Why It Matters
Two towns anchor the county. Davis is home to Turner Falls Park, the oldest park in Oklahoma and its tallest waterfall, a 77-foot cascade dropping into a natural swimming pool, with caves, trails, and the ruins of a 1930s stone castle tucked in the hills above it. Sulphur holds the Chickasaw National Recreation Area, one of the oldest federal parklands in the country, protected since 1902 for its cold mineral and freshwater springs long before most national parks existed.
This is the heart of Chickasaw Country, and the Nation's presence is everywhere: the excellent Chickasaw Cultural Center, the welcome center on I-35, and the Bedre chocolate factory the tribe owns and runs. It is one of the most rewarding stretches of interstate anywhere in the state.
The RV Adventurer's Take
The Chickasaw National Recreation Area is the RV anchor, with six campgrounds, more than thirty miles of trails, and Lake of the Arbuckles for boating and fishing, all reservable online. Cool off at Little Niagara, hike or drive up Bromide Hill for the sunset over Sulphur, and use the Travertine Nature Center as your visitor center.
Turner Falls Park has its own cabins and campsites and charges admission by the person, roughly nine to sixteen dollars. It is a zoo on summer weekends, so go early or hit it in the shoulder seasons when the crowds thin and the water is still warm enough to swim.
Field Note
Downtown Sulphur is still rebuilding from the April 2024 tornado, so check that a specific shop or restaurant is open before you count on it. Bedre's factory floor runs on weekdays and closes for production on weekends, though the shop and free samples stay open. And the Arbuckle Mountain fried pies on I-35 are worth the stop on the way in or out.
History to See
The Chickasaw Cultural Center outside Sulphur is a 184-acre campus with a living traditional village, demonstrations, films, and gardens, and it is one of the finest tribal cultural centers in the country. Pair it with a stop at the Chickasaw Nation Welcome Center and Bedre Fine Chocolate at Exit 55 in Davis, where you can watch chocolate being made through the factory windows on weekdays.