Tour Stop: Tulsa, Oklahoma

Officially The Capital of Route 66^®, Tulsa has quirky charm, world-class amenities, cultural diversity, and something for everyone

Tulsa contains multitudes.

No matter what you are seeking for your next group adventure, you will find it in T-Town. From arts and culture at the immersive Philbrook Museum of Art and Tulsa Botanic Garden to music at inspirational venues like Cain’s Ballroom and the Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan Centers, to outdoor recreation and sunset-viewing at Gathering Place, Zink Lake, and Turkey Mountain, Oklahoma’s second-largest city offers a plethora of attractions and destinations, making it a perfect spot for group travel.

“There really is something for everyone in Tulsa,” says President of Tulsa Regional Tourism Renee McKenney. “It’s an ideal destination for group travelers seeking a varied, engaging experience, whether that’s in our great museums, restaurants, or exploring the 28 miles of the Mother Road as The Capital of Route 66^®.”

Mother Road Market, located on Route 66, is a vibrant space for unique dining, shopping, and events. Enjoy live music and a sunset view of the downtown Tulsa skyline on its huge back patio.

Route 66 runs right through downtown Tulsa, with arches bookending the East and West Gateways of town.

Greenwood Rising Black Wall St. History Center is an award-winning, world-class museum that preserves the memory of the casualties of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.

Once the estate of oilman Waite Phillips, Philbrook now houses a fine art museum and beautiful manicured gardens.

Gathering Place, Tulsa’s riverfront park, has attractions for groups of all ages, including Chapman Adventure Playground.

Buck Atom’s Cosmic Curios features the 21-foot-tall Buck Atom Muffler Man and the Stella Atom Space Cowgirl.

Day One: Tulsa Has Personality

Every itinerary of Tulsa must begin with Gathering Place. A two-time winner of USA Today’s “Best City Park” reader vote, the “park for all” in the middle of the city is truly one of a kind. When entering from the park’s north side, visitors walk past the stunning Williams Lodge into a collection of unique, inclusive, age-appropriate playgrounds. A large parking lot just south of one of the park’s 21 entry points—and directly across from its three full-size basketball courts—is perfect for motorcoaches and RVs.

Connected to Gathering Place—and brand-new in 2024—is the 3-mile recreational water feature Zink Lake. Created by a series of low-water dams on the Arkansas River, Zink Lake was a Tulsa project more than 50 years in the making. Visitors can kayak, canoe, row, stand-up paddle, and fish just minutes from city-center, and with four entry points, it’s easy for groups of all sizes to take advantage of the lake. 

Spanning across Zink Lake is Williams Crossing, a new, 1,440-foot-long pedestrian bridge that connects Gathering Place with Tulsa’s expansive River Parks trail system. This includes the 750-acre Turkey Mountain, a public park called an “untamed oasis in the heart of the city” that offers miles of trails for hiking, trail running, and mountain biking. 

Visitors can easily spend an entire day at the park before resting and recharging at one of several overnight accommodations located just minutes away in downtown Tulsa. Among them is the iconic The Mayo Hotel, a luxury boutique hotel built in 1925 that was recently featured prominently in the Paramount+ series Tulsa King. With more than 13,000 hotel rooms throughout the city, guests can enjoy other downtown options like Brut Hotel or the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Tulsa Downtown or drop their bags a little farther from city center, allowing guests to tailor their stay to where they plan to explore. 

“One of Tulsa’s biggest appeals is its diversity and accessibility,” says Kathleen Borgne, director of sales for the Tulsa Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Each area of the city has a different personality, and the infrastructure makes it incredibly convenient to explore for travel groups of any size.”

Tulsa insider

THE CAPITAL OF ROUTE 66^®

Tulsa is The Capital of Route 66^®. Home to the “Father of Route 66,” Cyrus Avery, Tulsa contains 28 miles of the Mother Road in the city limits. Quirky shops, roadside attractions, and more than 66 new neon signs line the Route in Tulsa.

STAY GOLD

The Outsiders, an iconic story that defined a generation, was written in Tulsa by S.E. Hinton in Will Rogers High School library. Visit The Outsiders House Museum for a behind-the-scenes look at the actual house from Francis Ford Coppola’s 1983 adaptation of the book, filmed in Tulsa.

THREE SOVEREIGN TRIBAL NATIONS

The Cherokee Nation, Osage Nation, and Muscogee (Creek) Nation each have sovereign tribal governments in Northeastern Oklahoma. Native stories told in film and TV like Killers of the Flower Moon or Reservation Dogs and historical sites like the Creek Council Oak Tree represent their vital contributions to Tulsa’s cultural fabric.

A FOODIE PARADISE

Tulsa’s culinary creativity runs the gamut, from swanky speakeasies to mouthwatering soul food and BBQ. Four chefs, restaurants, or entrepreneurs were nominated as 2025 James Beard Award Semifinalists. Whatever your palate seeks, you can find it in Tulsa.

Day Two: Tulsa Has Stories

After a restful night at one of the city’s fine hotels, travelers will be refreshed and ready to really dive into Tulsa—and often, that means music. Home to the legendary Tulsa Sound genre, Tulsa boasts live music every day and night of the year, whether it’s the next up-and-coming star at “benchmark music venue” Mercury Lounge; the iconic, 100-year-old Cain’s Ballroom; or the 19,000+-seat BOK Center. If visitors want to explore some of music’s past greats, the Woody Guthrie Center and Bob Dylan Center (adjacent to each other) are treasure troves of two giants of American music history. 

Two-time USA Today “Best Food Hall” Mother Road Market is the answer to “Where should we eat?” This nonprofit has something for everyone right on Route 66. 

Music is only a part of Tulsa’s varied, diverse story. The city doesn’t shy away from its history while looking toward the future. Once a thriving Black community in Tulsa in the early 1900s, the Historic Greenwood District was the site of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, one of the most horrific acts of racial violence in America’s history. Today, Historic Greenwood District has undergone significant revitalization and rejuvenation, and the award-winning, world-class Greenwood Rising Black Wall St. History Center tells its story in a holistic, experiential, narrative-driven way. 

In Walt Whitman’s 1855 poem “Song of Myself,” he writes, “I am large; I contain multitudes,” a phrase that suggests a vast, all-encompassing array of perspectives and experiences. No matter the purpose or goal of your group visit, the team at Visit Tulsa is ready to show you Tulsa’s “multitudes,” making sure your visit is incredible, unforgettable, and the first of many. For help planning your group tour, contact the team at Visit Tulsa at [email protected] or (918) 560-0251. 

Tulsa CVB | visittulsa.com, (918) 560-0251

Jonathan Huskey is the director of communications for Tulsa Regional Tourism. A Tulsan for nearly a decade, he is passionate about telling the stories that make Tulsa great.

Photo credits: Visit Tulsa; Mother Road Market; Courtesy of Greenwood Rising; Tyler Layne Photography.