Where to Eat, Stay, and Play in Burgeoning Chickasaw Nation, Oklahoma
From a local-run hotel and casino to fine chocolates and a sustainable craft-textile company, south-central Oklahoma’s Chickasaw Nation is home to diverse array of local businesses—many of which are owned and operated by Indigenous locals. Also known as Chickasaw Country, this 7,648-square-mile swath of south-central Oklahoma is home to Indigenous citizens forced there from their ancestral lands in the southeastern United States in 1830, who are now a major force for tourism. Take for example Mahota Textiles: Supported by the Chickasaw Nation, it makes specialty Native American-style blankets and other heritage-linked home goods, and is the first tribally owned textile company in the United States.
“To be able to create something and develop it and watch it grow into this special business that it is, it’s sort of like me giving back to my tribe … It’s sort of full circle,” said Bethany McCord, a Chickasaw Nation citizen and business and development manager for Mahota in Sulphur, Oklahoma. Today, the Chickasaw Nation’s Indigenous citizens are represented in business, sports, science, and other industries in this swath of Oklahoma and beyond.
Chickasaw Country covers 13 counties, which includes more than 120,000 miles of shoreline, over 200 local eateries, and more than 40 museums. Full of First Americans and Western culture, and dotted with the quaint Main Streets of small communities throughout, this area of Oklahoma also includes the scenic paradises (lakes, waterfalls, and hiking trails) of the Arbuckle Mountains. The region has also attracted outside attention in recent years: Country crooner (and Oklahoman) Blake Shelton chose it for the original location of his bar and music venue Ole Red, which has expanded to Nashville and Las Vegas since opening in 2017.
The 62nd annual meeting of Chickasaw Nation citizens, which features a festival and State of the Chickasaw Nation Address, was held Sept. 23 through Oct. 1 in locations throughout the Nation. This was the first time in years the event was held in person, due to the pandemic. “It’s the biggest event where everyone is coming together in a lot of like mindedness,” said Chickasaw Nation citizen Ezekiel Walker, who owns Mulberry, a wine bar and new hotel in Tishomingo (which sits across the street from Ole Red). “It’s a lot of culture and people who you haven’t seen in a long time. It means a lot for the elders to come. It’s a proud moment.”
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Things to do in Chickasaw Country
The Chickasaw Cultural Center offers visitors a peek into the past as well as present day living through exhibits and demonstrations. A short video shares the history of the Chickasaw Nation, including the history, removal and cultural beliefs. The Holisso (book) Special Collections Room is a 20,000-square-foot specialty library focusing on the study of the Chickasaw Nation and other tribes in the Southeastern United States. The Collections Room currently features a display about famous Chickasaw Nation women, including Vinnie May Humes, who created a Chickasaw dictionary, and Triana Browne-Hearell, former Miss Oklahoma and Miss Oklahoma USA. Make sure to catch the stomp dance demonstration, a traditional dance illustrating the spiritual and musical connections. The demonstration takes place twice per day Tuesday through Saturdays.
