardaway calls it the 'Oasis of Western Oklahoma.' There are five tiki-hut looking structures called palapas, and they can be rented daily.

Oklahoma has some other beaches to explore: Eufaula, Grand Lake, Lake Murray, Lake Texoma, Fort Gibson Lake and Arcadia Lake.