Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial
The Memorial is the largest of its kind in the USA, and receives above 500,000 visitors every year. The Outdoor Symbolic Memorial consists of The Gates of Time, the Reflecting Pool, the Field of Empty Chairs, the SurvivorsтЂ™ Wall, The Survivor Tree, The Memorial Fence, RescuersтЂ™ Orchard, ChildrenтЂ™s Area, And Jesus Wept sculpture, the Journal Record Building and the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building Plaza.The most touching element of the Memorial can be said to be the Field of Empty Chairs that consists of 168 empty chairs handcrafted from glass, bronze and stone, representing each of the victims who lost their lives. The names of the victims are etched in the glass base of each chair. Arranged in nine rows, they symbolize the nine floors of the building with each individualтЂ™s chair on the row representing the floor they were on during the blast.
The Survivor Tree is an American elm. Located on the north side of the Memorial, the 101-year old tree was almost destroyed by the blast, with plans initially laid to chop it to obtain vital evidence caught in its branches. But it bloomed and survived, remaining as a beautiful representation of the undying spirit of Oklahoma City.
The Oklahoma City bombing memorial site is close to many hotels, and charter tours are arranged by hotels to this site and other parts of the city.