When choosing a hotel in Tulsa, a good starting point is deciding what you want to focus on during your stay: Route 66 and city history, garden art, or outdoor trails. The city offers a range of themes and activities, from historical exhibits to unpaved trails.
Route 66 and City History
The Route 66 section in Tulsa is 28 miles long. It includes neon signs, souvenir shops, dining options, and photo stops. This mix makes the historic highway a theme in its own right when planning a trip: you can be interested in the signs, the shops, the food, or the photo opportunities without needing to follow a set itinerary.
Greenwood Rising tells the story of Tulsa’s historic Greenwood District through a holistic, immersive museum experience. Visitors can learn about the district’s founders and discover more about Greenwood’s early urban planning and economic rise. The “Arc of Oppression” gallery focuses on the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Together, these topics offer different ways to explore the district’s history: its founding and development, as well as the event addressed by the gallery.
At the Woody Guthrie Center, there is a Lyric Writing Station where you can write your own song verses and submit them to the database. The Center also preserves the original handwritten lyrics to “This Land is Your Land.” Here, creative participation and a tangible piece of songwriting history come together.
Garden Art and Sculptures
The Philbrook Gardens cover 25 acres. Their design combines Italian, English, and French garden iconography with plants native to the region. The garden motifs therefore draw on more than one design tradition, while regional plants are also part of the concept. The Westby Sculpture Walk offers a different emphasis: it features three-dimensional works by artists from around the world. Art enthusiasts can experience it outdoors in two distinct ways—as a landscaped garden and as a sculpture walk.
Parks and Trails: Surfaces and Route Options
Tulsa’s park system includes 135 parks covering more than 6,500 acres. River Parks has 26 miles of paved trails along the Arkansas River in Tulsa. The eastern section of the River Parks trails is nine miles long and runs from 11th Street near downtown south to 101st Street. The total trail length and the details about this eastern section offer different reference points for finding your way around.
Trail surfaces also vary: River Parks offers paved trails, while Turkey Mountain has 45 miles of unpaved trails for hiking, mountain biking, and trail running. Turkey Mountain is also home to Rock Yard Bike Park. It spans three acres of hillside and features dirt jumps designed specifically for mountain bikes. The options described therefore range from paved trails to unpaved trails and a dedicated area for mountain bikes.
Gathering Place is Tulsa’s riverfront park, offering attractions and programs for all ages with no admission fee. Pedestrian access to Gathering Place is available via the River Parks trails; the Midland Valley Trail provides access to the east entrance. These details describe two specific points of reference for getting there on foot.
More Experiences
At the Tulsa Zoo, guests can use the Oklahoma Central Credit Union Nature Exchange: natural items found outdoors can be exchanged for objects from the collection. Another activity on offer is a ride on the Safari Train through the zoo. The two activities differ in nature: the Nature Exchange centers on trading natural items, while the Safari Train offers a ride through the zoo.
Discover more destinations: Glenpool, Owasso, Jenks, Broken Arrow, Sand Springs.
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