Explore the lively heart of Oklahoma City in this buzzing district, where many businesses, hotels, restaurants and museums are concentrated.

Downtown Oklahoma City is the commercial and cultural heart of the state capital. Wander around this part of town to encounter museums, shops, leafy parks, entertainment venues and restaurants and bars.

The downtown area of Oklahoma City was subject to regeneration efforts in the latter half of the 20th century and early 21st century. The results are very visible today. Stroll around the former warehouse district of Bricktown to see the 1999-built Bricktown Canal and the 1998-built Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, home of the Oklahoma City Dodgers baseball team. In addition, the area also features a large entertainment complex known as Brickopolis and lots of waterside restaurants and bars. Come to this area in the evening to experience it at its liveliest.

Visit the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum to pay your respects to those who lost their lives in the infamous Oklahoma City bombing. Venture inside the museum to learn about the tragic events that unfolded on April 19, 1995 before reflecting on this tragedy at the Outdoor Symbolic Memorial.

Culture-seeking travellers should make their way to the downtown Arts District. This quarter has some of the city’s key cultural attractions, including the Oklahoma City Civic Centre Music Hall and the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. Browse the exhibitions at the latter to examine works including glass sculptures by the renowned American artist Dale Chihuly. Elsewhere in downtown’s Bricktown neighbourhood sits the American Banjo Museum, which chronicles the history of the stringed instrument.

When you need a break from urban surroundings, visit downtown’s Myriad Botanical Gardens. Enjoy the peaceful atmosphere that pervades inside this 15-acre (6-hectare) space, which encompasses a conservatory with tropical and desert plants, a dog run, a playground, grassy lawns, jogging paths and planted outdoor gardens.

To get to Downtown from Will Rogers World Airport, take a cab. City buses serve the downtown area although most of it can be traversed easily enough on foot.