Oklahoma City National Memorial

State: Oklahoma. Type: national memorial and museum in downtown Oklahoma City, on the former site of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. Authorized by President Bill Clinton on October 9, 1997; outdoor memorial dedicated April 19, 2000 (fifth anniversary of the bombing); museum opened February 19, 2001. Address: 620 N Harvey Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73102. The outdoor Symbolic Memorial is free and open 24/7; the museum charges admission.

The Oklahoma City National Memorial marks the site of the April 19, 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, which killed 168 people. The 3.3-acre outdoor memorial and adjoining indoor museum together preserve the story of the attack, the rescue and recovery effort, and its long aftermath. The outdoor grounds include the Field of Empty Chairs (168 glass, bronze, and stone chairs, with smaller chairs for the 19 children killed), the Gates of Time marking 9:01 and 9:03, a reflecting pool, the Survivor Tree (an American elm that endured the blast), and the Survivors' Wall built from salvaged Murrah Building masonry inscribed with over 600 survivor names. The museum, housed separately, uses galleries, theaters and touchscreen exhibits to walk visitors through the day of the bombing, the response, and the memorial's creation. The site draws roughly 350,000 visitors a year and has logged over 4.4 million visits to the outdoor memorial and 1.6 million to the museum since opening.

The memorial sits in downtown Oklahoma City at 620 N Harvey Ave, OK 73102, on the footprint of the former Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. It is within easy walking distance of other downtown OKC attractions and is centrally located in the city's core.

Oklahoma City has a humid continental/subtropical transition climate with hot summers (July's normal mean temperature is about 83°F, with roughly 70 days a year reaching 90°F and about 10 days reaching 100°F) and cooler winters. The region sits in Tornado Alley, with an active severe-weather season from March through June, peaking in April and May, when clashing warm Gulf air and cooler northern air regularly spawn severe thunderstorms, hail and tornadoes.

Spring and fall generally offer the mildest, most comfortable weather for walking the outdoor memorial grounds, though spring (March-June) also carries the state's highest severe-thunderstorm and tornado risk, so travelers should watch forecasts. Because the museum's galleries are indoor and climate-controlled, a visit works year-round; April 19 draws the largest crowds as the anniversary of the bombing.

On April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh detonated a truck bomb outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, killing 168 people, including many children in the building's day care center, in what remains one of the deadliest acts of domestic terrorism in U.S. history. President Bill Clinton authorized the creation of a national memorial on October 9, 1997. The outdoor Symbolic Memorial was dedicated on April 19, 2000, the fifth anniversary of the bombing, and the museum, built in the adjacent former Journal Record building, opened on February 19, 2001. The Survivor Tree, an American elm that survived the blast despite heavy damage, has become a living symbol of resilience, and its seeds are distributed to the public each year.

Visitors can walk the outdoor Symbolic Memorial at any hour, viewing the Field of Empty Chairs, the Gates of Time, the reflecting pool, the Survivor Tree and the Survivors' Wall, then tour the indoor museum's galleries, theaters and interactive exhibits on the bombing, rescue effort and long-term impact. The museum also offers educational programs for school and youth groups, and a mobile app and virtual-experience option are available for those who cannot visit in person.

Key features are the Field of Empty Chairs (168 chairs, with smaller ones for the 19 children killed), the Gates of Time (marking 9:01 and 9:03, the moments before and after the blast), the reflecting pool, the Survivor Tree, and the Survivors' Wall built from salvaged Murrah Building stone. The indoor museum, in the former Journal Record building next door, houses the exhibit galleries.

The memorial is in downtown Oklahoma City, reachable by car, taxi or rideshare from Will Rogers World Airport, the city's main commercial airport. It sits within walking distance of other downtown attractions, so many visitors combine it with a broader downtown OKC visit on foot once parked.

The outdoor Symbolic Memorial is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and is free to visit. The museum is open Monday-Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday 12 p.m.-5 p.m., with last tickets sold one hour before closing.

The outdoor Symbolic Memorial is free. Museum admission (per current published rates) is $18 for adults, $16 for seniors (62+), $15 for students (ages 6-17 and college students), and free for children 5 and under; group rates apply for parties of 15+. Confirm current pricing on memorialmuseum.com before visiting, as rates can change.

Plan roughly 30-45 minutes to walk the outdoor memorial grounds, and 1.5-2 hours for the museum if you go inside, for a total visit of about 2-2.5 hours.

Downtown Oklahoma City has a range of hotel chains within a short walk or drive of the memorial, reflecting its central location among the city's convention, business and entertainment districts. Staying downtown puts visitors within walking distance of the memorial and other core OKC attractions rather than needing to drive in each day.

Downtown Oklahoma City has a growing dining scene within a few blocks of the memorial, including the Bricktown entertainment district a short distance away, which offers a concentration of restaurants, bars and casual dining along the Bricktown Canal. Specific restaurant names were not verified from official sources for this write-up.

Bricktown, OKC's entertainment district with restaurants, the canal walk and the Bricktown Ballpark, is a short walk or drive away. Other downtown OKC attractions, including museums and the Myriad Botanical Gardens, sit within easy reach for visitors extending their day.

Will Rogers World Airport is Oklahoma City's main commercial airport; the memorial is reached from there by rental car, taxi or rideshare. Free parking is available with museum admission at the on-site Memorial Garage.

The outdoor memorial is a place of quiet reflection; visitors are asked to be respectful given its function as a memorial to victims of a mass-casualty attack. During spring visits, keep an eye on local weather alerts given the region's tornado and severe-thunderstorm risk. For any emergency, dial 911.

Comfortable walking shoes for the outdoor grounds, sun protection for summer visits, and a light jacket for the air-conditioned museum galleries are worth packing. A phone or camera is useful for photographing the Field of Empty Chairs and Survivor Tree.

Because the outdoor memorial is free and open 24/7, an early-morning or evening visit can offer a quieter, more reflective experience before or after touring the museum during its posted hours. Pairing the visit with a stop in nearby Bricktown is a common way to round out a downtown OKC day. Check the museum's website for current ticket pricing and any timed-entry requirements before you go.

Dial 911 for any emergency. For visitor questions, contact the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum through the official website's Contact Us page.

Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum - https://memorialmuseum.com

This section is being updated and will be available shortly.

This section is being updated and will be available shortly.

This section is being updated and will be available shortly.