Tulsa, Oklahoma

Tulsa is the second-largest city in Oklahoma, USA. As of the revised 2004 census report, the city had a total population of 387,807, with 930,842 in the greater metro area. It is the county seat of Tulsa County.

Entertainment and Attractions

With the city's interesting mix of Southern settlers, Northern oilmen, and Western ranchers and thanks to Tulsa's location in an area historically famous for Native Americans, the city and surrounding areas are home to many unique museums and attractions.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Museums and Cultural Centers

• Philbrook Museum of Art www.philbrook.org
• Thomas Gilcrease Museum of Art www.gilcrease.org
• Will Rogers Memorial in Claremore, Oklahoma www.willrogers.com
• The Greenwood Cultural Center, which preserves the history of "The Black Wall Street" prior to the Tulsa Race Riot. www.greenwoodculturalcenter.com
• Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art, formerly the Fenster Museum of Jewish Art. The Miller offers the largest collection of Judaica in the Southwest United States. www.jewishmuseum.net
• The Tulsa Historical Center, near Utica Square and Philbrook in midtown next to the Tulsa Garden Center. www.tulsahistory.org
• The Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame www.okjazz.org
• Tulsa Air and Space Museum www.tulsaairandspacemuseum.com
• Society of Exploration Geophysicists Geoscience Center, reflecting the city's strong connection to the petroleum industry. www.geosciencecenter.org
• J.M. Davis Arms and Historical Museum, home of the largest private gun collection in the world, in Claremore, Oklahoma www.jmdavis.state.ok.us

Philbrook

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Located between Utica Square and Brookside is Philbrook Museum of Art, housed in what once was Waite Phillips' sprawling Italianite villa, built in 1927. In 1938 Waite Phillips surprised Tulsans and those who built Villa Philbrook with the announcement of his gift of the 72-room mansion and surrounding 23 acres (93,000 m²) of grounds as an art center for the city of Tulsa. The immense house, with its spacious rooms, wide corridors and great halls, was a natural for the art center that took possession. Because of its steel and concrete framework, minimal remodeling was required to make it suited for its new purposes. Today, it houses one of the finest permanent collections of Renaissance & Baroque art and sculpture in the United States, featuring work from such masters as Piero di Cosimo, Biagio d'Antonio da Firenze, Tanzio da Varallo & Bernardo Strozzi. In addition, Philbrook features 19th Century European artists, William-Adolphe Bouguereau and Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot, American artists Thomas Moran, William Merritt Chase, and Levi Wells Prentice, as well as an outstanding Native American and African art collection.

Related Topics:
Philbrook Museum of Art - Waite Phillips - 1927 - 1938 - Mansion - Steel - Concrete - Renaissance - Baroque - Art - Sculpture - Piero di Cosimo - Biagio d'Antonio da Firenze - Tanzio da Varallo - Bernardo Strozzi - 19th Century - European - William-Adolphe Bouguereau - Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot - Thomas Moran - William Merritt Chase - Levi Wells Prentice - Native American - African art

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Gilcrease

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Arguably the finest and unarguably the largest Western Art collection in the world can be found at the Thomas Gilcrease Museum of Art. The art collection includes over 10,000 paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures by 400 artists from colonial times to the present.

Related Topics:
Western Art - Thomas Gilcrease Museum of Art - Colonial

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Among the Western artists for which Gilcrease is renowned are Frederic Remington (including 18 of his 22 bronzes), Albert Bierstadt, William M. Cary, George Catlin, Woody Crumbo, William R. Leigh, Alfred Jacob Miller, Thomas Moran, Georgia O'Keeffe, Charles M. Russell, Olaf Seltzer, Joseph H. Sharp, Willard Stone and Charles Banks Wilson

Related Topics:
Frederic Remington - Bronzes - Albert Bierstadt - William M. Cary - George Catlin - Woody Crumbo - William R. Leigh - Alfred Jacob Miller - Thomas Moran - Georgia O'Keeffe - Charles M. Russell - Olaf Seltzer - Joseph H. Sharp - Willard Stone - Charles Banks Wilson

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Some of the important, non-western artists featured in the Gilcrease Collection include Thomas Eakins, Robert Feke, Charles Wilson Peale, Daniel Chester French, John Singleton Copley, James McNeil Whistler, John Singer Sargent, Winslow Homer, John James Audubon, William Merritt Chase, and N. C. Wyeth.

Related Topics:
Thomas Eakins - Robert Feke - Charles Wilson Peale - Daniel Chester French - John Singleton Copley - James McNeil Whistler - John Singer Sargent - Winslow Homer - John James Audubon - William Merritt Chase - N. C. Wyeth

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1890, soon after the birth of Thomas Gilcrease, the Gilcrease family moved to Indian Territory. His mother's ancestry enabled the family to live in the Creek Nation, where Thomas grew to adulthood. In 1922 he founded the Gilcrease Oil Company and in less than ten years had greatly expanded his original holdings.

