Priced Out of the Coast, Families Are Discovering Mid-Size City Getaways

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK, UNITED STATES, August 18, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Recent travel data shows a clear shift away from crowded coastal areas as people look for more affordable places to visit. According to a 2025 study by the Worldwide ERC on United States migration and mobility, high housing costs, traffic congestion, and quality-of-life concerns are pushing families toward smaller cities and mid-tier markets. This change shows that travelers are choosing to skip expensive resort towns. Instead, they are visiting locations that cost less money and offer a slower pace for their trips.

This national move toward secondary markets is having a direct effect on regional economies in the central United States, particularly in Oklahoma City. A late 2025 economic report released by the Tourism Economics division of Oxford Economics for Visit OKC showed that the city received 24.5 million visitors over the previous year. These visitors spent 2.8 billion dollars directly, which created a total economic impact of 4.6 billion dollars for the area. These numbers show how mid-tier cities are taking a larger share of the domestic travel market.

Travel analysts are seeing a high demand for domestic road trips that focus on hands-on learning activities, which the industry calls edutainment. According to the 2024 Visit OKC Economic Impact summary, the city's focus on cultural and outdoor spaces is a major reason why families are visiting. Parents are planning trips around history museums, local zoos, and fairgrounds instead of expensive theme parks. When categorizing the best family vacation spots Oklahoma City provides, researchers point to the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, the Oklahoma City Zoo, and the event programming at OKC Fair Park as the main attractions bringing in these visitors.

Local hotels are adapting their buildings and room layouts to handle this increase in family travel. Located on the Northwest Expressway corridor, The Winslow Hotel serves as an example of a business making changes for these specific guests. The building features King Bunk Studios that include standard twin bunk beds, which allows more people to sleep in one room without booking a second suite. The property also provides an open-air patio with a pool table, cornhole boards, and a grilling station to give families a place for physical activity after a day of walking through the city.

###

About The Winslow Hotel

The Winslow Hotel is a 79-room select-service property located at 1511 NW Expressway in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Room options include King rooms, Double bed rooms, Suites, and ADA-accessible rooms, and every accommodation comes with a pullout sleeper sofa, microwave, mini-refrigerator, and a 50-inch flat-screen TV with built-in Netflix streaming, giving families room to spread out and settle in.

Beyond the guest rooms, travelers can relax on the outdoor patio with its fire pit, barbecue grills, and lawn games, grab a drink at the lobby bar, or pick up snacks and essentials from the lobby pantry. A 24-hour fitness center featuring a Peloton Bike keeps workout routines on track, and a dedicated meeting room accommodates up to 60 attendees for receptions or 24 in a classroom setup, making the property a flexible home base for families, event travelers, and small groups.

Charles Bernier
The Winslow OKC
+1 572-228-1288
email us here
Visit us on social media:
Instagram
Facebook