What's something fun to do in Tulsa? (Oklahoma City, Woodward: amusement parks, houses) - (OK) - City-Data Forum

The_Sage1 · 05-16-2010, 05:21 PM

I am going to be staying in Tulsa for a couple nights over the next weekend. What are some cool attractions or restaurants worth going to in Tulsa? I was there for a night this past November and it looks like a great place but I didn't really get to see any of the attractions. I'm not really interested in art museums or anything like that. Perhaps some scenic spots or places to go in the city? Also, where is the best shopping?

happywacko · 05-16-2010, 11:53 PM

The_Sage1,

This is simple. There are no GREAT attractions in Oklahoma. Period. I would love to see someone who can prove I'm wrong. For some of the best scenic views, I'd suggest going to the Riverside and the pedestrian bridge at Riverside Dr/31st; you will see a scenic view of Arkansas river, the downtown and .... oil refinery facilities. On weekend and especially on Sundays, don't go to downtown, I went there on Sunday once .... did you watch "I am Legend"? it looks pretty much the same. It is slooooowly changing though. So, come to town, contribute to the change.

Actually, Philbrook and Gilcrease museums have somewhat scenic landscapes. Also, Woodward park is a nice place.

As to shopping. Woodland Hills mall and surroundings. 71st between Memorial and Garnett. Fine shopping/restaurant area - Peoria Ave. between 21st and 41st. Wholefoods (the only one in Tulsa) is at Peoria and 41st. No Trader Joe's, sorry.

Happywacko.

okie1962 · 05-18-2010, 12:56 AM

The_Sage1, Tulsa is not as bad here as happywacky makes it sound. There are a lot of GREAT attractions in Oklahoma and in Tulsa as well. And some of the attractions in Tulsa may not be great, but more toward the cool side. We have a lot of cool attractions.

Tulsa has one of the largest collections of Art Deco buildings in the US most of it can be found downtown. The Boston Ave Methodist Church in probably one of the greatest Art Deco treasures in the US. IMO I think our Art Deco collection is a Great Attraction.

I know you said you are not into Museums but Philbrooks is defiantly a Great Attraction. The grounds are very beautiful.

Route 66 runs straight through Tulsa and has a lot of cool attractions like the Meadow Gold sign or the blue whale just out side of town in Catoosa.

We have a few Indian Casinos, they are nothing compared to the ones in Vegas but they are pretty nice and the Cherokee Casino on the east side of town is a Hard Rock Cafe Casino. Its pretty cool. The Cherokee and Creek Casinos have some real good restaurants in them.

The cool trendy local places are Brookside, Cherry St. Blue dome and Brady Districts. These are where all the Cool Restaurants, bars and Clubs can be found.

Tulsa has a lot of big grand homes for a city of this size. Thanks to the Oil Industry. Most of them can be found in Midtown Tulsa, that is also where Cherry st. and Brookside are.

South Tulsa is where all the new stuff is. 71st is where restaurant row is. That is where you are going to find all your big chain Restaurants, Malls and big box stores. There is a Imax theater there too.

I think you will find a lot of fun and cool stuff to do when you are hear in Tulsa. And BTW I used to live in Ogallala, NE. Oklahoma is a lot like Nebraska, when you get off the interstates you can find a lot of Great attractions. I love Nebraska, its one of my favorite places I ever lived!

The_Sage1 · 05-18-2010, 03:41 AM

okie1962 - Thanks for the info. I figured Tulsa didn't have any hugely popular tourism or anything, but just some cool sites to see.

I live in Columbus, NE....so Ogallala is quite far from where I'm at. Tulsa is pretty much a straight shot south of where I'm located. OK and NE are both huge states so there's bound to be some places of interest here in there. That being said, from what it sounds Tulsa has far more attractions than Lincoln or Omaha...except that Omaha has the awesome zoo.

Tulsa seems really nice from what I can recall and it has good character for how young of a city it is. I definately would love to see all the historic houses there!

happywacko · 05-18-2010, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_Sage1

That being said, from what it sounds Tulsa has far more attractions than Lincoln or Omaha...except that Omaha has the awesome zoo.

Tulsa seems really nice from what I can recall and it has good character for how young of a city it is. I definately would love to see all the historic houses there!

BTW, Tulsa zoo is good (despite the recent death of 2 giraffes), and Oklahoma aquarium (in Jenks) is pretty good as well. Again, I agree with okie62 that there are many good and nice places in Tulsa. One interesting thing about route 66 is that it was basically started as a road between Tulsa and I think Springfield. Also, if I am not mistaken, the interstate between Tulsa and Oklahoma City is the first toll road in the nation; also, Port of Catoosa is the most inland port.

but... we have no Niagara falls, Cape Cod, Golden Bridge, National parks or monuments... basically nothing that could make Tulsa a tourist destination... unless you are a huge fan of Art Deco.

A really big problem with Tulsa (and Oklahoma City) is that we do not have amusement parks. There is a small "Big" Splash park that only works a few months a year. Nothing even remotely compared to Disney World, Five Flags, Wisconsin Dells, Sea World, etc. This lack of parks might be influenced by local churches, I can only guess...

The_Sage1 · 05-18-2010, 04:24 PM

I know it's not in Tulsa but I saw the pictures of Natural Springs State Park and it looks really scenic. I'd like to pull a stop there.

okie1962 · 05-18-2010, 09:30 PM

If you get on Wikipedia and look up Oklahoma you can see it is a very diverse state. You will love it here, the winters will be a lot milder than what you are used to up in Nebraska.

happywacko · 05-18-2010, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by okie1962

If you get on Wikipedia and look up Oklahoma you can see it is a very diverse state. You will love it here, the winters will be a lot milder than what you are used to up in Nebraska.

Well... please don't consider me as an "anti-Oklahoman", but if someone is really up to the diversity, I would strongly recommend California or Colorado ... certainly Oklahoma wouldn't be the first state that would come to my mind.

okie1962 · 05-18-2010, 11:08 PM

I found this on Wikipedia.

Among the most geographically diverse states, Oklahoma is one of four to harbor more than 10 distinct ecological regions, with 11 in its borders — more per square mile than in any other state. Its western and eastern halves, however, are marked by extreme differences in geographical diversity: Eastern Oklahoma touches eight ecological regions and its western half contains three.

Happywacko, I like it here. And yes I have been to other places. Last year I spent 5 months in Middletown NY. Three years ago I was living just outside Tucson in the town to Benson. Before that I was in Ogallala, NE. I have also lived in Euless, TX, I have traveled all over the US and parts of Europe. Does Oklahoma's Ozarks look like the Alps? No. Do we have a Grand Canyon? No. Can you buy a beach front home in Tulsa and watch the whales? Of course not, but Oklahoma is not simple, boring or ugly.

I don't know maybe it just me. I guess I'm just simpler than you are.

The_Sage1 · 05-19-2010, 01:18 AM

okie1962 - east Oklahoma is way more scenic than about anything in Nebraska. But then I prefer more green with lots of trees, hills and rivers.
Everyone has their own standards. I don't like barren, tree-less places and I like bigger cities and populations. Most of Kansas, the Dakotas, Nebraska(with a few exceptions) are pretty ugly to me. The western plains to me are ugly and they get uglier the closer you get to the mountains. I once drove from Nebraska through western Kansas, the OK panhandle and through the TX panhandle and it was the most boring drive ever. I'm glad that Tulsa is a pretty green looking city.