Tulsa has Art Deco, legit tiki bars, and a helluva lot of main character energy.
Tulsa , Oklahoma — also known as T - Town , Tulsey Town , the 918 , the Buckle of the Bible Belt , orGreen area — is a minuscule city with a surprising amount of culture , good luck charm , and unexpected delight . Since the 1920s , Tulsa has been a major player in the oil industry , so all the Johnny Cash from mining that black gold has helped infuse the metropolis with a vibrant artwork prospect , noteworthy food and drink organization , and some genuinely unequalled architecture.The zigzag to Oklahoma ’s zag , Tulsa has long been a more eccentric , artsy , and offbeat urban house of cards in the state ’s northeast realm , known as Green Country . sandwich between the Ozark Mountains and the Osage Hills , with the Arkansas River cascading through it , the metropolis is as unexpectedly lush as the name suggests , but the surprises here go well beyond the verdure .
As singular a city as they come , Tulsa is the variety of place that differentiates itself at every turn . Like an dental amalgam of different town and acculturation smooshed together , it ’s a city where you could observe a Hollywood - style Walk of Fame , slews ofJames Beard - suitable eating house , aLord of the Rings - looking cave house , a museum urge altogether by a Tom Cruise motion picture , enough Art Deco to rival South Beach , and a skyscraper designed as a near - accurate replica of New York City ’s World Trade Center — albeit exactly half the size .
Tulsa is unlike its nearby grown sister , Oklahoma City , which feel unquestionably modern and metropolitan in comparison . Tulsa is more like the Portland of the Great Plains : adorably eldritch and unconventional , unafraid to color outside the lines and take risks . Like many city in politically conservative DoS , Tulsa shine as a beacon light of diversity , inclusion , eccentricity , and undefendable - mindedness that might not be the first thing that pop out to intellect when believe of Oklahoma .
Looks like the center of the universe to me.|Sean Pavone/iStock Editorial/Getty Images
Oh , and Tulsa is patently theCenter of the Universe … if you know where to find it . Okay we ’ll differentiate you : a nondescript walkway business district , marked by a blink - and - you’ll - miss - it concrete circle . If you stand in the midriff of the circle and speak , your echo will reverberate at a much high delivery , while anyone outside the roach supposedly would n’t discover a thing . Whatever the unexplained reason for this weird acoustical vortex and whether or not Tulsa is indeed the nerve center of the universe , it ’s clear that this is one city not lack in quirk waiting to be heard , seen , tasted , and discovered .
Travel time:4 time of day from Dallas , Texas
If you only do one thing: marvel at iconic architecture
Tulsa is signally one of the most larger-than-life cities for Art Deco computer architecture , with 63 listed buildings — from houses and hotels to theaters and towboat — spanning the metro orbit with many edifice accessible to the public . Tulsa also boast other noteworthy architecture that is worth experiencing . fount in point : theCave House . Situated on a tree diagram - line Benny Hill , the construction do as a by - appointment mini - museum offering tours of its smelly confines , absurdly unconscionable stairs , and narrow hallways seemingly designed for hobbits . It ’s also reportedly obsess by a ghost who steals keys , so keep an optic on your pockets .
On the diametrical end of the spectrum is the BOK Tower , a 667 - understructure , 52 - account skyscraper that bears a striking resemblance to New York City ’s World Trade Center . That ’s because it was designed by the same architect , Minoru Yamasaki & Associates , and stand on the button half the height of the Twin Towers , steel column and all . The visual aspect of the construction may elicit goosebumps or moments of silence because it can transport anyone who follow the September 11 , 2001 , events unfold on television .
Fill your days:
Channel your inner film nerd
Circle Cinemais an indie arthouse theater and art gallery that ’s been screening flicks since 1928 , make believe it the oldest movie house in town . Now a non - profit theatre ( the only historic arthouse theater of its variety in Tulsa ) that also features guest speakers , educational events , venire word , and residential area - conscious computer programming , it ’s the kind of place where you’re able to feel skillful about seeingInside Out 2for the sixth time . Then there ’s the Circle Cinema ’s Walk of Fame out front , a Hollywood - esque ode to actors , musicians , and movie maker who have connections to Oklahoma in one vague way or another . Honorees start the gamut from the expected ( Kristin Chenoweth , Reba McEntire ) to the much less expected ( Gary Busey , Ron Howard ) . Heck , next clip you ’re at trivia night , it may come in ready to hand to know that Brad Pitt was deliver in Shawnee , Oklahoma .
One of the most famed films ever made in Tulsa , Francis Ford Coppola’sThe Outsiderswas such a big batch that the 1983 movie now has its own museum . Thanks to its cult following , the house that served as a primary filming emplacement has transformed befittingly enough intoThe Outsiders House Museum . Diehard Coppola stans can go behind - the - scene in an intimate context filled with memorabilia and rare photographs . Perhaps Martin Scorcese’sKillers of the Flower Moonwill one daytime have a Tulsa museum of its own , too .
