I spent a portion of last week on vacation in Dallas, which happens to be just a 2.5 hour drive away from Oklahoma City. I have a bucket list to fulfill, so Michelle and I made the trek last Sunday. Of the six capitols I have visited, Oklahoma’s is the only one open weekends. The downside of a Sunday is you cannot take a guided tour–although there are booklets for self-guided tours. The huge upside, however, is the fact that the building is mostly empty! No tourists to walk into your shots. No other photographers hogging the “good” vantage points.

The Oklahoma State Capitol (OSC) is also the most museum-like capitol. California calls its capitol a museum, but that term only applies to the building itself, not the contents inside (which are mostly offices). There is artwork everywhere in OSC. One hall is devoted to the exhibition of state artists and a wing on the same level serves as a contemporary art museum. If we hadn’t been so hungry, we could have stayed for hours viewing all of the artwork on the five levels and learning about Oklahoma history.

This level of learning places OSC near the top of my list of favorite capitols. I initially started this project to capture the architecture of the capitols, but I am all for learning state history in the process.

Oh! Fun fact. There are active oil rigs on the capitol grounds. Crazy, I know.

Next up: Massachusetts (which I may shoot a third time) and Rhode Island.