I had a lovely quick trip to Sulphur, Oklahoma!
I am going to share some things we did and where we stayed during our trip! I'm glad we went this time of the year because it gets SO busy and crowded during the summer.
We spent 2 complimentary nights at the beautiful Artesian, Hotel, Casino & Spa. This hotel is within walking distance to some of Sulphurs beautiful trails, shops, and the Chickasaw Visitor Center.
Our room was an Accessible King room on the 3rd floor. The room had plenty of turnaround space, roll under sink, roll under desk, eye-level mirrors, grab bars in the bathroom, a fold-down shower chair in the tub, and a few other amenities. I will say there were 2 struggles I personally had with this room. The bed was not lowered for wheelchair users so it was incredibly hard to get on and off, and then it seemed EVERY door in this hotel was extremely heavy. I've learned to work my way through these types of things but I do like to share with other travelers.
The Artesian is an absolutely beautiful hotel that offers a pool (indoor&outdoor), a beautiful bath house, restaurant, bar, & casino. Unfortunately, the pool & bath house do NOT offer a wheelchair lift. We had $50 worth of free play in the casino and that was plenty of time for us in there. I'm not a gambler because I really don't like catching money on fire, but as most casinos are, it was a smoke house in there and I can't stand sitting in that. The restaurant offered a variety of different foods including salads, burgers, sandwiches, steaks, fish, & other items. They do offer a gluten free menu as well.
Here is a brief bit of chaos..Most know I have horrible PTSD from losing my house to a tornado in 2013 & during our last night there was a chance of severe weather. We were back at our hotel but the radar looked like everything was going to go right around us.. until it wasn't. We were outside of our hotel for a minute when the wind went insane and debris started flying, something hit my back, and we saw a ladies luggage start flying. We had to get inside ASAP and then had to take shelter in one of the hotel's bathrooms...there was a quick spin up tornado. It was pure chaos. No-one was directing anyone or saying what to do. We made it inside before the hail hit and luckily this didn't end up being worse than it was. I'm over this weather...
Here are a few places we explored:
Chickasaw Visitor Center- This visitor center is amazing! There is an accessible ramp outside and an elevator available inside. There is complimentary water and coffee, clean bathrooms, a gift shop, and SO many free brochures on places to see, stay, & eat in sulphur as well as other places in Oklahoma. There is also a nice couch and lounge area where you can look at all of your brochures. The one thing I allow myself to buy on each trip is a lapel pin, so I got one here!
Rusty Nail Winery- I don't drink alcohol but I sat with my parents while they did a wine tasting. The building was beautiful! They had so many different wines, wine accessories, and gifts you could buy. They also had a wine and paint room which I thought was neat. The bathroom is not accessible for wheelchair users. There are grab bars if you are capable of standing or walking a few feet, but otherwise plan to go elsewhere. Also, to say it in the nicest way possible the wine is not recommendeded. It's definitely a kit winery and that showed in all of the wines. If you are a a boujee wine drinker, this place is not recommendeded.
Flower Park- Flower Park is walking distance from The Artesian. This was a beautiful little park with a stream that goes right through it. They have picnic tables and gravel trails throughout. These trails are considered wheelchair accessible and they did work for my all terrain tires. The trails would also be fine for a lot of electric wheelchairs, but I will say that you need to know your wheelchair really well because the gravel makes for a very bumpy stroll. It's definitely beautiful and worth the visit. We had a picnic lunch here one day and the weather was perfect!
Stores within walking distance of the Artesian-
•Bedre Cafe has Ice Cream, Milk Shakes, Coffees, & other little treats.
•Okie Twister has a lot of everything. Gifts, cups, drinks stickers, etc. It's the store for everyone!
•The Spice & Tea Exchange. This store was super neat and cute! There were sections for tea, salts, sugars, & spices where you had the opportunity to open and smell each jar for each item. Some of them smelled really good!
•Luxe is a fancy little boutique with clothing, jewelry, purses, gifts, & more!
•Shoenique is perfect if you forgot any needed shoes at home! They have hiking boots, & swim shoes.
•Sweet Swirlz is the place to go for your sweet frozen yogurt treat!
•CTS Express is your go-to snack & drink essential store right outside of The Artesian. Here you can get your snacks, candy, drinks, bear, etc.
Travertine Nature Center-
This is such a cool nature center! There were live animals inside, gifts, guides, and there were kids doing a scavenger hunt! There were also a lot of informative and educated signs. The view here is beautiful and we decided to do some of the trails! We first went to Antelope Springs and then next we continued on to Buffalo Springs! The Antelope & Buffalo Springs Trails are both considered accessible but I will tell you I definitely got my workout in! I'm definitely hoping to get a freewheel in my future to help continue my love of hiking and exploring. https://amzn.to/3Ts6DeT
The trails are nicely graveled but there was at least one part that was a little harder to navigate. There were some larger stones that looked like they shattered quite a bit, but I did make it through in my manual. It's definitely worth it for the view and to stay in shape as a person with limited mobility!
Food- Although there was a restaurant at the hotel, and we picniced for lunch, we also made our way to Abuelitas for some Mexican food! There are plenty of options in the town of Sulphur despite it being a small town. They have 2 other Mexican restaurants San Pedro Bar & Grill & Potrillos. There are also plenty of fast food options such as Taco Mayo, Braums, McDonald's, & Taco Bell.
It was a great brief getaway and I'm glad I had the chance to go with my parents. We needed a break to breathe fresh air and enjoy each other's presence. I hope this motivates other wheelchair users to keep exploring as well as motivates others to get out and enjoy life!
With love always,
Aspen Sage💗
