Shawnee, America!

Each year Shawnee celebrates all the great seasons of Oklahoma. In the summer you can enjoy Independence Day celebrations and fireworks shows, Juneteenth celebrations and a cornhole tournament and of course the International Finals Youth Rodeo. Then as the summer rolls into fall the Fireflight Balloon Festival and Outdoor Nations Expo, live entertainment at Theo’s backyard, the Ritz Theatre and Shawnee Little Theatre are enjoyed by everyone. If you want tons of indoor fun in the heat of the summer you can take the kids to Laynie’s Treehouse, Star Skate or Yo Selfie Factory or join your friends at one of the movie theatres or bowling alleys — there is no end to the fun.

When the local schools are back in session Oklahoma Baptist University, Gordon Cooper Technology Center, North Rock Creek and Shawnee Public Schools offer a wide range of career opportunities, learning environments and sports galore! If you are a life-long learner, worry not, Shawnee has great storytellers, museums and monuments. From the modern painted horses tour around the city to the Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art to the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Heritage Center, you can learn so much about Shawnee’s pre-statehood history and rich, multi-cultural heritage.

As the outdoors turn cooler, you can take the family to Sunshine Shelly’s Pumpkin Patch & Nightmare Harvest or any of our great dining establishments. Then comes Christmas! Kick off the Christmas season with the Wystle window reveal, just like the New York City windows, and follow it up with great retail shopping at the local boutiques and one of the best malls in the Midwest. And don’t forget Oklahoma’s largest night-time Christmas parade on historic Main Street the first Thursday in December, complete with Santa on his sleigh.

Wintertime shopping can satisfy the antique and vintage shopper, the Made-in-Oklahoma shopper and the big shop brand name shopper. We have it all here!

Shawnee is a beautiful city in the spring as our parks begin to bloom, the cyclists are seen on the roads, and the Twin Lakes glisten of the morning sunshine. If your family enjoys being outdoors, this is the season for you. Walk the airport trail, place your kayak in the lake or play pickleball with your friends downtown. And don’t forget to grab a delicious beverage at any of our local restaurants or nutrition centers like the Healthy Hive, the Surf Bar or Coffee N Crafts!

Why leave town when Shawnee can offer you and your family entertainment, food and fun every season of the year?

Rachael Melot, Shawnee Forward

There are lots of reasons to plan a trip to Shawnee.

From the many unique sites and shops to special events and festivals, another amenity can be counted among Shawnee’s offerings – its residents.

Shawnee Mayor Ed Bolt said he believes one of the city’s best attributes is the people who live here.

He said Shawnee makes an impression on people.

“Lots of people are interested in coming here,” he said.

For example, Bolt said when Shawnee got scooter service in Shawnee multiple companies reached out for the opportunity to operate here — not just one.

Bolt said he also knows of several instances where Shawnee natives have gone off to make it big somewhere else, and after succeeding they chose to come back and settle down here because of the great memories they have of home.

“Shawnee is a friendly town,” he said. “I hear lots of good comments from residents and visitors alike; there’s a real positive vibe here.”

Visit Shawnee Inc. (VSI) has a Welcome Center located in the strip mall just north of MacArthur, at 2820 N. Kickapoo where both tourists and residents can go to learn more about the area and its offerings.

“Home to four Native American tribes with a rich pre-statehood history, our city of just over 30,000 boasts of world-class museums, a bustling historic downtown district, recreational lakes, and more,” the VSI website reads.

“We like to say everything you could want is right here: an amazing local theater company, live entertainment at many venues – from acoustic to arena rock – and nightlife from mild to wild, and so much more,” Tourism Director Stacey Cramer-Moore states in Shawnee’s official Visitor’s Guide.

For more information, visit visitshawnee.com, email info@visitshawnee.com or call (405) 2759780.