Small Oklahoma City suburb on Route 66, shaped by Nazarene roots and college-town calm.
Bethany is a small city of about 20,000 people on the western edge of Oklahoma City, straddling a stretch of Historic Route 66. Founded in 1909 as a community centered on the Church of the Nazarene, the town still has a conservative, close-knit character and is home to Southern Nazarene University.
For Route 66 travelers, Bethany is part of the long ribbon of towns along the Mother Road through central Oklahoma. The 39th Expressway corridor through town follows the historic alignment and has a few old-school businesses that recall the road's heyday, plus the photogenic 1933 truss bridge across Lake Overholser. The town's most famous resident is astronaut Shannon Lucid, who held the record for the longest spaceflight by an American and the longest by any woman when she returned from Mir in 1996; you can pay your respects to Oklahoma aviators at the Oklahoma Museum of Flying at Wiley Post Airport.
Bethany is primarily a residential suburb and not a destination in its own right, but it makes a convenient and affordable base for visiting Oklahoma City, whose attractions -- the Oklahoma City National Memorial, the Paseo Arts District, Bricktown -- are all within a short drive.
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Day Trips
Bethany's best day-trip is the obvious one: Oklahoma City is fifteen minutes' drive east. The Oklahoma City National Memorial, the Bricktown entertainment district, the Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, and the Paseo Arts District are all accessible in under half an hour.
For Route 66 enthusiasts, an excellent day's drive follows the Mother Road west from Bethany to El Reno (40 minutes), Hydro (where the original Lucille's gas station survives) and Clinton (with the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum), about 90 minutes from town. Eastward, the route runs through Edmond and on to Arcadia's famous Round Barn.
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Eating Out
Bethany's restaurant scene reflects its size and its conservative roots — solid, inexpensive American comfort food rather than fine dining. Hudson's Public House on 39th Expressway is the closest thing to a sit-down restaurant of note: burgers, wings and craft beer in a casual setting. Pancho Anaya Mexican Bakery, also on the strip, has been turning out conchas, empanadas and tres leches cake for over twenty years and is locally famous.
For Route 66 atmosphere, the Sid's Diner alignment in nearby El Reno (a 20-minute drive west) is worth the detour for its onion-fried burgers. Cheever's Cafe in Oklahoma City (15 minutes east) is the obvious upgrade choice for anything special. Bethany has no full bars due to its dry-by-tradition history, though craft beer is now sold in restaurants and shops.