Related Topics:
1890 - Indian Territory - Creek Nation - 1922

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Gilcrease purchased his first oil painting in 1922, but most of the collection was amassed after 1939. The first Gilcrease Museum opened at his oil company head-quarters in San Antonio in 1943. Within a few years, Gilcrease returned to Tulsa with his oil company and his growing collection. He opened a gallery for public viewing on his Tulsa estate in 1949. During the early 1950s Gilcrease acquired numerous works of art, artifacts, and documents. Declining oil prices made it difficult for him to finance major purchases. Faced with a seemingly insurmountable debt, Gilcrease offered to sell his entire collection in order to keep it intact. In 1954, fearing that the Gilcrease Museum would leave Tulsa, a small group of citizens organized a bond election which paid Gilcrease's outstanding debts. Thomas Gilcrease then deeded his collection to the City of Tulsa in 1955. In 1958, the Gilcrease Foundation conveyed the museum buildings and grounds to the City of Tulsa. In the years following the transfer of the collection, Thomas Gilcrease continued to fund archaeological excavations and acquire additional materials for the collection. Upon his death in 1962, he bequeathed to the museum the material he had collected during his final years.

Related Topics:
Oil painting - 1922 - 1939 - Oil - San Antonio - 1943 - 1949 - 1950s - 1954 - Gilcrease Foundation - Archaeological - 1962

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Parks, Gardens and Nature Preserves

• Tulsa Zoo, north of the city in Mohawk Park www.tulsazoo.org
• Recently recognized as "America's Favorite Zoo" by Microsoft Game Studios as a promotion for their upcoming game, titled "Zoo Tycoon 2." http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2004/nov04/11-24TulsaFaveZooPR.asp
• Tulsa's Penguins on Parade public art display http://www.tulsazoo.org/FunThings/penguinparade.htm is a result of the addition of an African Penguin exhibit. The display is similar to those in Chicago, Seattle and other cities, and features whimsically decorated statues.
• The Oklahoma Aquarium in Jenks, Oklahoma, which boasts a walk through shark tank. www.okaquarium.org
• Oxley Nature Center www.oxleynaturecenter.org
• Woodward Park, featuring the Tulsa Municipal Rose Garden. www.tulsagardencenter.com
• the River Parks system, featuring extensive trails for walking, running and biking, and the site of several of Tulsa's largest festivals.

Performing Arts

• Theatre Tulsa www.theatretulsa.org
• Tulsa Performing Arts Center www.tulsapac.com
• Tulsa Opera www.tulsaopera.com
• Tulsa Ballet www.tulsaballet.org
• Cain's Ballroom, where Bob Wills helped popularize the Western Swing musical style, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places www.cainsballroom.com
• The Brady Theater, also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
• Discoveryland! Amphitheatre, featuring performances of Rodgers & Hammerstein's "Oklahoma" musical throughout the summer. www.discoverylandusa.com
• Tulsa Oratorio Chorus {http://www.tulsaoratorio.org]

Festivals and Events

As a culturally diverse major metropolis, Tulsa has a wide variety of events year-round. A sampling of these include:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• General
• Tulsa State Fair in late September and early October www.tulsastatefair.com
• The Gatesway Balloon Festival in August www.gateswayfestival.com
• Cultural
• Oklahoma Scottish Games and Gathering in September www.tulsascottishgames.org
• Tulsa Oktoberfest www.tulsaoktoberfest.org
• Festival Hispano in September www.hispanodetulsa.com
• Greek Holiday Festival holytrinity.ok.goarch.org/festival.html
• ShalomFest
• Musical
• Juneteenth Blues and Jazz Festival
• Jazz on Greenwood Festival
• Blue Grass and Chili Festival
• Reggaefest
• Seasonal
• MayFest in May www.tulsamayfest.com
• During the December holiday season
• PSO Christmas Parade of Lights
• Rhema Bible Church in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma has a massive light display featuring over a million lights and props.
• Food
• Porter Peach Festival in Porter, Oklahoma

Amusement Parks

• Bells Amusement Park www.bellsfamilyfun.com
• Big Splash waterpark www.bigsplashwaterpark.com

Sports

• Tulsa Drillers Texas League baseball www.tulsadrillers.com
• horse racing at Fair Meadows race track www.fairmeadows.com
• golf at one of several public courses, or the private course at Southern Hills Country Club, which has hosted numerous national tours including 3 PGA Championships.
• Corporate Challenge

Gambling

As a result of a recent compact with various Native American tribes, tribal gaming facilities that were limited to bingo have begun to offer table games and slot machines.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• Cherokee Casino and Resort www.cherokeecasino.com
• Creek Nation Casino www.creeknationcasino.com