National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum

Plan to Spend a Couple Hours
We arrived late in the day and wished we had set aside more than an hour to go through it. Going through the galleries really increased my appreciation for western art and culture. I had to wonder how many of the paintings and sculptures really represented the real west versus the idealized west. The halls that were dedicated to actors who made a living portraying cowboys, sheriffs, etc. were very interesting. The galleries are well lit and put together. If you come, definitely plan to spend a couple hours.

We purchased tickets on line this morning to go to the museum. When we arrived (60 minute round trip drive) we were told there was a special event and the tickets we just bought online would NOT be honored. NO where on the ticket or web site did it say today was a special event day where our online tickets would NOT be honored. Waste of money! The web site states a price but when you get to the museum it showed a higher price.

Took several out of town guests to what I knew growing up as «The Cowboy Hall of Fame.» The name has changed, but it has remained immaculate and just as I remember as a middle schooler on a field trip. My out of towners asked if the building was newly built, but it has been here for quite some time.
We found out that the Chuck Wagon Festival was this weekend, so there were more activities than normal and a ton of people. They had a longhorn steer to take pictures beside, chuck wagon food samples, leather working, archery, roping, and tons of other activities.
One side, by Abe Lincoln, has a beautiful Western oil painting gallery. The landscapes are breathtaking. The other side, by the mountain lion sculpture, is much larger. It has oil paintings, an old gun collection, movie memorabilia, Native American traditional clothing, a barbed wire room, and a rodeo exhibit. We ended up going through the whole museum and the surrounding garden grounds in about three hours. The only exhibit I didn’t see was the rodeo exhibit because there was a screaming child wrecking havoc, and I was not about to be around that hurricane. There is also an entire Western town inside the museum.
There are some beautiful sculptures outside. Check out the four Cowboys on horse back. If you will notice, some of the horses don’t have all (or any) of their feet touching the ground. It’s crazy.
Eat lunch somewhere else because the café is awful and expect to have plenty of small children running around unsupervised. Other than those two caveats, it’s fantastic.

Dining on Persimmon Hill is Dead! Now you get ready made salads and sandwiches served in plastic containers with plastic knives and forks and you get to bus your own table when done. Amen

The Mother’s Day brunch was gross.
Armpit chicken enchiladas, bad coffee that no one bothered to refill. The girls circling us had bad attitudes and could not be bothered literally. It’s a job and you lucky to have one.
I took one bite and didn’t eat anything else the entire meal.
For $ 22 I think the petroleum club that catered this joke could have done a better job.
Yuck. Shame on your guys.

The National Cowboy museum is so well put together. I have been here twice just to visit and all I can say is wow!
There are so many different galleries full of artwork, interactive things, sculptures, guns, swords, movies, and much more. You can spend hours just looking at all the art in the different rooms. It’s just beautiful!
There is also a huge section with old fashioned buildings. Like a chapel, jail, bank, and much more. I really loved this section of the museum and it’s great for kids too. There is also a whole building for kids past the beautiful gardens outside.
This is definitely a great place to take guests and they will love seeing everything this museum has to offer.
I highly recommend it!

Very nice museum. We were wondering what else we would do today, but ended up spending almost 5 hours here. Lots of different sections with something for just about everyone. Well worth a visit.

I always enjoy this museum. The Prix de West in June is a fantastic display of the preeminent western artists of today.
The gardens are gorgeous. The old west town is quaint and rustic. They have a great gun collection. They have some of the best paintings of any museum I have visited.

I always enjoy this museum. The Prix de West in June is a fantastic display of the preeminent western artists of today.

We really enjoyed this museum! Found a great deal on Groupon for the tickets and decided to visit during our Anniversary/​Valentines Trip to OKC. There was so much to see and we loved all of it! The little town they have is amazing! I was not expecting to find the city and had not seen anything about it online. But going in there was soo cool, I had a huge smile on my face the whole time!
I also loved the rodeo section of the museum. Very interesting and a cool set up!
Would recommend to anyone visiting the area!

A true class act hard to beat destination! This muse is much more then you can imagine. It is a beautiful facility filled with well kept and well displayed treasures encompassing artifact from American Indian And Cowboy culture.
The art displays are remarkable, breathtaking, and awe inspiring. The collage displays and western village walk through are just excellent. I love how the different displays cone to life with sound as you stroll past even crickets chirping in A dark quiet corner near the train station.
I can’t tell you how cool this place is! The gift shop is beyond your best trendy shops in any shopping mall the items are divers and well rounded.
Ever worker I encountered was unbelievably friendly and incredibly helpful. From the cowboy tour guides to the gift shop people all so dedicated to their craft you will be pleased!
Thanks you to the staff and the curators for such a remarkable experience!
A must visit destination.

This is one of my favorite museum in the world.
I visited this museum in 2012. Today, when someone asked about OKC, I recommended this place to my friend. I found myself miss this museum and the super friendly people in OKC a lot. Wish I can go back again in the future.
Highly recommended.

I live in Southern California, all we hear about is «The Autry» and how wonderful it is. Let me tell you that it is a great disappointment after NC&WHM.
NC&WHM has more, is better lit, better organized and better documented.
This museum even has a wonderful restaurant.

I thought this was a great museum! It’s almost too much to take in. Love the little town, of course the paintings were great. Spent about two hours here, probably could’ve spent four.

My spouse and I visited there recently. She had never been, and I hadn’t been there since since the early 1980s. It was interesting and nice. Lots of guns and ammunition. Would have liked to have seen more antiques — stage coaches, etc. The re-​creation of the town was excellent. Reasonable entrance fee.

