Movie road trip: A cinematic site per state for all 50 states

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Oklahoma: Twister

A tornado can devastate an area in just an instant. Even though scientists try to predict a tornado’s path, this meteorological event cannot be specifically determined. People can only try to get to safety and hope that the destruction is minimal.

Twister, the movie about tornado chasers, filmed parts of the movie in Oklahoma. During tornado season, real life tornado chasers can be found all around Tornado Alley, the Great Plains area around Oklahoma and Kansas.

While people might want to leave real tornado chasing to the professionals, Oklahoma has a Twister Museum, in the city where it was filmed. Twister was filmed in the Oklahoma town of Wakita. The movie production created much of the make-believe destruction in the town.

The Twister Museum has a few items used in the movie. The “Dorothy I” is at the museum. Movie fans might be remember this item as the device in the back of the chasing truck. The museum building was used by the production crew and several of the stars and staff signed the walls. The Twister Museum is open April through August and by appointment.

Also located in Wakita is Aunt Meg’s house and the city’s water tower. The movie’s aerial shots showed the water tower and all the potential destruction a powerful F4 tornado can yield.

In 2010, Wakita was hit by several tornadoes. Although there was damage, the town was resilient.