I was awoken yesterday morning (ok, afternoon) by my friend Savannah who said that her and Jennifer are going to come visit me this weekend to help celebrate my last weekend in the South. In between shrieking with joy and jumping out of my bed, I had a thought. Where am I going to take them first?
Tulsa has been my home for most of my life. It's one of those cities where people don't think to visit. "Oh that's where Chandler worked when he got transferred" or "Tulsa time" or "Isn't that where Hanson is from?" Yes, I've heard it all. But the thing about this city is that it is still, even after being around the world and back, one of my favorite places to be, a place I will likely call home again in the future and a real gem of a city to live in. The thing about Tulsa is that we have a big of an identity issue. We're right smack dab in the middle of every geographical breakdown in the US. We're a the very northern tip of the south, the very southwestern tip of the Midwest and the very northeastern tip of the Southwest. We can't seem to figure out where we belong, and as such, we tend to just take what we like from each, and spit back the parts we don't.
The First 6 Places I Would Take a Visitor to in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Brookside
Brookside is one of those places that covers every category of things to do. It's essentially the "main street" of Tulsa (as far as I'm concerned) and is host to a slew of bars, restaurants, cute shops and lots of people. From about 32nd to 41st Street on Peoria, this area is my favorite choice for a night on the town. Must hit spots are:
- In the Raw - an amazing Sushi Bar in the old Dunwell Cleaners building (a sign they won't take down for the obvious play on words)
- The Brook - a great American style restaurant and bar in the old Brookside Theater building with good drink specials and an amazing Fried Chicken Wrap
- Brookside By Day - a breakfast/lunch place with the biggest Belgium Waffles you've ever seen and the best brunch in town
- Crow Creek Tavern - A staple on Brookside and a much different crowd than the rest of the area but a good bar stop nonetheless
- Claud's Burgers - This is still one of my favorite burger joints in the world. Simple, cheap and tiny, this place captures the old American burger hut
- Lambrusco'z - Not just a sandwich place. This is my favorite lunch spot in Tulsa with sandwiches, dips, hot lunches and hundreds of trinket shopping. They're also my favorite place to pick up dips and premade deserts and dishes for entertaining.
The Riverwalk
One of the newest additions to the Tulsa repertoire is a good one. Set right across from the gigantic Indian Casino (a great stop as well, if you're in for a little gambling, this casino is a really good one and close into town unlike the Hard Rock which can be a bit of a drive). The Riverwalk is basically a string of bars, restaurants and shops along the west bank of the Arkansas River in Jenks, America. In the summertime, this area is bustling. There are people strolling along the boardwalk on the river, outdoor concerts at Los Cabos (an awesome Mexican restaurant at the southern most point on the riverwalk) and also at the larger outdoor concert venue, not to mention the countless buskers who will line up on the park benches on the boardwalk.
Utica Square
Essentially, Utica Square is just an outdoor mall, but I still love it. There are a lots of great shops, and not just your typical mall stores, there are lots of local chains, boutiques and designer stores including a fun "rich person" spot Miss Jacksons, which I love to go in and pretend I can afford any of the $5,000 dresses on the hangers. Utica Square is also great for eating with some really delicious restaurants including a local favorite lunch spot Queenies, yummy American dinner food at Stonehorse Café and one of my still favorite local Mexican chains, Peppers. There are some great gardens and outdoor seating areas and a good Starbucks also if you just need a place to chill out, use wifi and people watch.
Philbrook Museum and Gardens
I'm not a huge museum person. Ok, I'm not really a museum person at all. I really enjoy making art, but not usually looking at it. But if you're into that kind of thing, especially western art, this is your spot. For me, Philbrook is more about the history of the huge Philbrook mansion. This is the former single family home of Waite Phillips of Phillips Petroleum Company (now a part of ConocoPhillips) and the 72 room building was home to him and his wife and children. In addition to the gigantic house, I really enjoy strolling in this dude's former backyard and gardens (23 acres in the middle of the city). In addition, as an extension, if you like gardens, two of my absolute FAVORITE parks/gardens in the city is the nearby Tulsa Rose Garden (guess what THEY have!) and adjoining Woodward Park with the famous Appeal to the Great Spirit sculpture. Don't forget to rub the pony's nose for good luck!
Good Old Fashioned Southern/Mexican Cookin'
I love food. And I looooove love eating in Tulsa. I feel like we have such a great setup of restaurants and as such, when I return, food is usually the first thing on my mind. My favorite restaurant spots you must stop at are:
- Senor Tequilas - Amazing authentic Mexican food with the biggest Margaritas I've ever seen
- Rib Crib - My favorite BBQ in town, as a chain, there are several locations and its just so scrumptious
- Ron's Hamburgers - Another staple in town and one of my favorite burger joints with some amazing fry seasoning
- Brothers Houligan - Good old fashioned southern home cooking with amazing chicken fried steak and the best green beans in the world
- Coney Islander - It's a typical coney island style hotdog but I think we do it better than anyone, it's a chain but the downtown location is the best
- Nelson's - This used to be a downtown staple, but it's recently moved just east of downtown. This is as old fashioned home cookin' as you can get.
- Caz's Chowhouse - near the Brady Theater (a great old fashioned theater turned concert venue) this is just some good soul food. Best Chicken & Waffles in town.
A Bit of the Country
Looking for authentic country in the middle of the city? Look no further than the live music at Cain's Ballroom. Rock & Roll, Jazz, Country, Folk. Buy your tickets here.
One of my favorite things about Tulsa is that for all intents and purposes, it's a big city. With almost 1 million people in the metro area, we have all of the amenities of a big city, big shopping malls, big stores, traffic, universities and huge school districts. But somehow, we really manage to be able to keep ahold of our identity and our history. There are so many things about Tulsa that are difficult to see as a foreigner. One of the most amazing things I've seen was a tribal dance at a pow-wow when I was in high school. Trips up to Woolaroc and the old oil museums in Claremore or the Tallgrass Prairie with the largest wild American buffalo population in the world. But there's a way to see a bit of the country right in the city, and that's with a bit of good old fashion two-steppin', some line dancing and a bit of square dancing. Your best bet for this is in the country, and if you get a chance or an invite to a real country party, consider yourself lucky. But if not, there are a couple ways to cheat and still get to experience it. My first pick would be to go out to Discoveryland in Western Tulsa and see the outdoor performance of Oklahoma. It starts out with an old fashioned barbeque and ends with a locally performed but amazingly done outside performance of the play Oklahoma and ends under the starlight. If you don't have the time to go out there, but are lucky enough to catch it, my favorite country western concert venue is Cain's Ballroom which is an old famous Western bar converted to Country Music Hall which has been a venue to some of the greatest legends out there. Now, they have concerts by rock bands as well, but hold out for a lesser known country star and you're bound to see some amazing dancing. And worst case scenario (but still a good one) head out to Caravan Cattle Company. It is almost guaranteed to be trashy and smokey, but if you want to line dance or two-step, this is the place to do it.
Traveling to Tulsa can be interesting and most people don't give it a second glance. But if you're traveling cross country, and can muster a bit of a detour, or if you're looking for a classic stop on Route 66 (Tulsa was the birthplace of the famous Highway, after all), Tulsa is it.