Places to Fly
It seems that pilots are always looking for interesting places to fly and if a meal can be had at the destination, so much the better. We, of course, refer to this as the '$100 hamburger' since it is rather costly to fly somewhere to eat. But isn't the experience half the fun?
Below are airports in my area to which have proven fun trips and have restaurants either on the airport or nearby. Links which will give more airport information are AirNav Databases and 100 Dollar Hamburger.
Coordinates: N36-20.9 W92-33.4
Located near the dam on the south side of Bull Shoals Lake in Arkansas. Very well-maintained grass, almost like a golf course. Cabins, motel-style rooms, and wonderful restaurant which extends out over the White River. This famous trout fishing resort is very popular on Sunday mornings for its great brunch which starts about 10 am.
Coordinates: N32-50.4 W96-48.7
Located on the shores of the Lake Texoma. To the right of the excellently kept grass runway is a marina with restaurant, an easy walk from the runway. Our meal was excellent with a nice view of the lake and marina from the table.
Coordinates: N35-23.338 W95-36.099
Owned in the past by the state of Oklahoma, this resort is now privately owned and when we were there, were in the beginning of a renovation. The airstrip is located within a long walk of the lodge, but there is a phone which connects directly to the lodge for transportation. Although the food wasn't outstanding, the beautiful grounds of the resort are worth seeing.
Coordinates: N31-04.861 W96-12.914
The Arrowhead Lodge is a short walk from the parking at the south end of the field. The resort is a nice, rather modern structure with small lakes surrounding it, swimming pool, tennis courts, and horses for riding. Our meal was very pleasant with a spectacular view of the resort from the dining area.
Coordinates: N32-59.207 W97-37.185
Parking is available at the south end of the strip (lower right in picture) and a path is available beside the fence for walking to the Wild Onion restaurant,located at the extreme lower left of the picture. Eating at this restaurant is an experience. Everything is homemade from the rolls to the pies to the wonderful chicken fried steak. An absolutely delightful meal at a very pleasant airport.
The airport is rather narrow and even though marked private for liability issues has maintenance, low cost fuel, a physician who can give you a flight physical, and an instructor for a biennial. What more can you ask? :)
Coordinates: N31-05.68 W92-04.144
Located near the cascino complex owned by the Tunica-Biloxi tribe in Marksville, LA. The shuttle vans will come to the airport and take you to the cascino. If you park on the south end it is even possible to walk, although not a really short walk.
One of the restaurants in the complex has a huge buffet and is well worth the trip for the array of different foods and desserts. The shuttles run continuously and will take you back any time you wish.
We were fortunate enough to be there on a day of a pow wow, held at ajoining grounds to the cascino. The colorful costumes and dancing were a treat to see as were the many handicrafts. The shuttle gladly took us there and then returned us to the plane when we were finished.
Coordinates: N33-54.006 W97-10.017
Now if you like catfish, this is the place for you! A well-maintained grass strip which runs uphill to the south with parking on the south end near the restaurant. The road crossing the middle of the strip is no problem.
This restaurant has excellent catfish and attracts pilots as well as a lot of local people. They have been in business for many years and really know how to cook fried catfish as it should be cooked. Be sure and check the days and times of operation before flying there.
Coordinates: N31-38.39 W96-30.883
Nice airport with a friendly FBO who will be glad to give you a ride or let you borrow their airport car to go to the Tamale Inn, just down the road. It actually is not a far walk to the restaurant located across and down the road from the airport. As the name indicates, the food is Texan-style Mexican food, which we found delightful.
Coordinates: N34-04.506 W97-06.4
Located near the golf course at Lake Murray State Park, the airport is a short walk to the lodge located on the lake. In the picture the highway to the right of the airport goes to the lodge. You may call from the golf pro shop to the lodge and they will come to get you. This is one of Oklahoma's outstanding state parks in which I've stayed during Thanksgiving one year. The lodge dining hall has a view out to the beautiful lake, the food is good, and the atmosphere very pleasant, certainly a good choice for a flying outing.
Coordinates: N31-34.682 W94-42.573
A pleasant airport with a friendly FBO who can lend you a car for a meal in town. We ate at a wonderful Mexican restaurant in a very old and interesting building. We noticed that also located in that building was a seafood restaurant which looked appetizing as well. This is a college town, Stephen F. Austin State University (beautiful campus), so is endowed with many restaurants from which to choose.
Coordinates: N33-59.573 W96-38.549
A nicely maintained airport at one of Oklahoma's resort state parks. The personnel will pick you up at the airport and take you to the lodge for a meal. There are no phones at the airport, but a gas station is just up the small hill. We walked to the restaurant and, although windy, was a very pleasant stroll. The food was very good and the lodge is, itself, a very interesting building.
This is a major resort park for the state and has a huge golf course, access to the lake, cabins, rooms at the lodge, swimming pools, and an outstanding nature museum building. We really enjoyed strolling around the grounds. They have beautiful Christmas light displays which they were in the process of taking down. Hopefully, we can go back there next season and see the lights.
Coordinates: N35-59.839 W95-15.531
The nice grass strips are near a golf course on the Whitehorn Cove grounds. In the picture the floating restaurant is located in the building at lower right. The walk to the restaurant from the airport is very pleasant and although the food isn't outstanding, the view of the boat activity out the windows make this a fun eating experience.
