How Locals Spend Free Time in Tulsa
Curious about what you'll do when you live in Tulsa? If you like the idea of cruising down Route 66, getting artsy, wandering through Deco halls, and are daring enough to try chasing thrills on river rapids, Tulsa is calling you home! This list of fun things to do will take you from park picnics to neon nights and give you a quick taste of Tulsa's vibrant arts and outdoor scene.
Shana, Our Local Expert Guiding Your Move
Shana has been living life in Oklahoma for 43 straight years, collecting local shortcuts and moving stories along the way. She has moved more than 10 times across Oklahoma and learned adulthood the hard way when a DIY move ended with a couch wedged on a second story railing and her dignity hanging in the balance. She won that battle... barely, and now smartly chooses to hire professionals that actually know what they're doing. She loves that throughout Oklahoma you can easily run errands, grab groceries, then be five minutes from cow pastures and wide open land. At Snappy Scout, she turns 43 years of red dirt living into actionable wisdom to share what it's really like to move to and live in Oklahoma.
Read moreWritten with local insight from Snappy Scout relocation experts
What Will You Do in Tulsa?
From weekend adventures to iconic road trips, here's how locals spend their time off.
on a Saturday with perfect weather
Spreading blanket at Gathering Place, cruising River Parks trail, attending a downtown architectural tour
when the gals come to town for the weekend
Cherry Street brunch, Utica Square spree, Hemingway dinner, nightcaps at R Bar
rainy dreary day
Doubleheader Bob Dylan Center then Woody Guthrie Center, Philbrook and Gilcrease Museum
intellectually stimulating
Greenwood Rising, reckon with Black Wall Street and resilient brilliance
artsy
First Friday crawl through Tulsa Arts District murals and pop up galleries, art show at Wompa
something inside and free
Central Library atrium and makerspace, bright light therapy via books
outdoorsy
Turkey Mountain singletrack, red dirt shoes and triumphant breathlessness
if you're a shopaholic
Utica Square classics, then Boxyard indie finds with skyline peeks
family oriented
Tulsa Zoo train, giraffes, then bubble tornadoes at Discovery Lab, nature walk at Oxley
in need of a selfie
Hug the Golden Driller, look tinier than your student loans
you have to see this
Downtown Art Deco tour, Boston Avenue Methodist Church stealing the show
on a budget
Picnic on Guthrie Green, free concerts, downtown skyline doing choreography
My Favorite Local Spot in Tulsa
I absolutely love Leon's Smoke Shack. It is the perfect little, family-run barbecue joint. My husband and I always order the "A Little Bit of Everything," which includes some of every incredible smoked meat they have available that day - usually brisket, pulled pork, ribs, bologna, and sausage. Be sure to grab an order of potato salad or cole slaw and "Them" beans. You won't regret it.
— Shana Grandstaff
Oklahoma Local Expert
Ready to See If Tulsa Fits You?
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