Destination Unknown: Grandma’s Gift of Travel

An old white station wagon, a surprise phone call, and a family tradition that made even an ice cream outing feel like an adventure.

“Destination unknown!” When Grandma called and yelled those words into the phone, we grandkids knew what they meant: get dressed and get ready, because she was coming to pick us up. Where we were going was usually a mystery. Sometimes she told us to bring our swimsuits, which narrowed the possibilities and gave us a few ideas. Otherwise, we would climb into her old white station wagon knowing only that we were going somewhere with Grandma.

She mostly kept the destination a secret, although sometimes she couldn’t help herself. I love remembering that part, too. She was the one creating the surprise, but occasionally she was too excited to keep it all to herself.

The beginnings of Destination Unknown

Some outings took us to Turner Falls. Others were road trips, and sometimes the whole adventure was simply going to get an ice cream cone. The destination could be something big or something close to home, but we didn’t know which when the phone rang. That was part of the fun. Grandma had found a way to make getting dressed and leaving the house feel like the beginning of a story.

Looking back, I can see how much of my love for travel started with those calls. Before I ever thought about planning a trip, I knew the excitement of wondering where we were headed. There was something wonderful about getting into that station wagon and letting Grandma surprise us. She gave us something to look forward to, and she made ordinary outings memorable enough that I’m still talking about them all these years later.

I’m an old soul. I love traditions, especially the ones that grow out of someone’s personality and become part of a family’s history. Destination Unknown was Grandma’s tradition, and it suited her. It had a name we all recognized, a familiar announcement, and just enough mystery to keep us guessing. She could use it for a road trip or an ice cream run, and either way, we were ready to go.

Our turn to surprise Grandma

The part that means even more to me now is that she continued it with my children, her great-grandchildren. They got to experience their own version of something I had loved when I was little. A memory from my childhood became part of theirs, too. We now have that connection across generations: knowing what it meant when Grandma announced that the destination was unknown.

Eventually, we turned the tables and played Destination Unknown on Grandma. We took her for a cabin stay at The Haven in Box Canyon, Oklahoma. After all those years of her choosing where we would go, we got to be the ones taking her somewhere. I’m glad we had the chance to give her a surprise of her own.

Our Destination Unknown road trip with Grandma in the back seat — Our turn to take Grandma on a Destination Unknown adventure.

Grandma and family among the red rock walls at Box Canyon — Family time during our cabin stay at The Haven in Box Canyon, Oklahoma.

We also took Grandma and Mom to Hochatown and Broken Bow for their birthdays. The photos from that trip include the two of them posing behind the bars of an “Indian Territory Jail” display with ice cream cones, and Grandma sitting on a coin-operated horse. I love having those pictures alongside the memories of our childhood outings. They show the fun we still got to have together as our family grew older.

Grandma and Mom holding ice cream cones behind a jail display on their birthday trip — Grandma and Mom during their birthday trip to Hochatown and Broken Bow.

Grandma sitting on a coin-operated horse in Hochatown — Grandma during our birthday getaway to Hochatown and Broken Bow.

What Grandma gave us

My grandma passed away suddenly in December 2025. Remembering these outings brings back the sound of her excitement and the anticipation of being picked up in that old white station wagon. Those details feel especially precious now. I’m grateful that my children have memories of this tradition alongside mine, and that we can keep telling the stories.

As an adult, I also understand something we didn’t know as children: Grandma was on a really tight budget. She was working within limits that never occurred to us while we were getting ready to go. An ice cream cone could be the outing, and she still gave it the same sense of occasion.

That changes how I look at those memories. She put imagination and enthusiasm into the time she spent with us. A surprise phone call made us curious. Keeping the destination a secret gave us something to wonder about. Taking us somewhere, even somewhere simple, gave us time together and a story to bring home.

I still love the thrill of seeing something new. I can trace some of that feeling back to Grandma, her station wagon, and two words shouted into the phone. She helped me discover the pleasure of going somewhere before I understood how much thought she was putting into getting us there. That love of shared experiences is part of why traveling together means so much to me now.

We never knew when we were little that Grandma was on a really tight budget, but the memories she gave us made us feel like she was rich.

Grandma was a true believer, and she lived her life that way. Her faith is part of how I remember her, alongside the surprise phone calls, the old white station wagon, and the adventures she gave us. Now, when I think about those two familiar words, they carry a different meaning for me. Who knew that Destination Unknown was Heaven all along?

Places from our family memories

If you’re planning your own family outing, Turner Falls Park’s official website has current visitor information. Our Sulphur, Oklahoma guide offers more ideas for exploring the area.