A weekend each April when Waynoka turns into one of the most peculiar small-town festivals in the United States. Guided hunts head out into the gypsum hills to collect western diamondback rattlesnakes; back in town there are snake-handling demonstrations, a carnival on the main street, a parade, food vendors, and the inevitable rattlesnake meat to taste.
The hunt is run with conservation officers — only adult males above a certain length can be kept, and quotas are enforced. Whether you find the spectacle thrilling or deeply uncomfortable, it is genuinely the kind of event that only happens in places like Woods County. The town fills up well beyond its 900-person population, so book a room early or camp at Little Sahara.