2-Day Tulsa and Oklahoma City Trip

Arrival day

Before Day 1. Tulsa comes first and Oklahoma City second, so a car is the easy way to link them.Details

Flying in: Tulsa International Airport is on the north side of the city, a short drive from downtown. A rideshare or a rental car both work. If you fly in or out of Oklahoma City instead, run the trip in the other direction and check the order of the days.
A car helps: Downtown Tulsa and downtown Oklahoma City are each walkable in parts, but the museums, the whale and the road west are spread out. A car makes the four days simple. The two cities are a drive apart, so check the road and the weather before you set off on Day 3.
Weather in Oklahoma: Spring brings storms and tornado warnings, summer is hot and humid, and winter can bring ice. Pack for the season, keep a weather alert on your phone, and carry water in warm months. Dress in layers in the cool months.
Day 1 starts south of downtown: Day 1 begins at an art museum in the south of Tulsa, so settle in downtown, then take an easy evening walk, or rest after the trip.

How much walking? On foot, about 1.1 miles a day, and 566.6 miles by car in all across 2 days. Distances are straight-line estimates, so allow extra for the streets.

Day 1. Downtown Tulsa and the Arts District and Downtown Oklahoma City

7 stops · 1.1 mi on foot, 392.9 mi by carAbout 9 h 7 min driving

Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.

1
Morning
Philbrook Museum of Art
An art museum in a former villa of the 1920s, the home of the oil pioneer Waite Phillips and his wife Genevieve, with formal gardens around it. It shows art from many parts of the world, and its cornerstone collection is Native American art, with baskets, pottery, paintings and jewelry. Check ahead on the opening.
Go when Morning, then the gardens when the sun is soft.
Local tip Start with the Native American collection, which is the cornerstone, then walk out to the terrace and the formal gardens behind the villa. Check ahead on the opening.
Photo by Mick Haupt on Unsplash
About 2 h 17 min by car97.7 mi
2
MorningBook ahead
Oklahoma City National Memorial
A memorial and museum on the site of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, which honors those killed, the survivors and the rescuers of the bombing of April 19, 1995. One hundred and sixty-eight empty chairs stand in rows, one for each person who died, beside a reflecting pool and an elm called the Survivor Tree. Go slowly, keep your voice low, and check ahead on the museum.
Go when Morning, with time to spare.
Local tip Walk the Field of Empty Chairs and sit by the reflecting pool. A quiet visit is the respectful one, so keep your voice low. The museum shares the story; check ahead on the opening and on timed entry.
Photo: Nyttend on Wikimedia Commons
Lunch
Fried okra and a plate lunch
Okra pods sliced, coated in cornmeal and fried until crisp, served beside a meat and two sides, a common weekday lunch plate.
Local tip Shake a little salt on it while it is hot.
About 2 h 17 min by car98.1 mi
3
Morning
Greenwood District
A historic neighborhood of Tulsa, one of the most prominent concentrations of African-American businesses in the United States in the early 1900s, popularly known as Black Wall Street. In 1921 a white mob attacked and burned the district in the Tulsa race massacre, and between 75 and 300 Black Americans were killed. The Greenwood Rising History Center, on Greenwood Avenue at Archer Street, tells the story in four galleries. Go slowly, keep your voice low, and check ahead on the opening.
Go when Morning, with time to spare.
Local tip Begin at the Greenwood Rising History Center to understand the story, then walk Greenwood Avenue and the reconciliation park. This is a place of loss and of rebuilding, so keep your voice low and your phone away from the memorials. Check ahead on the opening.
Photo: G. Edward Johnson, CC BY 4.0 on Wikimedia Commons
About 11 min by car or transit2.1 mi
4
Midday
Gilcrease Museum
A museum northwest of downtown, founded by Thomas Gilcrease, a Muscogee Creek oilman. It is said to hold the largest collection of art of the American West in the world, with work by Frederic Remington, Thomas Moran and Albert Bierstadt, and art and artifacts from Central and South America. Check ahead on the opening.
Go when Midday, as an indoor stop.
Local tip It holds a large collection, so choose the rooms that catch your eye, such as the Western landscapes. Check ahead on the opening and on the gardens.
Photo: Mara3229, CC0 on Wikimedia Commons
About 2 h 16 min by car97.1 mi
5
Midday
Oklahoma City Museum of Art
An art museum in the Donald W. Reynolds Visual Arts Center downtown. It holds one of the largest collections of Chihuly glass, with a tower of glass 55 feet high in the atrium, and shows traveling exhibitions. Check ahead on the opening.
Go when Midday, as an indoor stop.
Local tip Look up at the tower of glass in the atrium by Dale Chihuly, then pick your rooms. Check ahead on the exhibits, since they change.
Photo: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0 on Wikimedia Commons
About 2 h 17 min by car97.9 mi
6
Midday
Boston Avenue Methodist Church
A church in downtown Tulsa with a tall tower in the Art Deco style, designed in the 1920s and credited to Adah Robinson and Bruce Goff. It was listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1999. It is a working church, so stay quiet inside and check ahead on whether visitors may go in.
Go when Midday, as an indoor stop.
Local tip Stand outside and look up the tower first, then ask whether you can go in. It is a working church, so stay quiet, and look for the praying hands that return through the design.
Photo: David Brossard, CC BY-SA 2.0 on Wikimedia Commons
About 22 min walk1.1 mi
7
Afternoon
Woody Guthrie Center
A museum and archive to the life of the folk singer and songwriter Woody Guthrie, in the Tulsa Arts District. It shows his instruments, drawings, notebooks and handwritten lyrics, with a short film and recordings. Check ahead on the opening.
Go when Afternoon, as an indoor stop.
Local tip Look for the notebooks and the handwritten lyrics, and listen to the recordings. The archive is partly visible through windows. Check ahead on the opening and on any music events.
Photo: Jonathan Schilling, CC BY-SA 4.0 on Wikimedia Commons
Dinner
Chicken fried steak
A thin cut of beef, breaded and fried like chicken, and served covered in a white pepper gravy with mashed potatoes, a plate common across the plains.
Local tip Order the gravy over the steak and the potatoes.

