Tulsa OK Culture


The culture surrounding Tulsa, OK includes arts & theater, outdoor recreation, and sports. The influences of Tulsa’s Midwest location, along with Southern culture and historical native American Indian presence has also influenced many of their museums and cultural centers besides the large numbers of public parks, zoos and monuments. There are plenty of things to see and do for nominal fees when visiting Tulsa OK.

Tulsa OK culture is also influenced by the oil boom of the oil pioneers that make the area their home base. Phillips of Bartlesville, or the Phillips Oil Company was founded outside of Tulsa, and the Philbrook Museum was the former estate of Waite Phillips, the founder.

Tulsa OK culture includes such a diverse collection of art and artifacts that you can find the diversity in places like Gilcrease Museum, Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art, Tulsa Air and Space Museum, Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame and the Greenwood Cultural Center. Tulsa Geosciences Center documents the history of the region, as well.

Of course, Tulsa OK culture would not be complete without the Tulsa Ballet, Tulsa Opera, Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, Heller Theatre and Theatre Tulsa. The Tulsa Convention Center hosts many events and Discoveryland is an outdoor amphitheatre ten miles west of Tulsa, which is the performance headquarters for the famous musical, Oklahoma.

No matter what kind of Tulsa OK culture you are in search of, Tulsa has it! Each year, the community hosts festivals like the Tulsa United Film Festival or Tulsa Music Festival. The Tulsa Zoo is one of America’s favorite zoos that sits on 78 acres with 1500 animals and 436 species. Situated in the third largest park in the United States, Mohawk Park, the zoo doubles as a museum.

Of course, if you like outdoor recreation, Tulsa OK culture has an active outdoor life at the 140 parks that are spread over 6000 acres. Woodward Park has a botanical garden and features the Tulsa Municipal Rose garden that contains over 6000 roses in 250 varieties. The Arkansas River runs through Tulsa and has 20 miles of bicycle riding and jogging trails.

When it comes to sports, Tulsa offers professional and collegiate levels of basketball, arena football, hockey and soccer. Two Tulsa universities compete at the NCAA Division One level-University of Tulsa and Oral Roberts University. They have both ranked high nationally and the high school athletic programs are ranked amongst some of the best in the nation.

The Southern Hills Golf Course is a top rated golf course in the nation, hosting four PGA Championships and three U.S. Opens. Cedar Ridge Country Club is another popular golf course.

Another popular draw is the annual Tulsa Tough cycling race and its weekend long festivities. Tulsa has gambling venues nearby at Indian gaming casinos and horse racing events are held at Fair Meadows race track and Will Rogers Downs.

No matter what Tulsa OK culture experience you enjoy most, there is an abundance of diverse activities that make Tulsa OK culture a unique and enjoyable experience for everybody in the family.