Delve into Tulsa’s arts and music scenes
medicine is also part of the DNA of Tulsa ’s culture . It ’s a city full-bodied withrock & roll loreand home to both aWoody Guthrie Center(a museum and archive ) and theBob Dylan Center . Rolling Stone even thinks Tulsa ’s got the musical stuff to become the next Austin . You ’ll hear alive euphony all over town on any night of the week , but make certain to schedule your Tulsa trip around a concert at the iconicCain ’s Ballroom , which celebrates 100 age of euphony in 2024 .
Want to learn an aesthetic skill while you ’re in town?Tulsa Glassblowing Schoolin theTulsa Arts Districtoffers fun shop if you have time to spare . Or , because you ’re route - tripping already , take a enlistment of Tulsa ’s section of historic Route 66 , where you ’ll find out incredible retro preindication and motor lodge , theGolden Drillerstatue , and the delightfully oddballBlue WhaleorBuck Atom ’s Cosmic Curios . The latter is a wonderland of odd sundries and large - than - animation statuette in an onetime gas place as an detailed homage to Route 66 and the all - American road trip .
For a deeper , more intimate diving into Tulsa ’s musical interest , swing byThe Church Studio , a historic stone Christian church - turned - show studio apartment for Leon Russell and Shelter Records . The building itself dates back to 1915 , serving as a series of different church building until Russell purchased it in 1972 and turned it into a workshop for musicians , songwriters , and Isaac M. Singer , include the the likes of of Stevie Wonder , Willie Nelson , Jimmy Buffett , and Tom Petty .
Today , the stone - clad relic is a kind of museum , open to the world for historic tours that showcase the origins of the Tulsa Sound . This queer melodic music genre — credit to the the like of Leon Russell — fuse elements of rockabilly , blue , res publica , rock & roll , and swamp rock-and-roll .
Eat, Drink, Sleep:
Where to eat and drink in Tulsa
Tulsa has go forth as an up - and - coming food fan ’ paradise . Steakhouses are nothing new in this chicken - electrocute part of the country , but how about a Lebanese - possess , supper baseball club – stylus steakhouse ? AtJamil ’s Steakhouseyou can order a rib - centre with a side of tabouli , za’atar - spiced barbeque sauce , a sampler of rib and Bologna sausage , then baklava for dessert .
On the more contemporary side of thing , nestled in the alleyways of the eclectic Arts District , Bull in the Alleytakes a speakeasy - mode approach to steak . alternatively of the typically sprawl and flashy steakhouse guide , you ’ll see no signage and no social media comportment , just a minimalist website as secretive as a Beyoncé music drop . An easier - to - witness eatery nearby also worth visiting , The Tavernmakes an ideal stoppage for brunch , Sunday night fried chicken , or an lenient tasting menu at theChef ’s Tablein the heart of the high-pitched - energy kitchen . For something a little more low - brow , it would n’t be a right sojourn to Tulsa without checking outConey Island Hot Weiners , the city ’s oldest red-hot dog eating place , where they make their Orcinus orca chili fresh every day .
Tulsa is also surprisingly home to one of the rural area ’s cool , real - deal tiki prevention . Saturn Roomhas the masterful mixology and immersive kitsch ofthe best tiki bars in the land . Duet Jazz Restaurantserves a full menu , but pop in for live music on the terrace and a few craft cocktails for an gratifying breakage from city exploration . Pick your favorite birdcall from the jukebox at the best kind of dive taproom , Caz ’s Pub , where cheap , potent drunkenness work smiles to brass and self-generated dance move the longer you stay . Or go to a nightclub with a real dance floor , a brisk LGBTQ hangout calledClub Majestic Tulsa .
Tulsa is defined by Art Deco. And all other kinds of “unique” construction.|Vineyard Perspective/Shutterstock
Where to stay in Tulsa
know the art deco life while you ’re overnighting in Tulsa with a stay at the circa-1927Tulsa Club Hotel , Curio Collection by Hilton . Similarly , Ambassador Hotel Tulsa , Autograph Collection(built in 1929 ) and theMayo Hotel(built in 1925 ) also extend a unseamed portmanteau word of historical computer architecture , modern amenities , and a slight luxury after a foresighted day on the town .
Circle Cinema is an indie theater.|Photo by Valerie Wei-Haas for Thrillist
Courtesy Visit Tulsa
The Church Studio might be the most original recording studio space ever.|Photo by Valerie Wei-Haas for Thrillist
Tiki galore at Saturn’s Room.|Photo by Valerie Wei-Haas for Thrillist