If it rains. Philbrook Museum of Art, Gilcrease Museum, Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Boston Avenue Methodist Church and Woody Guthrie Center are covered, so keep them. Move Oklahoma City National Memorial and Greenwood District to a dry day if you can.

Day 2. West of Oklahoma City on Route 66

1 stop · 173.7 mi by carAbout 3 h 48 min driving

Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.

Drive from Woody Guthrie CenterAbout 3 h 48 min by car173.7 mi
Where Day 1 ended.
1
AfternoonIndoor
Oklahoma Route 66 Museum
A museum in Clinton about the history and the culture of Route 66, from Chicago to Santa Monica. It is said to be the largest museum given to the road. Check ahead on the opening and plan the drive back to Oklahoma City.
Go when Afternoon, as an indoor stop.
Local tip Follow the road from Chicago to Santa Monica through the decades. It is one of several Route 66 museums, so check ahead on the opening and leave time for the drive back.
Photo by Terrillo Walls on Unsplash

If it rains. Everything today is indoors, so rain does not change the plan.

Departure day

After the last day. Oklahoma City has the airport for this plan, and a long drive back to Tulsa is the other choice.Details

Leaving from Oklahoma City: Will Rogers World Airport is on the south-west side of Oklahoma City, a short drive from downtown. Leave time for security and for the rental car return, and check the drop-off rules if you rented in Tulsa.
Driving back to Tulsa: If you fly home from Tulsa, plan the drive east the evening before or on the last morning, and check the road and the weather first. It is a drive, not a short hop, so do not cut the time fine.
If you have a few hours: Take one more walk along the canal in Bricktown, or sit in the gardens near the memorial and take it in. Both are easy to reach from downtown Oklahoma City.

Questions people ask

When is the best time to visit Tulsa?

By average weather from 2021 to 2025, March to April and October to November are the most comfortable months for walking around Tulsa. This plan is built for october, which is one of the best months. Crowds and prices change through the year, so check them before you book.

How many days does this plan cover?

It covers 2 days in Tulsa, planned for october. Each day is built around a small number of stops, with room to rest.

Who is this plan for?

It was planned for most travelers. The pace and the places reflect that, so check it fits how you travel.

Is anything on this plan booked?

No. Places marked "book ahead" need a reservation. Hours, prices and availability change, so confirm before you go.

Can I plan my own days like this?

Yes. Archie drafts a day by day plan for your dates and takes your pace, the weather and who is travelling into account. You can start one from the Archie app.

Can I change this plan?

Yes. It is a starting point you can change to fit your own trip: swap a place, add a day or move the pace.

How much walking is there?

On foot, about 1.1 miles a day, and 566.6 miles by car in all across 2 days. Distances are straight-line estimates, so allow extra for the streets.