Things to Do in Tulsa
Tulsa Things To Do Guide
Busting myths is what Tulsa is all about. Yes, there are some hills and yes, there are definitely things to do in Tulsa. From the quirky to the artsy and a bit of nightlife to boot, Tulsa has a little bit for everyone. And while a trip to Tulsa might not be on the top of everybody's bucket list, don't discount this city of surprises without exploring it first. Even some residents may not know of the gems hidden here.
The Philbrook museum is just one of many incredible Tulsa attractions. Built by an oil tycoon in the ‘20s, this beautiful Italian Renaissance-styled villa houses collections of European art from the 19th century, Japanese art from the Edo period, and works by famous artists, such as Picasso and Chagall. After viewing artistic masterpieces, step oustide and explore 23 acres of extraordinary gardens on foot. The gardens are so serene, the museum regularly schedules outdoor Pilates, yoga, and meditation classes there.
Looking for an only-in-Tulsa photo op? Check out the world's tallest free-standing statue. The Golden Driller is a 73-foot testimony that there is some quirky stuff in Tulsa. The Driller stands posed with a real old-school oil derrick under his palm at Tulsa’s Expo Square on 21st Street.
Tulsa days turn into Tulsa nights. When the sun falls, everyone with a pulse will be looking for stuff to do in Tulsa. Go check out the heartbeart of Tulsa's nightlife in Brookside. An extensive range of eateries and watering holes exist along South Peoria Avenue. Places like Cosmos serve up the whole range of cocktails, complete with a menu sporting vegetarian and gluten-free items in a sophisticated, artsy setting.
Enjoy a day and night out in Tulsa, a great city with plenty of quirks and plenty to do. It's offbeat, it's not not entirely flat, and it sits right in the middle of America.
Things to Do Deals
Engage 2 Dance
- LaFortune Community Center
Instructors lead energized, simple dance moves during Zumba classes; Zumba Sentao classes feature chair-based choreography
Tulsa Yoga Therapy
- Tulsa
Slow-moving postures ease students with chronic pain or limited experience into fluid and strength-building yoga practice
Fitness Protection Program
- East Tulsa
Trainers lead 40-minute workout circuits that incorporate calisthenics, partner exercises, and props such as stability balls
The Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art
- South Peoria
Paintings, ancient artifacts, multihued tapestries, and educational tools fill two floors in a museum dedicated to Jewish culture
The Tulsa Stained Glass Company
- Tulsa
Three-hour stained-glass class introduces students to the basics of crafting stained-glass pieces
Recommended Things to Do by Groupon Customers
In 1960, Floyd Farley and Randy Heckenkemper’s vision for the LaFortune Park Golf Course facility’s championship course came to fruition, bringing to life a picturesque design of rolling bermuda-grass fairways unfurling in front of bentgrass greens guarded by bunkers. Heckenkemper recently returned to renovate the links’ water hazards and grassy contours, which contribute to a layout that’s both unique and challenging enough to earn the title of Tulsa’s Best Golf Course from Urban Tulsa Weekly, an award that even Meryl Streep hasn’t won.
The same deciduous trees that shade the championship course’s greens also thrive at LaFortune’s 18-hole executive course, whose shorter fairways save time for postround drinks or lunch at the club’s North Dining Room. Even when the sun is vacationing in the Andromeda galaxy, golfers can still play through the par 3 layout thanks to the course’s ample lighting, which illuminates the streams that split seven fairways and demand strong carries from golfers, and the tricky bentgrass greens, most of which are hemmed by bunkers.
Before embarking on 18-hole outings or whacking balls from one of 80 hitting stations on the driving range, golfers can gear up at the golf shop. Named one of America’s 100 Best Clubfitters by Golf Digest, the shop’s team of experts includes Callaway, Titleist, and Ping specialists and a repair technician with more than two decades of experience in mending putters gnawed on by nervous caddies. To perfect their swings, players can attend lessons run by PGA teaching professionals that rely on a vector launch monitor and V1 digital coaching software to improve students’ form.