The exhibits and artwork are top-​notch. The only drawback is the extreme limitation on photography. Truly worth seeing.

Cowboys have never been of special interest to me. Western heritage is something I have only a small amount of interest in, really. But this museum was absolutely fantastic and my favorite part of a long weekend spent in OKC. It is WELL worth the admission fee. My husband and I spent over two hours here and still didn’t see every single thing. We explored all of the diverse exhibits and loved it. This museum combines Art and history in a seamless and appealing manner. It is one of the cleanest and prettiest facilities I’ve toured in the area, and the vibe of museum staff and patrons was so laid back and polite. We received a free promotional cd and stickers, and while the music contained on the cd was not to my taste it added to the perceived value. Visitors are encouraged to linger here. There’s a large center for children we did not visit, and a nice sculpture garden for touring. While it doesn’t hold a candle in that regard to Tulsa’s Philbrook, it was still a lovely place for an outdoor stroll.

Very cool place to go. I was unsure at first, but the volunteers are so eager to help, just let them. So much to see, the section of firearms and weapons was excellent. Give yourself at least two to three hours to check everything out, you won’t regret it.

Easily the best and nicest and well put together museum in the state. Did not expect that! So cool and interesting and fun. Much more than just cowboy boots or hats and stuff.
Cool outdoor exhibits and stuff too and great works of art on display. Truly beautiful place.

Lots of history and art to look at. Had fun here. Entrance fee is certainly affordable. The outside exhibits are interesting. They have a lot of prize livestock buried there showing what they have accomplished in their lives. The rodeo exhibits are interesting as well as the old clothing they have on exhibit. If your in the area and have some time to kill. I highly recommend checking this museum out.

This is a very interesting museum. Very clean and spacious. Many rooms and so many different collections. After touring the museum, we had a buffet in their café area. It was reasonably priced and had delicious, quality food with several yummy desserts. I would come back if ever in town again.

The museum is good but it is the gift shop that will be getting the bad review from me. the staff that was working there when I came to visit was very rude to me. They did not say hello to me when I walked in or even answered the questions I asked about a product. The products they had were way over priced. Just not a good gift shop.

Words can’t describe describe the beauty within the walls of this museum. Oklahoma City has turned this into a must see place to visit. The art of the centuries of the West are captured by the many artists and sculptures. The gift shop is not your normal cheap touristy items but quality clothing, books and gifts. You have to make this stop if you are in OKC! One thing, be prepared for rude drivers in the city. Made me think of Chicago drivers!

STOP, LOOK, learn and enjoy! BUT plan on anywhere from two hours to a day! If you are a cowboy /​native American /​rodeo /​film buff then you better plan the day. OVERWLMEING displays, OVERWELMING art work and collections. PLAN ON WALKING! This place is BIG! Snack bar on site. MILLONS of dollars collected within these walls.

I almost don’t want to write a review of their brunch buffet because I’m afraid it will get too popular and then there will be lines, and waiting… and no one wants that.
But this place is too good not to write about. I haven’t been to the museum itself, but I often come here for the Sunday brunch with my husband. It’s buffet style and full of really delicious southern cuisine. Don’t come here intending to eat healthy, that’s not very cowboy of you!
My favorites are the breakfast burritos and breakfast enchiladas. OMGSOGOOD. They have a great dessert bar area too, and the waitstaff is always friendly and very attentive. Only downside is they don’t serve mimosas, so you’ll have to get your Sunday drink on at home.

I was a bit apprehensive because of the title; however, there was a great deal of Native American art and history. There is a recreated old west town that is elaborate and interesting. I did enjoy the rodeo exhibit and cowboy history. This is a great place to visit!

Disappointing. Great art displays but lacking a lot with historical information. I’ve been to Many smaller western heritage museums across the United States this one is the largest by building size but it was small when it comes to exhibits. The cowboys
In film section was poorly organized and the us Calvary section had a lot on display but not much on history and uses of the items. We came to Oklahoma City just for this and was disappointed.

Wanted a museum to visit while in Oklahoma City and decided on this one. My BF is in the military and I loved that admission is free right now for military members. The museum is apart of the blue star program.
This museum is huge. There are plenty of galleries from a native american gallery to a rodeo gallery. I was slightly disappointed that there weren’t more historical artifacts. My favorite part of the museum was the replica cattle town called ‘Prosperity Junction.’ You can go into some of the shops in town, the bank, the church, and even lock yourself up in the jail.
Don’t forget to visit the beautiful garden in the back of the museum and see the koi fish.

At least for now, I’m the Duchess of the Cowboy & Western Heritage, so I feel qualified to write this five star review for the Museum as a special events venue. I’ve been to two events here in as many nights.
On Wednesday night, we attended the Slice Magazine Awards here. This was a fairly small event in terms of numbers of guests, so there was lots of room to spread out, move around, and see the space. Absolutely beautiful.
Last night, we attended Chef’s Feast, the annual fundraiser for the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. The room was packed from wall to wall with tables, and ringed by 30 different Oklahoma restaurants and chef presenting their menu for the evening. There were probably a thousand people in the room and it didn’t feel too packed.
The Wilson Hurley triptychs that make up the five corners of this amazing room mean that no decorations are needed. It was really special to be there two nights in a row for such different types of events and be so thoroughly impressed.
Add spacious and sparkling restrooms, helpful and polite docents in western attire, acres of beautiful marble, Frederic Remington’s haunting End of the Trail sculpture, and so much more.
I can’t say enough good things about this beautiful treasure.