Bricktown Canal

MAPS (Metropolitan Area Projects) was the largest publicly-funded downtown improvement program in Oklahoma City's history when it was approved by voters in December 1993. The package included nine major capital projects funded by a temporary 1-cent sales tax that ran from 1994 to 1999. Among the nine projects were a baseball stadium, a new downtown library, the Bricktown Canal, the Civic Center Music Hall renovation, the Cox Convention Center, and the development of Bricktown into a full entertainment district.

The canal itself was designed by Rees Associates Architecture and constructed between 1997 and 1999. The decision to build a canal rather than a more conventional urban improvement project (a park, a plaza, a redeveloped streetscape) was made because the engineers and architects believed a waterway would be more transformative for the surrounding neighborhood. The reasoning proved correct: the canal's completion in 1999 immediately attracted private investment to the surrounding Bricktown warehouses, which began converting to restaurant, bar, and entertainment uses within months.

The canal is roughly one mile long, runs east-west through downtown, and is approximately 25 feet wide with a constant water depth of about 4 feet. The canal water is recirculated through filtration plants on either end — it is not connected to any natural river. The canal level sits about 12 feet below street level, which creates the pedestrian feel of walking along an actual urban waterway rather than a decorative water feature.

The Centennial Land Run Monument is the most visually striking single installation along the Bricktown Canal. The monument consists of 45 larger-than-life-size bronze sculptures depicting settlers, horses, and wagons in dramatic forward motion — recreating the moment of the 1889 Oklahoma Land Run when settlers raced across the Oklahoma border at noon on April 22 to claim plots of land in what had been Indian Territory.

The monument was sculpted by Texas artist Paul Moore over a 13-year period from 2003 to 2015 — one of the longest single-artist monumental sculpture projects in recent American history. Each of the 45 figures is approximately 1.5 times life-size, weighs several thousand pounds, and is positioned to convey forward motion across a 365-foot-long sculptural composition along the canal walkway. The total project cost was roughly $7 million, largely funded by private donors.

The historical event the monument depicts is contested in Oklahoma. The Land Run of 1889 opened roughly 2 million acres of former Indian Territory to non-Native settlement after the U.S. government had purchased the land from the Creek and Seminole nations under the terms of the 1866 Treaty of Washington. From the settlers' perspective, the Land Run was a foundational moment in Oklahoma history; from the Native nations' perspective, it was the latest step in the long displacement that had begun with the 1830s Trail of Tears removals. The monument focuses on the settler experience but includes interpretive signage acknowledging the broader historical context.

Bricktown Canal water taxis operate daily from 11am to 10pm, weather permitting, with departures every 15 to 20 minutes from the main kiosk at the corner of Mickey Mantle Drive and Sheridan Avenue. The taxis are open-air electric boats with bench seating for roughly 20 passengers, captained by a tour guide who narrates the canal route and the surrounding Bricktown history. Tours last approximately 40 minutes round-trip and cover the full mile of canal in both directions.

Tickets cost $14 for adults, $10 for children ages 4-12, and free for children 3 and under. Tickets can be purchased at the kiosk on arrival or online in advance through bricktownwatertaxi.com. The full-route tours run continuously through the day; on busy weekends and during special events (Memorial Day, July 4, Bricktown summer concerts), demand can exceed capacity and lines build at the kiosk. Arrive 15-20 minutes before your desired departure on peak weekend afternoons.

The route passes the Bricktown Ballpark (Triple-A baseball home of the Oklahoma City Comets), the Centennial Land Run Monument, the Toby Keith I Love This Bar & Grill, the Lower Bricktown entertainment area, several major restaurants, and the eastern terminus near the Centennial Plaza. Most tour captains are knowledgeable about Bricktown history and Oklahoma City's MAPS program; the narrative quality varies but is generally good.

Bricktown today contains roughly 50 restaurants, bars, and entertainment venues distributed along the canal and the surrounding streets. The mix is intentionally broad — from upscale dining (Mickey Mantle's Steak House, the Mantel Wine Bar) through casual American (Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill, Tapwerks Ale House) to fast-casual chains and food-truck-style operations. Most restaurants offer patio seating overlooking the canal, which is the standard Bricktown evening dining experience.

The Bricktown Ballpark — formally Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark — sits at the western end of the canal and hosts the Oklahoma City Comets, the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers (formerly the OKC Dodgers and OKC RedHawks). The stadium seats roughly 13,000 fans and hosts about 70 home games per year from April through September. Game tickets are inexpensive ($10-$30) and the experience of walking from Bricktown dinner to the ballpark for a 7pm game is one of OKC's best summer evening activities.

The Toby Keith I Love This Bar & Grill on the Lower Bricktown end of the canal is a large country-music-themed entertainment venue with regular live music, dance floor, and a casual American menu. It is the most-photographed Bricktown venue after the canal itself and is the standard pre-Thunder-game watering hole for fans walking to the Paycom Center across town.

The Bricktown Canal is open 24 hours a day and is genuinely worth a brief walk during the day for the Land Run Monument and the architecture — but the district is more alive in the evening. The canonical Bricktown experience runs from late afternoon through midnight: arrive around 5pm for an early dinner with patio seating, take a 6:30pm water taxi tour at sunset, then catch a Bricktown Ballpark game (April-September) or shift to evening drinks at one of the canal bars.

Peak times are Friday and Saturday nights from 7pm to midnight, particularly during baseball season and during major Oklahoma City Thunder home games at the Paycom Center (when fans walk from Bricktown to the arena and back). Sunday afternoons during NFL season are also busy at the sports bars. Weekday evenings before 7pm are quieter and easier for spontaneous reservations.

Parking is plentiful in Bricktown — multiple paid surface lots and parking garages within easy walk of the canal, typically $5-$15 for the evening. The Sheridan/Reno parking garage on the west end of Bricktown is the largest and easiest to find for first-time visitors. Ride-share is also widely available and the standard play for visitors who plan to drink.