Tulsa, Oklahoma

Tulsa is one of our favorite cities along Route 66. There is so much to see and do here that we’ve spent two full days here in addition to coming-and-going days. If you want to build in a two-night stay on your Route 66 road trip to catch your breath, Tulsa is an excellent choice. On top of Route 66 sights, Tulsa has one of the best collections of art deco architecture in the country and an extraordinary museum: Greenwood Rising, a museum about the Greenwood massacre that we wish every American could see. There’s too much to cover in one blog post! So I’m doing a second post on Tulsa’s art deco treasures. A third blog post covers sights in southwest Tulsa.

Route 66 had two “alignments” through Tulsa. Before 1932, it roughly followed today’s Admirals Place and Admirals Boulevard into Tulsa. In 1932 the alignment was changed to 11^th Street. Today the 11^th Street alignment has more to see, so that’s how we drove into Tulsa. From Catoosa, we stayed on OK 66 for another mile. We took a right (west) on Antry Drive, then a quick left (south) on South Cherokee Street. In about a mile, at the Hard Rock Casino, we turned left (south) on North 193^rd East Avenue. In about a mile, we turned right (west) on East 11^th Street.

Considering that we were on the outskirts of Tulsa, we were surprised how rural this stretch of Route 66 is.

East 11th Street east of Tulsa (from Google Maps)

It was easy to imagine driving this road 75 years ago.

Eventually the road became more built up, and we started to see things like old gas stations that had been converted into other businesses. At the corner of 11^th and South Yale Avenue, we stopped for dinner at Tally’s Good Food Café on 66.

Tally's Cafe on Route 66 in Tulsa

It’s got a great retro atmosphere and serves good classic diner food with friendly service.

Interior of Tally's Cafe on Route 66

About a mile and a half further west on Route 66, at 2636 East 11^th Street, is the Campbell Hotel, built in 1927 and nicely refurbished.

Campbell's Hotel in Tulsa (from HotelTonight.com)

Less than a mile further west, at 1735 East 11^th Street, is one of Tulsa’s art deco gems: the 1936 Tulsa Monument Building, known today as Benchmark Monument Company.

Tulsa Monument Building (from BenchmarkMonument.com)

Past the Tulsa Monument is the Tulsa’s Meadow Gold District, with interesting shops along 11^th Street. Buck Atom, the Cosmic Cowboy, is in front of a former 1950s PEMCO gas station at 1347 East 11^th Street.

Buck Atom in Tulsa

Buck was installed here in 2019. The gas station is now Cosmic Curios, a gift shop with a great neon sign. 

Neon sign at Cosmic Curios in Tulsa

Half a block past Buck is the Meadow Gold District’s namesake: its huge Meadow Gold sign.

Tulsa's Meadow Gold sign at sunset

The sign, advertising Meadow Gold Dairy, was erected in 1934. Its building was demolished in 2004, but the sign was saved and a new pavilion built for it in 2009.

The original 1926-1932 alignment of Route 66 also has some treasures. It originally entered Tulsa from the northeast on what’s now Admiral Place and Admiral Boulevard, then cut down to 2^nd Street, then went through downtown Tulsa near Elgin Avenue. We explored it in reverse order, from south to northeast. The first gem we saw was the 1931 Vickery Phillips 66 station at 602 South Elgin. It’s on the National Register of Historic Places.

1931 Vickery Phillips 66 station in Tulsa

At the corner of Elgin and East 2^nd Street (320 East 2^nd Street) is a Route 66 icon: the Blue Dome Station.

The Blue Dome gas station in Tulsa

The Blue Dome Station was built in 1924 or 1925 (sources give varying dates) as a White Star Gulf Oil station. It was open 24 hours, and the attendant lived in an apartment in the dome. This part of Tulsa is now known as the Blue Dome District. It features restaurants and entertainment, and the lampposts are adorable.

A blue dome lamppost in Tulsa's Blue Dome District

We had a good breakfast here at the Dilly Diner at 402 East 2^nd Street and excellent pizza at Andolini’s Pizzeria Sliced Blue Dome, 114 South Detroit Avenue. Andolini’s is widely considered to serve one of the best pizzas in Oklahoma.

About three blocks north of the Blue Dome Station, but literally on the other side of the tracks, is another world. Centered at the intersection of North Greenwood Avenue and Archer Street is the remains of the Greenwood District, once known as Black Wall Street and the home of Tulsa’s large African American community. That ended in 1921, when the Greenwood Massacre destroyed the district and killed hundreds of African Americans living there. The new Greenwood Rising Black History Museum at 23 North Greenwood Avenue tells the story of this neighborhood and the horrific event that destroyed it. This was one of the best museums we’ve ever seen anywhere in the world. We wish every American could see it.

One of the interactive exhibits in Tulsa's Greenwood Rising Museum

When we visited in October 2021, free timed tickets were required for admission.

The Greenwood District is experiencing a resurgence, but because I-244 now literally slices through it, it will never again be what it once was.

Mural in Tulsa's Greenwood District

From the Blue Dome and Greenwood Districts, the original 1926-1932 Route 66 alignment goes east on East 2^nd Street about a mile and a half, then turns north on Lewis Avenue. At 10 South Lewis Avenue is the 1928 Circle Cinema.

Circle Cinema in Tulsa

The Circle Cinema opened in 1928 as the Circle Theater. The building, which also housed other businesses, was called the Chilton Building, and you can still make out the name “Chilton” on the wall behind the theater’s neon sign. The façade has been restored to look like it did in 1952.

After Circle Cinema, Route 66 goes east on East Admiral Boulevard, which turns into East 1^st Street. Route 66 turns north and crosses I-244 on North Harvard Avenue, then turns right (east) on East Admiral Place (not to be confused with Admiral Boulevard). At 4168 East Admiral Place we made an unexpected find: Tulsa Fire Station #15.

1948 Tulsa Fire Station #15

I hadn’t seen Fire Station #15 mentioned in any of the Route 66 guides I’d read, and I’m so glad we found it—it’s a real gem. It was built in 1948 in streamline moderne style.

Further east, a couple of blocks north of East Admiral Place at 7355 East Easton Street, is the Admiral Twin Drive-In.

Admiral Twin Drive-In in Tulsa

The Admiral opened in 1951 as the Modernaire Drive-In. A year later it was renamed the Admiral Drive-In, and a second screen was added in 1955. The screens’ original wood frames burned in 2010.

As I’ve mentioned, I’m covering Tulsa’s art deco treasures in a separate blog post. There are three places that are neither on Route 66 nor art deco but that we think are worth seeking out.

If you’re into Route 66 giant structures, you might want to check out the Golden Driller giant statue.

 

Golden Driller statue in Tulsa

It’s about a mile south of 11^th Avenue (the 1932 Route 66 alignment) on the Tulsa State Fairgrounds. It was erected in 1966 for the International Petroleum Exhibition. 

A few blocks northeast of Greenwood, at 423 North Main Street, is Cain's Ballroom.

Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa

Built as Brady’s Garage in 1924, the building became a ballroom in 1930. For many years it was the home of Bob Wills and therefore the home of Western Swing. You can still make out the name Brady in the wall behind the Cain’s neon sign.

Finally, about halfway between Cain’s and the Blue Dome Station, is a fun acoustical oddity: a plaza called the Center of the Universe at 1 South Boston Avenue.

Tulsa's Center of the Universe

If you stand in the center and make a noise, you’ll hear it echoed back several times louder. But your voice will sound distorted to those outside the bricked circle.

As we headed west out of Tulsa toward Sapulpa, we saw more Route 66 sights that I’m covering in another blog post.