Born out of the Great Land Run in 1893, the town of Enid burst into being when more than 100,000 land-hungry pioneers raced for 40,000 homesteads and valuable town lots in what is now northwest Oklahoma. Today, Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center tells the story of those days, joining Simpson’s Old Time Museum and a
historic downtown of locally owned shops and restaurants, according to VisitEnid.org.
Downtown’s Stride Bank Center has an 11,000-square-foot grand ballroom, a smaller ballroom, a 5,000-seat arena, and more than 5,500 square feet of meeting space. The 92-room Glō Best Western Enid Downtown/Convention Center Hotel is adjacent to the center and within easy walking distance of restaurants, breweries, and live entertainment.
Other event venues in the city include Leonardo’s Children’s Museum, which can seat 75 conference guests and 64 banquet guests in the Educational Annex and host larger groups in the main museum; Enid Symphony Center, with a 340-seat main hall and space to seat 120 people for dinners; the 250-seat Gaslight Theater; 81 Ranch, which can host 350 in the main hall; The Breeze, with indoor and outdoor event spaces for 250 guests; and Chisholm Trail Expo Center, at Garfield County Fairgrounds, with a 100,000-square-foot pavilion and coliseum seating for 9,000. There are classrooms, computer labs, conference rooms, and an auditorium on the Enid campus of Northern Oklahoma College.
