These days, older kids can be hard to entertain if it doesn’t include a screen in front of their faces! So my husband and I decided to take our two teens on a day trip to T-Town, Green Country or as most of us call it, Tulsa!
Our day trip included a small detour. We made a pit stop in Stillwater, our old stomping grounds (Go Pokes!). You can’t visit Stillwater without eating some of Eskimo Joe’s famous cheese fries and doing a little campus shopping. We were even lucky enough to see Joe and his dog Buffy in person and snagged a quick pic.
After a bite to eat, shopping and some reminiscing around campus, we continued our journey with plans to visit landmarks in and around Tulsa. The fact that they were free was an added bonus!
The Blue Whale of Catoosa, a beloved historic landmark along Route 66, was our first stop. Although it was quite rainy on the day of our visit, we wanted to see the 80-by-20-foot whale sitting atop a pond. It was a quirky and fun place to see and would make a great spot for a family picnic when the weather is better.
Next on our list was the “Center of the Universe”, a circular brick pattern in downtown Tulsa. Our crew was skeptical and doubted the mysterious acoustic phenomena would be experienced. We were surprisingly proven wrong when we heard our own voices distorted and echoed back when standing in just the right spot! While we didn’t experience any multiverse or quantum realm visions, visiting and saying we had “been there, done that” was worth the stop.
Another famous landmark we visited was Tulsa’s Golden Driller which stands 76 feet above Route 66 making it one of the tallest freestanding statues in the nation. You have to see this one in person to get the true perspective of just how big this guy stands! He is often decorated for different Tulsa events and initiatives so you never know how you will find him dressed. We found him in a wrestling singlet to welcome the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship.
Located inside a converted PEMCO gas station, Buck Atom’s Cosmic Curios on Route 66 was our next stop. This tiny place did not disappoint with its fun photo ops and eccentric souvenirs including robots and spaceships made out of scrap metal parts and items like antique coffee urns and blenders. While there, be sure to get your picture made with Buck, the Space Cowboy who stands 21 feet tall, the neon Route 66 sign and vintage Lilliput tin robot.
We didn’t plan to visit Decopolis Discovitorium, but were glad we made a spontaneous stop since it’s right next to Bucks. This peculiar place is more of an experience than a gift store. Books, gifts, toys, souvenirs, candy, curiosities and wonders are featured in magically themed displays throughout the shop. There are even special rooms for Harry Potter, Star Wars and Disney Princess fans and a dig site where you can grab a sample bag and “mine” for fossils and minerals.
Originally built as a restaurant and used as a speakeasy in the 1920s, the Cave House located on W. Charles Page Blvd. was another landmark on our list. Guided tours let visitors explore the halls and steep staircases inside this architectural attraction but you have to call ahead to reserve your time. Although we didn’t go inside for a tour, it was still fun to drive by and see this cool house in person.
The grand finale of our day was Broadway’s Hamilton at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center and it did NOT disappoint! We weren’t going to “throw away our shot” and miss seeing one of our favorite musicals. Bucket list – ✅
You too can “be in the room where it happens” by getting your tickets to see Hamilton in Oklahoma City at the Civic Center Music Hall.
At the end of the day, we successfully completed our quest of spending the day together, sightseeing and making memories with our teenagers. Need some new ideas to do with your teens? Look no further and check out 5 things to do with Teens in OKC this month!
