About Tulsa

Tulsa, Oklahoma is a vibrant city, full of unique places to eat and things to see. If you bring along your family and they’re not participating in the Vintage Sewing Event, they will have plenty to do.  Visit http://www.visittulsa.com/ for more ideas on what to do in Tulsa and to download the Tulsa Visitor’s Guide.

The weather in Tulsa in April can be cooler and rainy or warmer and sunny. Check the local forecast before you pack.  The historical average temperature for early April is a high of 69°F and a low of 46°F.

Tulsa is on Central Time.

The below descriptions include text directly from the referenced websites. Inaccuracies or concerns should be reported to the owners of those sites.

Gathering Place

Gathering place is a world class riverfront park designed to welcome all Tulsans to a vibrant and inclusive public space that engages, educates and excites!  It is open from 9AM to 10PM and is located at 2650 S John Williams Way E Tulsa, OK 74114, off of 31st and Riverside Drive. Gathering Place is entirely free to the public.

For more information, visit the website or see: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/10/arts/design/tulsa-park-gathering-place.html

Aquarium

The Oklahoma Aquarium, in nearby Jenks, is open year-round from 10:00AM to 6:00PM. Please visit their website for current exhibits and admission fees.

Tulsa Zoo

The Tulsa Zoo was built in 1928 and is located at 4099 Chickasaw Drive, Tulsa OK 74115.  It is open from 9:00AM to 5:00PM. Please visit their website for current exhibits and admission fees.

Art Deco Architecture

Throughout the city you’ll find Art Deco churches, schools, gas stations, dry cleaners, and residences designed by such masters as Bruce Goff, Francis Barry Byrne and Frank Lloyd Wright. On the south side of downtown stands one of the most celebrated examples of Tulsa’s Art Deco treasures: Boston Avenue Methodist Church. The Tulsa Historical Society is a great source for locating all of these Art Deco masterpieces, which you can explore on your own or enjoy via a very affordable guided tour.

The Center of the Universe

One unique feature of Tulsa is the Center of the Universe. Located at 20 E. Archer Street, this is one of the few places in the world where you can experience an acoustical vortex.

Cain’s Ballroom

Cain’s Ballroom was built in 1924 at 423 North Main Street.  The highlight of the ballroom is a historic maple, spring loaded dance floor designed in a “log cabin” or concentric square pattern. Cain’s is known throughout the music industry as not only “The Home of Bob Wills,” but also as the “Carnegie Hall of Western Swing.”

Philbrook Museum of Art

Philbrook has two locations, one downtown and one in the original 1920’s Philbrook mansion. Visitors wishing to conduct posed photography sessions (portrait, prom, group, proposal, etc.) in the Gardens during regular museum hours may do so with the purchase of an Open-Hours Photography Permit.  See the webpage for more information.

Gilcrease Museum of Art

Located at 1400 N Gilcrease Museum Rd, the Thomas Gilcrease Institute of American History and Art is one of the country’s best facilities for the preservation and study of American art and history. The museum houses the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of art and artifacts of the American West, including an unparalleled collection of Native American art and material.  The museum is open 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. The museum is closed on Mondays and Christmas Day. For more information, please call 918-596-2700.

Brady Theater

Located at 105 W M.B. Brady St., the Brady Theater was completed in 1914 and remodeled in 1930 into an Art Deco showplace. Please visit their website or call 918.582.7239 for information on tickets and shows.

Greenwood Cultural Center

Dubbed America’s “Black Wall Street” by none other than noted author and educator Booker T. Washington, the 35-block Greenwood District surrounding the corner of Greenwood Avenue and Archer Street became a prosperous center for black commerce in the early 1900s. A hotbed for jazz and blues, and the site where Count Basie first encountered big-band jazz, the Greenwood District was the richest African-American neighborhood in North America.

Today, the Greenwood Historical District showcases its heritage through pictorial exhibits at the Greenwood Cultural Center (located at 322 N Greenwood Ave) and the Mabel B. Little Heritage House.  Free guided tours can be scheduled by calling the John Hope Franklin Center for Reconciliation (JHFCR), housed in the Greenwood Cultural Center.  JHFCR can be reached at 918.295.5009.