Championship Course at a Glance:
- 18-hole, par 72 course
- Course rating of 73.9
- Slope rating of 124
- Total length of 6,938 yards from the back tees
- Four tee options
- See the scorecard
Executive Course at a Glance:
- 18-hole, par 3 course
- Total length of 2,461 yards
- See the scorecard
The Tulsa Air and Space Museum & Planetarium hosts a bevy of actual aircrafts, hands-on exhibits, and displays highlighting the high points in aerial travel and discovery. The Space Maneuvering Unit gives folks a feel for what it’s like to operate in the weightlessness of outer space, with such workday tasks as laser target practice and wrangling evil sentient computers. Star searchers and skywalkers alike can push a button to run an 18-cylinder radial engine or marvel at the same type of fighter jet that Tom Cruise spun in Top Gun. At the planetarium's ESky Theater, multi-media displays, such as the currently showing Extreme Planets, take viewers on computer-animated journeys through space and time, past a multitude of stars, planets, satellites, and cosmic roadside photo-ops such as the biggest ball of interstellar yarn. BIG show audiences can voyage into the farthest observable reaches of the universe and return to Tulsa with minimal shuttle lag. Check out the planetarium's main page for a schedule of each month's shows.
In 1926, oilman Waite Phillips commissioned a Renaissance-style villa on his 23 acres of Tulsa land. Finished in 1927, the structure served as his home until 1938, when Phillips decided to focus on a different kind of oil: oil painting. He converted his 72-room mansion and all 23 acres into the Philbrook Museum of Art, which houses an extensive collection to this day.
Its international pieces range from African word sculptures and an 18th-century Chinese porcelain docai vase to funerary objects flanking an Egyptian mummiform coffin. From its homeland, the Philbrook showcases Native American basketry and paintings spanning the 18th through 21st centuries, including 15 works by Andrew Wyeth. Outside, the museum's remaining acreage hosts a lush garden whose trails run alongside native Oklahoma plants and plants that relocated to Oklahoma after college.
Along with permanent and rotating exhibitions, the Philbrook stakes its claim as a cultural hub with interactive, enlightening programs and events. In the summer, these include daytime art camps for six- to 12-year-olds and a nighttime film series that screens features in the garden.
Check out the seating chart and call ahead to reserve the best available seats. Your two tickets will be waiting at will call on the date of your chosen performance.
The Gift Garden tends a diverse patch of trinkets, apparel, gift baskets, and more to resolve any tricky coefficient that confounds your gifting formula. Colorful candles line the store's bright walls. Because scent is hard-wired to memory, grab an Original Man Candle ($9.99) to attach the fragrance of bacon, french fries, or football to your thought bubble, or craft your own signature aroma at the bath and body Scenting Station, where any mixture of 150 scents can be branded into bath and body wares. Bequeath a fashionable gambler with the Lolita Bunco Game ($24.99), which outfits the classic game with a feather-boa bell and pink dice. Babies and their bearers go gaga for The Gift Garden's onesies and Pacimals, which join medical-grade pacifiers with soft stuffed animals to help boost an infant's coordination and promote giraffe relations ($19.99). The microfiber, monogrammable quilted tote bag ($21.99) looks elegant with a purse hanger ($8). Upon completion of your gifting journey, The Gift Garden's friendly staff will provide a decorative gift bag free of charge.
Inner Peace Yoga challenges newbies and advanced yogis with a bevy of group yoga classes in traditional and modern yoga fusion styles. The custom-designed facility boasts a gleaming, 1,077-square-foot yoga floor built from Lisbon natural cork, a forgiving material ideal for cushioning feet during challenging standing poses or stoppering up an equally limb-loosening bottle of vino. The studio’s diverse staff of instructors teaches numerous yoga styles, including traditional Ashtanga, which hones mind and body by focusing students’ thoughts on aligning breath and movement during a flowing series of postures that tests pupils’ muscles and concentration. Deep-stretch yoga classes accommodate students of all abilities, including those recovering from injuries, with a gentle flexibility-focused session to ease tight areas and leave the body relaxed and humming show tunes. Yoga Jam, which unfortunately doesn't involve canned preserves, fuses energetic, sweat-breaking yoga movements with upbeat music for an invigorating, if toast-free, workout.
