A lot of industries took quite the hard hit in 2020 due to the pandemic. With a severe lack of traveling in the states, hotels took one of the hardest hits nationwide. While Southwest Oklahoma really only has the one luxury resort destination at the Quartz Mountain Resort North of Altus, hard times fell upon it fast and things have changed. The resort was turned over last year to the state park it is built within, and the Quartz Mountain State Park will now manage things going forward.

Along with new management to the resort comes some surprisingly good news, the entire hotel has been remodeled and renovated. Given that it's the only luxury place to stay in Southwest Oklahoma, some of us can't wait to see what it looks like on the inside these days. Could it be the state parks department kept the impressive decor and high end amenities? Or did they level the expectations and lower the standards a bit to better serve more of the general public? While they're not booking stays yet, the web suggests you could get in for just over a hundred dollar a night for two.

While this news could be exciting or depressing, or both, one thing remains the same... Lake Lugert, when full, is one of the most pretty lakes in Oklahoma with a ton of stuff to do. Around the area, you'll find good fishing when the algae doesn't kill everything off, cabins, camping, off-road trails, mini-golf, go-karts, a kids area, ect... It might be worth the hour and a half drive over to see SWOK's only mountain lake, just be sure to watch out for the snakes. They're terribly overpopulated off the beaten path.

LOOK: Route 66’s quirkiest and most wonderful attractions state by state

Stacker compiled a list of 50 attractions--state by state--to see along the drive, drawing on information from historic sites, news stories, Roadside America, and the National Park Service. Keep reading to discover where travelers can get their kicks on Route 66.

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