bugsy running on lone rock beach with the airstream and f-150 in the background

One night in Tulsa, OK–Big Trip #4

We were in Tulsa in early November 2022, as part of Big Trip #4. Read about our second visit in 2023 here.

greetings from Tulsa mural
Bugsy sends greetings from Tulsa

Tulsa’s not quiiiite on the way home to VA from AZ, but it’s well worth the extra hour of driving if you’re traveling I-40 through Oklahoma, as we were when heading from Sayre to a lakefront park in western Arkansas. In addition to its important African-American history, it has neat Art Deco architecture, a healthy brewery scene, and the nicest city park we’d ever seen. And Tulsa is the birthplace of Route 66, who knew?

Bugsy admiring koi at Gathering Place
Bugsy making friends at Gathering Place

Tulsa is the second-largest city in Oklahoma, and is the center of the state’s arts and culture scene, with museums, ballet, symphony, opera, theater, and music festivals. There’s a zoo, aquarium, the incredible city park, and miles of paved multi-use paths. We were delighted by how cool Tulsa is and how much there was to do there!

Campground

the Airstream in our campsite in Tulsa
our campsite at the back of the parking lot at West Bend RV Outpost

We stayed at West Bend RV Outpost, one of the quirkier campgrounds we’ve visited. It’s a self-described “intergalactic RV outpost” on the grounds of a large art-focused shared warehouse/co-working space/event venue. The campground itself is basically a parking lot next to the compound’s refurbished industrial buildings. We had full hookups, friendly neighbors (our fellow campers seemed to be mostly long-term residents), and a short drive into town. From the campground you can easily jump on Tulsa’s awesome network of bike paths to ride/run/walk downtown or along the river.

The folks behind West Bend RV Outpost were putting the finishing touches on a new campground just up the road, Honcho Park, and it seems to be open now. It’s bigger than West Bend, next to a dog park and 80-acre Newblock Park, and even closer to town on the bike path. We’ll try to stay there next time we come through, and if you want to visit Honcho Park without an RV, you can rent a vintage yacht!

Exploring

Arkansas River view from Riverparks East trail
the Arkansas River from Riverparks East Trail

Only having an afternoon and a morning to see the sights, we crammed in as much touristing as we could and explored Black Wall Street, the Art Deco district, and Gathering Place, an incredible city park.

black wall st mural
brown dog at Black Wall Street

Our first order of business in Tulsa was a walking tour of the historic Greenwood District, also known as Black Wall Street, one of the most affluent African-American communities in the US before it was destroyed in 1921. We stopped into the Greenwood Cultural Center to look at the photography exhibit and pick up a brochure for a self-guided walk through Greenwood, which introduced us to eighteen important sites in the history of Greenwood and the Tulsa Race Massacre.

black wall street memorial
Black Wall Street Memorial listing unpaid damage claims

Over two days in 1921, white rioters attacked Black residents of Greenwood and burned down more than 35 blocks of the community, killing up to 300 people and leaving 10,000 Black residents homeless. Survivors rebuilt the neighborhood and Greenwood thrived until the 60s, when integration and urban renewal led to a slow decline. Greenwood is now home to two universities, a minor league baseball team, a history museum, and numerous monuments and memorials.

Philtower building
Art Deco Philtower Building

From Greenwood, we headed downtown for another walking tour, this time of Art Deco buildings in the Central Business District. In the 1920s, oil barons in the “Oil Capital of the World” poured a lot of money into their flashy buildings downtown, giving Tulsa a high concentration of fun Art Deco examples.

Bugsy overlooking the pond at Gathering Place
the pond at Gathering Place

Just east of downtown, along the Arkansas River, is an incredible city asset: Gathering Place, a 100-acre park with a massive and crazy-creative playground, ball fields, tennis/pickleball courts, a couple cafes, a picnic lawn, a pond with free boats, educational activities… It’s really something and we were in awe as we walked around.

running Riverparks East trail
running on the Riverparks East trail

I’ve mentioned Tulsa’s super bike paths a few times already, and they really are super. We could have ridden all over town from our campground if we’d had bikes; instead, we went for a run from Honcho Park campground on the Newblock Trail to the Riverparks East Trail along the Arkansas River. The Riverparks East and West Trails follow the river on both sides for miles and we saw lots of people out enjoying the scenery.

Eating and drinking

Breweries

J had identified eleven breweries in his research, and narrowed down his top three: Welltown, American Solera, and Heirloom Rustic Ales. He bases his choices on beer lists (we favor hazy IPAs and sours), a cool atmosphere (pictures look like it’s a taproom and not a family restaurant), and a functional and not-ugly website (which demonstrates pride in the business–you’d be surprised at how many terrible brewery websites are out there).

flamingo beer at Heirloom Rustic
beer at Heirloom Rustic; I cannot refuse a beer can with a flamingo on it

Our first brewery was Heirloom Rustic Ales, where we tried one gose, and they didn’t have any hazy IPAs on tap, contrary what their beer list said. The beer was ok, but the taproom was gorgeous–I would like my house to be decorated that way.

American Solera patio beers
patio beers at American Solera

Next, we went to American Solera where they had a bunch of beers we wanted to try: three sours and four hazies, including a collaboration with our favorite Charlotte brewery, Resident Culture. The beers were yummy, and this taproom was also lovely. I wish more breweries would put plants and funky furniture in their taprooms!

We didn’t get to Welltown; someone at our campground said to skip it, but a patron at Heirloom said to go, so we’ll keep it on the to-do list. Plus, they have a rooftop bar, and I’m a sucker for a rooftop bar.

Non-breweries

popcorn salad at Palace Cafe
vegan “ceviche” topped with popcorn at Palace Cafe

A few restaurants had appealed to us when googling, and we landed on Palace Café for Tapas Tuesday. Not sure if it’s every Tapas Tuesday or just ours, but the entire menu was vegan. J was disappointed, but I was perfectly happy eating veggies and drinking fall-themed cocktails and admiring the Christmas tree and listening to Christmas music. The Cherry Street corridor outside seemed to have a lot going on and might be worth more investigating.

Ike's Chili on Route 66
Ike’s Chili on Route 66

Don’t worry, J got his meat. Before leaving town, we went to Ike’s Chili, Tulsa’s oldest restaurant, to stock the Airstream with chili. Ike’s has been using the same chili recipe since 1908, and it still feels like a cool old-timey greasy spoon. Bonus for RV travelers: they sell 2-lb. bags of frozen chili that are perfect for stacking in a tiny freezer.

Foolish Things coffee shop
Foolish Things coffeeshop

On the way to Gathering Place, we stopped at Foolish Things for coffee/matcha and breakfast burritos. The veggie burrito was delish, and the cafe looked like a good place to chill with coffee and a laptop. They run several different pop-up restaurants out of their kitchen in the evenings–checking those out is on our to-do list.

To do

Route 66 sign in Tulsa
Route 66 sign near the river

We’re happy to now have Tulsa as an option for a fun stop when crossing the country! Here are some activities we missed this trip, or tips we were given by locals:

Activities

Eating

Drinking

Comments

3 responses to “One night in Tulsa, OK–Big Trip #4”

  1. […] was looking at the map along I-40 to find our next overnight between Tulsa and Memphis, and he zeroed in on a recreation area on a lake in western Arkansas, not far from the […]

  2. […] We visited Tulsa in December 2023 as part of our Tucson for Christmas trip. Read about our previous visit in 2022 here. […]

  3. […] to stay in Palo Duro for two nights, but decided to shove off early to get some miles in toward Tulsa, our next target. The campsite was already paid for, though, so we were able to do the Kiowa Trail […]

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