chickasaw cultural center

Only 1.5hrs drive from OKC. It may not meet your expectations as other tribal cultural centres, this one is pretty basic and kinda modern

This has to be one of the best exhibits of an Indian Nation that I have seen. My wife and I have traveled all over the US, Alaska, and Hawaii ( yes we are aware the last two places are part of the US) but they have their own unique native populations and may be overlooked. This is the best exhibit of a native culture we have seen. The only one that comes close is the Crazy Horse Center. The history of the Chickasaw Nation is presented in a Trail like exhibit that includes some dioramas, exhibits, and artifacts. This a large area to see so allow a little time to get through the exhibits. There are indoor and outdoor areas. If you are interested at all in native cultures this is must visit location. We will be going back.

This center has something for everyone. Do plan your visit on line, to take advantage of the many special, once a week activities. There are several exhibits, films and activities that are available every day. But the next time I drive up from the Dallas area, I hope to see a stick ball match. The fee is very reasonable, $8 for all exhibits, senior rate.The cafe has a varied menu, w/ lots of delicious items. That said, I would avoid the bison meat taco. Apparently, bison is bland, tasteless. Chicken or beef would have been a better selection.Do go to the cafe early, ~ 11:00. The line became long closer to noon.The whole complex is so well done. I wish there had been a published story on just the architecture. Only some of the finest materials were used, in a very meticulous design. I have never seen so much copper, exposed clear heart fir wood framing, quarried Arkansas limestone block structures. Their budget was unbelievable. They have a library devoted primarily to genealogy. If you want to research one of the Five Civilized Tribes, this is the place. There are also exhibits in the library. Military war heroes from the ranks of the native American tribes are on display. The warrior tradition is carriedon in the service to our country. They are to be commended.I can't say enough about this indoor / outdoor cultural complex. Just go. All the buildings are climate controlled and very comfortable, and accessible. They will even provide a golf cart and driver for those less able. Do leave any firearms or other weapons at home. None allowed.Happy trails.

The Chickasaw Cultural Center is a sprawling complex located south of Sulphur, OK. The center consists of numerous buildings including a theater, Aaimpa Cafe, research library, art gallery, exhibit center, gift shop, Chickasaw village, outdoor amphitheater and sky walk. We arrived just before 11am, perfect timing to view the stomp dance in the theater. One of the dancers, Jesse, was kind enough to give us directions and give us a little history of the Chickasaw's. There is a lot of walking involved around the complex, but the employees are available with golf carts to chauffeur those who are physically challenged.There is a lot of information and artifacts about the Chickasaws in the exhibits, but the temporary "canoe" display was rather lacking in my opinion. Nothing was going on in the village since we visited midweek and it was chilly, so we just viewed from the overlook.There are some beautiful Native American statues outdoors around the complex and the art gallery and gift shop were nice and well stocked.Be sure and grab a bite at the Aaimpa Cafe. They have a special for $6 that includes an Indian taco, pishofa (hominy dish), grape dumplings and a drink...very good.Very well done Chickasaw's and worth a visit.

I've lived in Oklahoma for 30 years & have never taken the time to study Indian history. The Chickasaws have done a very good job. We got to witness & participate in a Stomp Dance!

I spent a whole day at the research library going through 4 large binders & a dissertation, trying to discover more about my 4th great grandfather, George Colbert. I only found 2 total pages out of the 4 large binders that had any reference to factual documents, otherwise, the rest were just handwritten, or typed letters from people from around the country stating their ancestral line and who descended from who. Most were actually wrong, as I have been a researcher for 15 years. The dissertation was actually full of inaccuracies also. The workers in the research library are lazy & rude & I was obviously inconveniencing them when I asked for 50 copies of some documents. The gift shop is staffed by old, rude ladies. I was going to buy a book & some chocolate, but after being treated like an outsider, I didn't buy anything. This place may want to realize who they treated rudely that day, Chief George Colbert's 4th great grandson. Don't waste your time visiting this dismal place, along with the more dismal town of Sulfur.

What a neat museum--inside and outside. Lots of artifacts and information about the Chickasaw tribe. Outside is a replica of an 1800s Chickasaw village. Be sure to eat at the Aaimpa, a small restaurant which serves some traditional Chickasaw food. It was excellent. I had the daily special which was an Indian taco, pishofa (cracked hominy and pork) and grape dumplings. All this and a drink for $6. What a delicious bargain. Here's a tip: Arrive when the museum opens to see Chickasaw men and women in traditional dress do a variety of traditional dances. This is the only time during the day to see a live performance.

The whole center was not only beautiful, but very educational. We watched and then were invited to participate in the Stomp Dance. The outdoor village was very interesting to explore. Signs, recordings, and friendly staff throughout the center made it a great learning experience. We also enjoyed bison tacos on homemade fry bread with corn cribs at the cafe.

I thought it was a nice place if you are in the area but it wasn't worth making a special trip. The exhibit center was interesting and they had a very good special exhibit on the dugout canoes. The theater was closed the day I was there and they didn't have a lot of presentations scheduled, which probably would have enhanced our visit. We did eat in the cafe, which I highly recommend. The food was good and reasonably priced.

Different tribes were presenting and performing the day we visited. We loved the hollowed out canoe exhibit.

This $40million facility is a beautiful and educational center for the Chickasaw Tribe. Very well done and worth the visit. It helps one understand the area and why the Chickasaw's have a presence there.

This center is not only clean and friendly but well laid out and educational. We spent time in the geneology center as we had things to look up. Everyone we ran into was extremely helpful! !

New dug out canoe exhibit is incredible. I'm always impressed by the cultural education I get every time I come to this place. Last time was in 2010 when it first opened. There is much more to it now.

a lot of walking kind of hard on older folks. The center itself is well thought out offers a great history o f the local tribes. Offers film, exhibits history. The center offers a food court where you can relax and enjoy the beautiful view, historical typical village, tower for viewing the entire space. They offer golf cart ride to assist in getting around.

We really enjoyed walking around the beautiful grounds and the exhibits were very well done. We were fascinated and learned a lot about the Chickasaw history and culture. We arrived late in the afternoon and missed some of the demonstrations, but we'll definitely plan on visiting again.