Is Tulsa REALLY “Exquisite?”
Photo credit: iStock
By: Ethan Logan
Everybody talks about Tulsa like it is God’s gift to children. But when you talk to the kids, everybody says one thing: “It sucks.” Many believe that all there is to do is attend football games, go to the movies, and shop at Walmart. As a Tulsa native myself, I agree most of the time. Tulsa lacks many of the fun experiences that other cities have. To see if this is true or not, I will be seeing some of the places people often forget about here in Tulsa, the places that are sometimes overlooked.
The way we will see if Tulsa is really what people say it is, or if the kids are right, is through four categories, all out of 5 points. Those categories are as follows:
Variability: How do they spice up the place? Is there a lot to do, or just boring reading? Is it colorful and displaying, or is it boring?
Cost: How much does each ticket cost?
Length of experience: How long does each place take to see and experience? Is that too long?
Date worthiness: Is it worth going on a date? Is it able to have a conversation? Does it entertain others?
My goal is to once and for all answer the question: Is Tulsa really exquisite?
Attraction #1: Gathering place
Ticket Price: Free
Photo credit: Yelp
Children walking across the playground bridge at the Gathering Place.
The Gathering Place in Tulsa gains a 15/20 rating. The big, oversized playground is great for families, and awful for anyone over the age of 14. It is large and very kid-centered. You go on a date and just walk around.
The place is normally swamped as well, with horrible parking and tons of people. Getting sick from the Gathering Place is inevitable.
On the contrary, what the Gathering Place does have is a community behind it. It keeps the kids entertained. What is the overall goal of the design? It does have lots of space, a skate park, and basketball courts for the older crowd.
The Gathering Place is also very colorful and has shows coming in at times. In the cooler months, you kind of lose things to do. In the summer, shows come through, and you can kayak and play football in the grass. In the Winter everything is cold and dead. Nobody desires to be outside, and you are right off the river, so it is even colder.
When rating the gathering place, I give it a 5/5 on the length of experience scale. There are a good number of things to do or see. They just don’t always last the longest time. Plus, you can walk around for a while, which adds to the time you spend there.
If you want something cost-effective, this is the place. I would definitely rate this a 5/5! As a teenager who doesn’t make a whole lot of money and would rather spend it on other things, spending money to go walk around is very sucky.
In the end, the Gathering Place is a great place to spend time with your buddies or take a little sibling or cousin. But it is not great to take a date or go by yourself. There aren't a lot of great things to do outside of walking around.
Attraction #2: Decapolis
Ticket Price: Free
Art displayed at the Decopolis.
When visiting the Mini Art Deco downtown in the streets of Tulsa, you go on an adventure before adventure. You have to search far and wide for parking that is tight and way too close to the road. The fear of getting ticketed or towed is overwhelming because nothing looks like a true parking spot. Nobody can drive, and everyone looks like they may want to hurt you or are judging your every move. Then, you park!
After all of your stress and parking in a way that is most likely illegal, you walk into quite literally the most pointless museum I have ever seen. There was one exhibit, and the one thing it had going was the smell. It smelled fresh and nice until I got crop-dusted by a random guy.
I spent maybe a total of 15 minutes there. Overall, I give the Mini Art Deco a 5/20. It’s a horrid place to go on a date. Horrible variability and horrible length of experience. However, it was free, which gives it 5 points.
I do not think I will ever go back or even consider it. I do not recommend this experience for anyone. This attraction is a great reason why everybody calls Tulsa boring.
My first question when walking in was basic and clear: What in tarnation is this?
There were mini dinosaurs and overpriced merchandise. Star Wars music rang in the background. It was all at once and nothing at the same time.
Overall, this ranks dead last out of the 5 options. I hope they can turn it around for the betterment of Tulsa.
Attraction #3: Tulsa Air And Space Museum
Ticket Price: 11 Dollars
Myself sitting in one of the displays at the Tulsa Air and Space museum.
The Tulsa Air and Space Museum is located just off the airport, located what feels like a million miles North of my household. It feels like a tight, small, and quaint place for families to visit.
Coming in at a relatively low price and lots to look at, it gains a high price score and date-worthy score.
A point that has to be brought up when talking about the Tulsa Air and Space Museum is the fact that it is a bit niche when it comes to knowledge. Though it doesn’t take a genius to stare at a plane and notice it’s big, it does take someone who knows what they’re looking at to know about it or appreciate it truly.
Nonetheless, this is a worthwhile experience. If you go see everything, do everything, and go appreciate everything, you are given a solid amount of knowledge and things to do while you are there.
Overall, I grant the Air and Space Museum a 17.5 out of 20. Because of the niche bits, I believe it loses a bit of points in the date category and in the variability.
Attraction #4: Mother Road Market
Ticket Price: Free
The walk up to Mother Road Market.
When you finally park in the crowded and far too small parking you walk into the bumblebee colored building. The smells wrap around your nose, and the bright lights hurt your eyes. That is how you know you’re at Mother Road Market, a great place to grab lunch or dinner from small business owners.
One part of business that can never go wrong is good food. Good food attracts lots of people. Another way to attract lots of people is to offer a diverse group of food. There is food from all over the United States and the world. Different styles of food give more options, and that makes it far more attractive.
On top of all the amazing and diverse food available is the merchandise and mini golf available. Mother Road Market presents kid-friendly activities, too.
Image of the menu and logo of Chicken and the Wolf at Mother Road Market.
Another thing that is done very well is that it is clean and colorful! Mother Road Market is also spacious, which is great for teens because not be heard by others when passing secrets.
Overall, Mother Road Market is an amazing place and an amazing place to go if you are in Tulsa. You just work around the parking lot. Mother Road Market gains an 18.5 rating out of 20.
Ultimately, Tulsa is way worse than anyone could ever portray. If you really think about it, the places Google recommends are art museums and plane places. This place lacks many things that other places have so much of. The ages between 14 and 20 are completely screwed.
Anyone can enjoy a beach or the mountains. Not everybody can enjoy an Air and Space Museum or a mini art deco. Sure, everybody is nice here, and the weather can be enjoyable. What makes Tulsa, Tulsa is the people, not the place.
If Tulsa wants to be an admirable place to live, it has to grow into something that is attractive to the teens. But, just the way Tulsa is talked about and treated in Season 9 episode 2 of Friends, tears are the only acceptable reaction.
