Creative energy combines with local Midwestern Charm in this historic town on Route 66.
If his Oklahoma-born son, Woody Guthrie, could write a song about Tulsa today, he would sing about vibrant creativity, enterprising entrepreneurs and friendly locals, an idealized portrait of the American genre that he immortalized by singing This Land is Your Land. From its magnificent Art Deco architecture to trendy cafes, boutiques, breweries and bars, Tulsa has everything you would expect from a trip to the cowboy territories, especially this city once known for its place in American history as the end of the road to tears. This is mainly due to a huge ongoing investment made in the city by George Kaiser, a native of Tulsa and former public school, billionaire banker and oilman turned philanthropist. (More on that in a second.) Here are some places to visit and things to do to gather the history of the city and the newfound energy.
1. Meet at the meeting point
It’s really not easy to describe the meeting place, which stretches over 100 acres along the Arkansas River. This is a theme park, a public park, a recreation center. It embodies a five-acre state-of-the-art playground that resembles a German fairy-tale forest, an elegant Lodge community center with a huge fireplace and free Wi-Fi, as well as a Skatepark, sports fields, nature trails, a maze-like “sensory garden” for children with interactive and multisensory functions, two, a water playground with devices that spray water seven meters into the air, family restaurants and concession stands, green areas and much more. Million Gathering Place was developed by the George Kaiser Family Foundation, making it the largest private gift to a public park in U.S. history.
2. Get your kicks
Among the many changes that Route 66 has undergone since its creation as one of the original roads of the country in 1926, the most recent have included the closure of old street restaurants, and although many monuments remain, others have disappeared over time. This is the name of the revival that Mary Beth Babcock erected in May road attraction Buck Atom Space Cowboy, a 21-foot-tall fiberglass Statue, like an astronaut cartoon standing in front of her shop, Buck Atom’s Cosmic Souvenirs on 66. It is a tribute to a time when these powerful “silent men” guarded the road from Chicago to Los Angeles.His retro style is part of his shop, a treasure trove of books, figurines and various gifts reminiscent of the Atomic era. This is just one of the stops on the Walk on the historic Tulsa Street. Exit the city center, where it is called 11th Street, and pass a cemetery founded in 1902, the charming modern household goods and furniture store Jenkins & Co. the legendary Teaches Meadow Gold, which has already tried to give travelers the promise of ice cream, and a group of stores, including Buck Atom’s, an Opportunity record store, a vintage clothing store and a furniture depot made from restored materials. Finish your visit at Soul City, a lively old-school Bar with indoor and outdoor stages and live music every night.
3. see where Art and history meet
You can visit the Philbrook Museum to admire Renaissance paintings, works by Rodin, Picasso and Pueblo artists, as well as many other beautiful and ancient works of art. You can take a walk in the extensive, carefully landscaped gardens. Or you might get an idea of how Oklahoma’s oil tycoons lived when Tulsa was the Saudi Arabia Of the West. The Philbrook, about three miles from the city center, occupies a 72-room Italian Renaissance mansion founded as the residence of Waite Phillips, the tycoon who owned Philips Oil. In 1938, Philips and his wife donated the Villa to the city as an art center, and the building itself is as much an attraction as the works it contains. He obviously did not save on construction costs – teak floors, marble fireplaces, ornate ceilings, Corinthian columns. His passion for beautiful things is also reflected in the downtown buildings that he financed. The Philtower and the Philcade, masterpieces of Art Deco, are grandiose office buildings that still anchor the roofs of the city.
