national stockyard exchange

RICHARD1SINGLETON

loved visiting the area and thinking back to the way things were when Oklahoma was the western frontier.

AlphaRam

My wife and I strolled around after a great steak dinner at Cattleman's Steakhouse. Mostly western wear and boot shops, but the 4 W Western Shop was interesting, as well as the Native-American art of White Antelope. Do you know what you smell when a cattle truck drives by? That is the smell of money in these parts.

Z1435QApeterr

The main attraction of this are is the western ware and saddle stores. Cowboy boots to fit all budgets from the cheap imported brands to the beautiful hand made in the US and every thing inbetween, you can even (without having to break the bank have them personal fitted at "Doc's" by Doc himself. The saddle stores still make and repair the on site giving a wonderful smell and atmosphere with the staff all very happy to give you the full history of there store.A visit to the cattleman stack house ( oldest restaurant in oklahoma) for lunch is a must, good service steak and pie.The area is not as large as you would think only two streets 10-15 stores tops and only the one restaurant.

debralynnet

We walked on a catwalk above hundreds of cattle that were to be auctioned that day. It was a profound visual experience, as well as a loud one with cattle mooing and snarling. It was filled with smells that my nose will never forget. It is important to go there on Monday morning because that is the auction day. We sat in on the auction mesmerized by not only the auctioneer, but the cattle on parade as well as the bidding process of the buyers. It was a hoot.

Blueturtle1

Park and walk around to the many shop. Eat at Cattlemen's or walk south and on the east side is a mexican restaurant. Great place to buy your cowboy attire. Also, a Native American shop on south of Langston's.

911JulieW911

This is free and there are no signs that really tell you where to go. But the stockyards are a fun experience. Walk on the catwalk and see all the livestock for sale. Sit in on an auction. My elderly in-laws really liked this. Lots of Western shops nearby.

07nan

We had lunch at Cattlemens and then wandered over to the pens where the livestock were. We walked over the catwalks above the cows. While we were standing there a woman walked by and told us cows were being sold over in that building so we made our way over and went in. Very interesting to watch the auction/sales taking place, we'd never seen anything like that before. We didn't spend much time walking around the stores because it was very hot out.

Dorsetbruce

Best time to visit is when the auctions are on, I think it is very early Monday and Tuesday mornings. It was all very quiet when I visited. There is not a lot to do but still worth a visit. I walked there from Bricktown and it took about 35 minutes. Interesting statue at the crossroads.

Alliemommy5

StockYard City is such an important piece of Oklahoma. It feels like a step back in time when you enter! Definitely a must visit!

Yorkie1948

Limited number of things to do here, but good Western Stores for shopping and The Cattlemans Cafe is the place to mingle with the Cattle Barons of Oklahoma, and it is worth taking a look at the Stockyards particularly if you are around on Monday or Tuesday when the Auctions are on. Nice monument where you turn of Main Street to the State Stockyards.

MelissaT31

Since my husband does raise beef cattle for a living we stopped here for some fun for him. It was really neat! We checked out where the sale was held (sale day is Monday, and, I think, Tuesday) on Sunday night and where the Cattleman's Restaurant was located. Monday after visiting the Oklahoma City Memorial we ate at the Restaurant. It was delicious and reasonably priced. Our girls liked it too (ages 9, 12, 13). Then we headed over to the sale. You need to park and then walk across what I would call a cat walk. You walk above ALL the pens of cattle and can watch the workers herd them into the sale barn. We spent over an hour watching the sale. It was more enjoyable to people watch for me. Only my 9 year old hated it! Smelly, of course, and I am sure boring for her. I think it was one of the best parts of our 2 day stop in OKC. We didn't stop at any of the shops in the area since we weren't really planning on shopping.

jdreynoldsjr

People talked about Stockyards, why? My wife and I drove past and kept going for about 15 minutes then we did a U-Turn. Here is my honest humble opinion, don't go unless you have a very high interest in seeing a tourist trap and a very small piece of OKC history. We are talking about three blocks of shops and restaurants, a few statues and of course the huge area where cattle are being sold, loaded and unloaded off trucks. if you are in livestock trading or want to see the "famous" Cattlemen steakhouse then go but why? The shops closed at 5PM on Sunday so I don't know quality or pricing of the shops.

steved938

The Stockyard Exchange Building is on Exchange, west of Agnew past the National Stockyards sign, several blocks. That is what this term Stockyard Exchange refers to and not to the commercial shopping district, normally just referred to as the Stockyards. The Exchange has offices relating to cattle trading and dates back to the 1980's. It replaces an earlier structure which burned to the ground in the '70s. There is a nice little restaurant there that offers good inexpensive meals. A popular place for stockmen, local workers, and visitors alike who find the Exchange Building. Cattlemen's restaurant, is a so so place as Oklahoma City steakhouses go. If you do feel the need to go there, ask to sit at the counter, you'll get faster service, and less of a wait, unless, that is, you enjoy a line out the door. The Chicken Fried Steak is good, get the salad and the house dressing. We go there a few times a year. Just to treat the kids for breakfast or a special dinner. When I worked in the stockyards years ago, it was pretty common to go in there covered in manure from working cattle all day.

EmmaOKC

If you are passing through the state and you have a chance to drop in on the area please do. Great places to eat and nice shopping. Check it out.

torbok

Good history lesson about early Oklahoma. Lived in state many, many years and had never visited before. Went with friends from Ohio.