Top 5 Things for Sale at the Choctaw Welcome Center

Previously:

Top 5 Things For Sale at the Sam Noble Museum Gift Shop

Top 5 Things for Sale at Cherokee Trading Post

Top 5 Things for Sale at Cloverleaf

Crossing state lines is typically celebrated by a quick stop at the "Welcome Center."  These can range from surprisingly elaborate to disappointingly drab.  Typically, the beckoning of free coffee and pamphlets are more than enough to press pause on the road trip but occasionally a place will go above and beyond...like the Choctaw Welcome Center in Colbert, OK.  So lets take a look inside to see what souvenirs we can take with us along the ride.

5.  Fry Bread Recipe Magnet

The traditional Native American treat is great to make tacos with or to pour some honey on.  And this magnetized beauty will guarantee that you always have the recipe on hand.  It's definitely a uniquely Oklahoman keepsake.

4.  Sports Related Feathers

What stands out here is the selection between OU Sooners and Dallas Cowboys.  The Welcome Center is right on the Texas border so it makes sense to include America's team but the exclusion of the OSU Cowboys?  Maybe they're sold out?  Regardless, these add a great Oklahoma flair to any sports fan's decor.

3.  Achukma Pecan Oil

Seen any good Fry Bread recipes lately?  If so, you'll probably need some oil.  These guys are made by a company called "Native American Specialty Products", which I'm REALLY hoping is not some subsidiary of a huge corporation owned by white dudes but rather a mom & pop operation staffed by a hard working native family.  Either way, I'm not going to try to find out.  I can't handle another let down.

2.  Vienna Sausage & Cracker Snack

I don't know why this appeals to me so much but I love it.  I spend a lot of time on the road and a lot of time eating road food from various gas stations, so when someone puts even the smallest effort into offering a different kind of snack I really appreciate the effort.  This comes with a side of small town Oklahoma charm.

1.  Bigfoot Charm

I've said it before and prepare to hear it again, but Oklahoma does NOT take enough advantage of the Bigfoot sightings that happen throughout the state.  So of all the handmade "charms" available, this is the one that caught my eye.  And, yes, I choose to believe that it's made from authentic, genuine Sasquatch hair.  Prove me wrong!  (Please don't)

The Sinclair Dinosaurs of Oklahoma

Years ago, in Route 66's prime, the roads were packed with vacationers, salesmen and entrepreneurs who drove up and down the back roads and highways chasing the American experience.  Gas stations and motels were in fierce competition to get the attention and patronage of these weary travelers so many of them got creative.

Sinclair Oil had a dinosaur theme in their advertising and so it was only natural to have some dinosaurs at their stations welcoming the empty tanks of road weary wanderers.  The bright green statues are few and far between these days but lucky travelers can still find a few at select Sinclair stations.  And the great state of Oklahoma has several you can spot on your next road trip like this one in Tahlequah:

This is a pretty standard example but seek and ye shall find some more colorful examples.  One of the best places to stop on an Oklahoma road trip is Arbuckle Mountain Fried Pies in Davis along I-35.  You can pick up lunch, dessert and a selfie with a red version of the dinosaur that stands watch on their roof:

Further north up the interstate you can find an even more colorful guy in a very colorful place.  The Toy & Action Figure Museum in Pauls Valley has pretty much every super hero, cartoon character and scifi monster you can think of.  And among the heroes and villains you can find this guy:

Even farther north is an example of another dino with a dramatic story.  You wouldn't know it to look at him now but a few years back, this dinosaur in Norman lost his head:

As you can see, he's made a full recovery but for a while he was completely headless.  How did this happen?  How did it get resolved?  News 9 reports:

Now, of course, you can find these guys outside of the Sooner State.  You just have to keep your eyes open on the road (which you should be doing anyway).  But if you're lucky, you can see the balloon version from the comfort of your own home.  After a long absence, the Sinclair Dinosaur Balloon returned to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade last year:

So if you want to find a couple of these guys then consider your next road trip to be a dinosaur hunting expedition.  You never know what you'll see on the back roads.