Nestled in Grady County, just 40 minutes southwest of Oklahoma City, Chickasha is a lively town of 16,000 that weaves together Native American heritage, quirky attractions and a festive spirit.
Pat Cunningham, a lifelong resident of Chickasha and curator of the Grady County Museum, has greeted visitors from all 50 U.S. states — along with 18 countries.
“When you check out Chickasha, the Grady County Museum is a great place to start. Be sure to walk around and take in the sights,” she says.
The winter season, she shares, is the perfect time to stop by.
“Every year from Thanksgiving to New Year’s, don’t miss the spectacle at Shannon Springs Park with the 3.5 million bulbs that form the Festival of Light,” she says.
This 22-acre holiday extravaganza, ranked among America’s top 10 light displays, dazzles with drive-through routes and themed stops.
Chickasha’s central location makes it a hub for the surrounding region, connecting nearby cities like Norman and Oklahoma City. History enthusiasts will find treasures at the museum, and at the Verden Separate School. The museum recently acquired a trove of artifacts from a local church founded in the 1890s and is seeking volunteers to help catalog these historical gems.
The town’s unique flair shines through its bevy of attractions. A 50-foot leg lamp, straight out of A Christmas Story, stands proudly in the Arts Plaza, pulling in fans from afar. Twice a year, Chickasha hosts the world’s largest auto swap meets, where thousands of vendors showcase vintage car parts and classics. Downtown streets burst with color thanks to six vibrant murals, transforming sidewalks into an artistic canvas.
Chickasha’s past is as rich as its present. The Chisholm Trail, a famed 19th-century cattle route, carved its path through town, leaving a Wild West legacy in the historic downtown, now on the National Register of Historic Places. From 1910 to 1927, the Chickasha Street Railway’s electric trolleys gave this prairie town a modern edge.
During World War II, the Wilson and Bonfils Flying School trained over 8,000 cadets, and its site now serves as the municipal airport with a 5,100-foot runway.
Once called the “Cotton Capital” after the 1899 Chickasha Cotton Oil Company, the town also sits on a vast natural gas field, powering industries like horse trailer manufacturing.
USAO, established in 1908 as a women’s college, is the nation’s only state-supported public liberal arts university, blending STEM and arts on a campus with a history of four name changes. In 2024, Chickasha’s landscapes stole the spotlight in the blockbuster Twisters, cementing its place in cinematic history.
With its murals, history and holiday magic, Chickasha is a small town with big surprises. Come for the giant leg lamp, linger for the swap meets, and let this Oklahoma treasure captivate you.
