Idabel

Idabel is in the Choctaw Country of Oklahoma, the county seat of McCurtain County and located in the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains.

• 🌍 Museum of the Red River, 812 E Lincoln Rd, ☏ +1 580 286-3616. Tu-Sa 10AM-5PM, Su 10AM-3PM. A nice museum with ethnographical and paleontological displays, such as headdresses and dino models that include Acrocanthosaurus atokensis, the state dinosaur of Oklahoma. Free. (updated Dec 2021)

Theropod courtship

• 🌍 Choctaw Casino Idabel, 1425 SE Washington St (in Choctaw Village), ☏ +1 800 634-2582. Don't let its strip mall location dissuade you, you can still have some fun with the slot machines or improv entertainment, or the bowling alley and arcade. (updated Dec 2021)
• 🌍 Little River National Wildlife Refuge (Gate may be locked, may want to call headquarters (in Broken Bow) ahead to verify), ☏ +1 580 584-6211. This is a real study in bottomland hardwoods habitat. The map pin indicates the approximate location of the Duck Roost Slough Observation Deck, which is the highlight of the refuge, but there are also six primitive walking trails. Watch out during hunting season (in fact, inadvisable to go at that time probably). (updated Dec 2021)

In actuality, you'll find more choices up by the Broken Bow Lake tourist area to the north.

• 🌍 Comfort Suites Idabel, 400 SE Lincoln Rd, ☏ +1 580 286-9393. Outdoor pool and hot tub. (updated Dec 2021)