As an event planner and writer who travels frequently for work, I’m trying to use these trips to help me reach my goal of visiting all 50 states by the age of 50. Once again accepting Texas as a work destination, the list included her five surrounding states. Choose from. After a work trip, I decided to take a long weekend trek to Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Sooner State became the 39th state I visited.
Things to do in Tulsa this weekend
I chose Tulsa when I was looking for a place in one of these states to use my experience as a house sitter. I didn’t know what to expect since Tulsa had recently been hit hard by storms and was experiencing a heat wave. I was pleasantly surprised by everything Tulsa, Oklahoma has to offer and how much I could do in a short visit.
Armed with a rental car and free accommodations, here’s how I decided what to do in Tulsa this weekend to make the most of my short trip.
Day 1 – Enter the Oklahoma Arts District
We left the north Dallas area in the morning and had a comfortable 4 hour drive to Tulsa. By driving, I was able to take photos at the welcome center as I entered Oklahoma. My first visit to Tulsa was in the Downtown Arts District. Before heading to her home in the Easton area, my house-sitting host recommended Chimera Cafe in the area.
Day 2 – Center of the Universe, Route 66 Site, Tacos
Our first full day in Tulsa was spent visiting some of Tulsa’s major attractions.Some of them have become famous in the new Paramount+ series tulsa kingstarring Sylvester Stallone.
center of the universe
This concrete circle is an acoustic anomaly adjacent to the historic Tulsa train depot. When a noise occurs at the center of the circle, the sound reverberates several times louder. Additionally, those standing outside the circle will not hear the noise. Who wouldn’t want to visit Tulsa, Oklahoma and put these theories to the test?
Motherlode Food Market
As Oklahoma’s first food hall, it features more than 20 eateries and shops along historic Route 66. Tulsa is celebrating its inclusion on Route 66, which many tourists pass through on road trips along his entire 4,400-mile route. I refueled at Bodie’s Bowls and continued exploring Route 66.
historic route 66
Historic Tulsa, Oklahoma has many places to celebrate Route 66. There are many landmarks along the route, but one of the main ones is: Route 66 Historical Village. This is an open-air museum that includes the 194-foot-tall oil derrick from Tulsa’s first oil strike in 1901, which helped make Tulsa the “Oil Capital of the World.”
Another stop along Historic Route 66 is the Golden Driller statue. At 76 feet tall, it is one of the tallest free-standing statues of him in the United States. Built in 1966, the landmark weighs 43,500 pounds and is also one of Tulsa’s most Instagrammable spots.
Torquay’s Tacos
A visit to Torchy’s Tacos, an art deco taco restaurant with a full bar, was a great end to the day. The mouth-watering deliciousness of their menu passed my Southern California taco taste test.
Day 3 – Farmers Market, History, Meeting Hall, and Souvenirs
Local farmers markets are one of my favorite places to explore in new towns and cities. In Tulsa, this is held on Saturday and features fresh vegetables and homemade foods, as well as other vendors selling a variety of products.
Tulsa Historical Society Museum
The museum is located in Woodward Park and Gardens, but most of it is closed due to the storm in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It’s also located in the former Travis Mansion, the former home of the Travis brothers, oil tycoons. Our guide gave us maps and descriptions of the drive and walk through historic Tulsa, making it a great place to start our visit to the city. The main exhibit was about historic Route 66, including a detailed timeline of its history. It was a great place to visit in the heat and learn about the city.
We then visited some of the downtown attractions on the map, including the Mayo Hotel, built in 1924. Fans of Tulsa King will recognize this location as where Sylvester Stallone’s character lives. The 600-room hotel was once the tallest building in Oklahoma, and each room had ceiling fans and running water.
meeting place
If there is a place you must visit in Tulsa, it is meeting place Is that…? The 66-acre riverfront park along the Arkansas River opened in 2018 to bring the community together. My highlight was visiting the Landing, an area along a small lake with lots of carp and turtles. I bought fish food to feed the koi and turtles and he bought ice cream at the grocery store. Other activities include a children’s playground, walking trails, and boating.
Souvenir shopping on Route 66
If you’re looking for a nostalgic atmosphere and everything that celebrates historic Route 66, look no further than here. Buck Atom’s Space Curiosities. The store is housed in a former gas station and offers apparel, souvenirs, artwork and more. Several other road trippers were there during my visit, and it was a great place to buy souvenirs. Snap an Instagram-worthy photo with the Space Cowboy Buck Atom statue outside.
Day 4 – Philbrook Museum and the Big Whale
I’m not an avid museum buff, but I highly recommend the Philbrook Museum for photography. Tickets can be booked by time slot, and I chose the slot that included a guided tour of this former Italian villa. The tour focused on how the museum’s galleries were used when it was home to former oil magnate Waite Phillips. The gardens and buildings are a photographer’s dream and should be on your must-see list in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Catoosa blue whale
On the advice of a Buck Atoms employee, she recommended this quirky roadside attraction, famously visited by Route 66 travelers. The statue is 20 feet tall and 80 feet long, with signs indicating distances between other important roadside attractions along Route 66. You can even walk inside the whale’s mouth, so this is also a great photo spot. It was just a short drive from Tulsa and we were on our way to our final destination, the airport.
walking around
I love transportation, so I use buses and other forms of transportation whenever possible. However, my home sitter host convinced me that I needed a car. Luckily, Priceline, one of my go-to travel apps, was having a car rental sale, and a one-way ticket from Dallas to Tulsa was only $150 for the duration. This was the best decision in the heat of the moment. It’s easy to move around the city or on the highway.
Bus lines such as Greyhound and FlixBus serve Tulsa. Amtrak does not serve Tulsa, but it does serve Oklahoma City, about two hours away. I flew out of Tulsa and headed back to Texas. We found Tulsa International Airport to be easy to navigate and have plenty of options for getting back to your destination.
Tulsa may not be a city that most people visit as a vacation destination. Tulsa is a beautiful small city full of culture, history, great food, and friendly locals. It went against my fixed definition and view of Oklahoma. It’s easy to fall in love with Tulsa like I did, even if it’s just for a few days. Just hearing about Tulsa made me smile and I look forward to visiting again soon.
Kelly Ducat is a US-based freelance writer, event planner, and photographer. She has been traveling the United States for the past two years as a nomadic home and pet sitter. At Wealth of Geeks, she writes about travel, news, and side hustles. She holds a degree in journalism from the University of Colorado Boulder. She is also working on her memoir and a series of personal essays.
