Get your kicks on Route 66
By Jennie L. Phipps • Bankrate.com

Old West buffs should head out along historic Route 66, where America's cowboy heritage is still kicking. Besides being an authentic piece of Americana, Route 66 will take you through Oklahoma, home of some of the greatest places in the world to buy authentic Western wear at prices to tempt the most cost conscious cowpoke.

Start your shopping expedition at Oklahoma City's historic Stockyards City, the world's largest stocker and feeder cattle market. The stores here sell gear to working cowboys and those seeking authentic Western apparel. Pick up some Western home furnishings or an ornate belt buckle at Stock Mercantile, the former site of Cattlemen's Western Wear.

Langston's is one huge Western store. Its aniversary fall sale, which has been held since the early 1900's, is justifiably famous. Cross the street to Little Joe's Boots and find an endless selection of new footwear, or get your boots repaired. If you participate in horse or rodeo shows and can prove it, give Tener's Western Outfitters a visit. It's not only huge, but bona fide riders and ropers get additional discounts. Langston's offers a discount to them as well.

Make the trip on the third Saturday of September and head on over to Catoosa, where the Cowboy Trade Day will take place at Rogers Point Park. People come from all over the U.S. for a long day of buying, selling and trading of cowboy gear, old west guns, antique spurs and truck loads of western saddles. There's also lots of Western music and poetry.

A drive down Route 66 also offers a good look at America's western past. The road goes through the former Indian Territory, which is still home to more than 67 tribes. A detour just northwest of Tulsa will let you see the buffalo roam through a grassland preserve. And when you get to Oklahoma City, don't miss the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.

Editorial assistant Leslie Hunt contributed to this story.