The Chickasaw National Recreation Area is built around water — mineral and freshwater springs, two reservoirs and the small but pretty Travertine Creek that ties them together. Most visitors come for low-key family activities: swimming and tubing in the creek, fishing on the Lake of the Arbuckles, hiking the short trails around the springs, and camping. The pace is unhurried; this is not a destination park like Yellowstone but a regional retreat that has been quietly popular since the 1900s.
If you have a half day, the priority is the eastern Platt District: walk the loop from the Travertine Nature Center past the bromide and sulphur springs, stop at Little Niagara for a swim, and continue to the historic stone pavilions of the original Sulphur Springs reservation. With more time, drive west to the Lake of the Arbuckles for fishing, a boat ride, or a picnic on the bluffs above the water.