At the 2025 Strawberry Festival at Orr Family Farm, 93-year-old Dr. Glenn Orr rode through the crowd on his golf cart with a wave and a friendly smile on his face. “This place is a labor of love. It’s what keeps me young,” he said, just as a former employee came up to the cart to shake his hand and introduce his entire family to Dr. Orr, and regale his onetime boss with memories of working here years ago.
The grounds are filled with more than 20 attractions for all ages, a number that continues to expand every year. As the morning sun rose over the farm, families began to gather and the train started up. Kids rode ponies and fed the goats and sheep, spun on the carousel and laughed in the corn maze. Older children squealed down the giant slides, tested the ropes course and shot paintball guns … and of course, there were fair-style games and food, and adorable photo opportunities for everyone.
Orr, a former veterinarian, and his late wife Shari — who passed away from breast cancer in 2011 — originally wanted a small train on their land to entertain their grandchildren. That was the beginning, but they kept upgrading, and in 2003, they decided to share the magical place that they had created with the public.
Each year, over 100,000 people visit the 107-acre operation in southwest Oklahoma City. The year-round glamping site they’ve built has become a huge favorite from spring to fall each year. Guests can stay in either Conestoga covered wagons or Native American-inspired teepees, both fitted with modern amenities: air conditioning and heating, refrigerators, microwaves and coffee makers. The glamping area features a 19-foot-long swim spa, a firepit, charcoal grills, picnic tables and a facility with bathrooms and showers. There are two fully stocked ponds to fish in. And this year’s new feature, the Polydome, is decked out with a Sleep Number mattress and a state-of-the-art bathtub. The Polydome’s floor-to-ceiling curtains push back at the touch of a button to reveal a sky full of bright Oklahoma stars to admire while lying in bed with your sweetheart.
A heartwarming legend at Orr Farm is that Orr will personally come retrieve his glamping guests during tornado warnings and offer them safety in his own personal storm shelter. Perhaps it’s this story more than any other that demonstrates why the Farm is a landmark in Oklahoma. Orr Family Farm has survived personal loss, frequent weather disasters and the hard-hitting COVID years, and Orr and his farm seem just as resilient as Oklahoma itself.
