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Going Places: Destinations |
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Tulsa, Oklahoma's second-largest city, was built on oil boom money, and it shows. Ornate Art Deco architecture fills downtown, world-class museums sit beside tunnels built by oil barons to transport cash, and a century of boom-era ambition left its mark on nearly every block. It sits at the intersection of three Tribal Nations, is a center for civil rights history, and is home to one of the most interesting food scenes in the American heartland. People who live there call it a "big small city." Travelers who visit often wonder why it took them so long.
If youβve been sleeping on Tulsa, 2026 is your year to make it happen: Route 66 turns 100. Tulsa is where Cyrus Averyβthe road's founding fatherβlived, worked, and dreamt up the idea of the Mother Road (not to be confused with Springfield, Missouri, widely considered the Birthplace of Route 66). You can do Tulsa as the destination, or use it as an anchor for a road trip along one of America's most iconic stretches of highway.
No matter which way you experience it, Tulsaβs got it. Especially heading into a summer when costs might have you second-guessing travel plans, a good old-fashioned road trip or weekend getaway to the heartland may be exactly what the doctor ordered. Read more in Kristi Eatonβs Guide to Tulsa.
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Head to the Going app to set a flight alert for Tulsa. Our flight experts track deals daily, so you never miss the best price.
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History, culture, and open roadβTulsa delivers all of it. These highlights show why the city is more than a pit stop. |
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Route 66: It runs right through the city. Cruise down 11th Street, and stop at Buck Atom's Cosmic Curios for Oklahoma-themed trinkets. Sixteen miles east in Catoosa, the Blue Whale is about as Route-66-kitsch as it gets.
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Greenwood District: Once known as Black Wall Street, one of the wealthiest Black neighborhoods in the US before the devastating 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Today it's undergoing a revival, and guided tours led by descendants of survivors offer a powerful piece of American history.
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Philbrook Museum of Art: Oil baron Waite Phillips' donated villa, now home to 16,000+ works of art across 25 acres of gardens.
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Woody Guthrie Center and Bob Dylan Center: Two adjacent music institutions downtown, both backed by the George Kaiser Family Foundation and both worth your time.
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Powwows and Indigenous culture: Tulsa sits at the intersection of three Tribal Nations (the Osage, Muscogee, and Cherokee). The annual Tulsa Powwow (July 25β26, 2026) and the Cherokee National Holiday (September 4β6, 2026, in nearby Tahlequah) are open to the public and offer a glimpse into living Indigenous culture.
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Great food finds you in Tulsa. Itβs smoked low and slow, ladled out of a pot at a no-frills counter, or plated with intention at a chef's table that could hold its own in any major city. |
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Oklahoma-style barbecue: A combo of Texas-style meats and Kansas City-style sauce. Must-orders: burnt ends and brisket (side of fried okra if they have it). Try Oklahoma Joes, Albert Gβs, Burn Co Barbeque, or Stutts House of Barbeque.
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Global District eats: In East Tulsa, home to a thriving Asian and Hispanic food scene, including Zogam Cafe (known for noodles, curry, and smoothies) and Pancho Anaya Bakery (multi-generational community staple with churros and pan dulce).
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Chef-driven dining: For a chophouse with a twist, try Mr. Kim's (Korean-inspired steakhouse with multi-course tastings, helmed by James Beardβnominated chef). For date night, head to Amelia's Wood Fired Cuisine (Italy-meets-Oklahoma housemade pasta and wood-roasted mains). For a taste of paradise, go for Sisserou's in the Arts District (fresh Caribbean cuisine, led by another James Beardβnominated chef).
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Speakeasies and Art Deco bars: Tuck into a long evening amidst Tulsaβs boom-era architecture. Boston Title & Abstract will quench your 1920s fantasy, and Maestro delivers with mezcal and agave-forward cocktails.
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Mother Road Market: Sprawling food hall and the best place to get a feel for Tulsaβs food scene, with local vendors, rotating concepts, and Big Dipper ice cream, an institution doing small-batch flavors with locally-sourced ingredients.
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Time to hit the (Mother) Road |
A Route 66 road trip is one of the great American adventures, and in its centennial year, it's worth doing right. A few ways to make it work financially this year:
Use your credit cards strategically. Gas is expensive right now, but the right card can turn that into an asset. Some cards earn 5x or 10x points on gas purchases. Others double or triple points on groceries or dining out, both of which you'll be doing plenty of on a road trip. If you know which card to reach for at each stop, you can offset a meaningful chunk of your trip costs, and those points eventually cash out as flights, hotel stays, and car rentals. Basically, a road trip done right can help fund your next adventure.
Skip the backtrack. Book open-jaw flights. If youβre flying in rather than starting the road trip from your driveway, thereβs no need to retrace your steps. Open-jaw tickets let you land at one end and take off from the other, so you can get the full journey without doubling back.
The classic move: Fly into Chicago (the eastern terminus) and out of the LA metro (the western end). Drive west, drop the car, fly home. Or, if you donβt want to do the whole thing, fly into and out of any combo of airports that fit your timeline and interests. St. Louis, Oklahoma City, Albuquerque, Flagstaff, and Las Vegas are all great jumping-off or landing points.
The best part? Open-jaw tickets often run the same price as a standard roundtrip. Youβre not paying extra for the flexibility. Youβre just using it. |
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