A tourist in your own town
By : J. David Chapman/March 13, 2025
I just returned from Will Rogers International Airport after dropping off three colleagues—one from Norway, one from England, and one from Northern Ireland. I host international visitors five or six times a year, typically for a 10-day stay. This time, they were in town for a visit to the Joint Center for Security and Counterterrorism, housed at the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO), where I serve as co-director alongside Dr. David McIlhatton from Coventry University in the UK.
Few things bring me more joy than showcasing our city and sharing its unique story—one that, for me, always ties back to the built environment.
Every tour begins in downtown Edmond, where I live, work, and play. From there, we visit UCO and the university’s iconic Old North building. Fortunately, the Thunder were in town during their visit, so after a quick tour of Edmond, we headed to Oklahoma City for an early dinner at my favorite restaurant—Deep Deuce Grill—before catching the Friday night game.
Saturday’s itinerary kicked off at Lake Hefner, one of the nation’s premier sailing lakes and an excellent example of a city water reservoir transformed into a vibrant entertainment and recreation venue. We continued to Riversport Adventures and the Boathouse District on the Oklahoma River, home to the country’s only lit flat-water rowing course and one of the nation’s largest whitewater rafting facilities.
Our tour through Midtown showcased the area’s ongoing renaissance. We explored Deep Deuce, with its deep-rooted African American history, and Automobile Alley, where the city’s automotive past still influences its present. We also paid homage to Oklahoma’s motion-picture industry and the recent revival of Film Row. Before leaving downtown, our international friends learned about the founding of Oklahoma at the Centennial Land Run Monument and took a brief walk along the Bricktown Canal.
Driving through the Downtown Business District allowed me to share the remarkable story of MAPS, the impact of the Devon Tower TIF, which funded new streets, infrastructure, and parks, and the resilience of Oklahoma City in the aftermath of the Murrah Building bombing. They especially enjoyed visiting the OKANA Resort and the First Americans Museum, which beautifully tell the story of our state’s Native American heritage.
Telling our OKIE story never gets old—it makes me proud, and I hope I never take my home for granted!
J. David Chapman, Ph.D., is an associate professor of finance & real estate at The University of Central Oklahoma (jhapman7@uco.edu).