Oklahoma’s Charming Black Mesa Gateway Is A Panhandle City With Local Eats And Outdoor Adventure

High up in the Oklahoma panhandle, at the heart of the only U.S. county that touches four different states, sits Boise City — a charming little town of barely 1,000 where you can stock up before heading to Black Mesa State Park and Nature Preserve. And if you’re a fan of weird trivia, you’ll want to know its name.

Boise City’s history is so outlandish that it doesn’t seem real. The town dates back to 1908, when a group of developers who didn’t actually own any of the land here sold plots based on brochures full of lies and exaggerations. Two of the developers went to jail for mail fraud when investors became aware that Boise City was not actually a lush, well-paved, thoroughly developed town ideal for growing both corn and cotton. Decades later, it was accidentally bombed during World War II when an American B-17 crew got confused during a practice run and dropped practice bombs around Boise City’s town square. Thankfully, no one was killed, and damage was minimal. Talk about an own goal. If there was a Hall of Fame for weird historical facts about small towns, those two would both make it in on the first ballot.

There’s more to Boise City than unbelievable tidbits. Stop off on the way to Black Mesa to fill your bellies at one of its local restaurants, or to learn about the hardships of the Dust Bowl at its history center. It sits near five U.S. highways, making it very accessible by car, and even though Route 66 isn’t one of them, there are still a couple of cool roadside attractions to snap pictures of — including a large iron dinosaur.

Read more: 12 Park Ranger Tips For Staying Safe While Hiking

Get fed with some local eats

Guera’s Tacos is a classic Mexican joint in Boise City known for its street tacos and authentic dishes like pechuga a la plancha and milanesa de res. Tacos can be ordered with a range of meats — al pastor, asada, carnitas, barbacoa, and more — and in two “Baja-style” options, with fried fish or shrimp. Quesadillas, burritos, tortas, and nachos round out the menu. Reviewers mention homemade tortillas and a salsa bar, and it’s all made Guera’s a local favorite, with a 4.8 rating on Yelp after 26 reviews.

If you’re looking for “a little taste of home on the go,” sidle up to the window at HayHay’s Kitchen. This unpredictable food truck bolsters a consistent breakfast menu with regularly changing lunch and dinner specials. You can grab pancakes, French toast, breakfast burritos, and biscuits in the morning, and then find lasagna, fried pork loin, or pulled pork sandwiches the rest of the day. One of its regular specials is an interesting combination of cultures; the fry bread taco takes the Native American staple that’s become an Oklahoma favorite and tops it with taco meat, cheese, beans, and salsa in an open-face taco that sounds delicious.

Elsewhere in town, MJ’s Bar & Grille serves up comfort food like burgers, tacos, chicken sandwiches, and mac ‘n’ cheese. Boise City might not be Oklahoma’s renowned ‘fried onion burger capital of the world’ (that’s El Reno, natch), but it’s no culinary slouch, either.

Enjoy outdoors at Oklahoma’s highest point

If you do visit Boise City, it’ll probably be for one major reason: the outdoor adventure. The town is about 26 miles away from Black Mesa State Park, Oklahoma’s panhandle state park. The nearby Black Mesa Nature Preserve contains the state’s highest point. Black Mesa is a designated International Dark Sky Park, and at night you can see a frankly unbelievable number of stars. It’s also home to Lake Carl Etling, a lake good for catching largemouth bass and walleye. Black Mesa is a popular spot for camping, and Boise City is the closest town to fuel up and find food. You’ll almost definitely drive through Boise City to get there.

Closer to Boise City, you’ll find Autograph Rock. This natural formation bears over 200 signatures from 19th-century travelers on the Santa Fe Trail, who commemorated their journey by inscribing their names on this rock. Although the rock is on privately owned land, you can arrange an up-close look through the Cimarron Heritage Center.

Finally, you’ll find Boise City’s most famous resident posted outside the Cimarron Heritage Center. Cimmy is a giant iron apatosaurus, an 18,000-pound sculpture of the kind of dinosaur that roamed these lands 150 million years ago. Standing at a mighty 35 feet high and 65 feet long, Cimmy is a local icon for this museum whose exhibits take a comprehensive look at local history, from the thunder lizards that once lived here to the toll the Dust Bowl took on this then-young town. Oh, and guess what: Cimmy’s got a friend, a 13-foot-tall Tin Man statue who stands guard over the museum. If you enjoy novelty statues like these, there are plenty of other unique roadside stops across America to explore.

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Read the original article on Islands.