Best Things To Do on Route 66 in Tulsa, OK

Did you know that the Mother Road’s father, Cyrus Avery, was a Tulsan? Get your kicks by following our picks of best attractions on Tulsa’s Route 66. Listed from east to west with a map at bottom.

The Blue Whale

The Blue Whale of Catoosa is one of Route 66’s most photographed curiosities. You can walk into the whale’s happy mouth and shop the gift shop on-site. The water slides may look tempting, but swimming is no longer allowed. The wife of The Blue Whale’s creator collected figurines, so he built this for her anniversary gift in 1972. Find it in Catoosa, about 15 minutes/miles east of downtown Tulsa.

2600 U.S. Rte 66, Catoosa, OK | facebook.com/blue.whale.144

Desert Hills Motel

Built in 1953, this style of motor court was popular along Route 66. You probably don’t want to spend the night at what one traveler called the “worst motel in the world” on TripAdvisor, so get a photo with the neon sign at 5220 E 11th St and motor on, perhaps to nearby antique stores.

Find lesser examples of vintage Route 66 motel signs further east at the Western Inn (5915 E 11th St), Oasis Motel (9303 E 11th St) and abandoned Brookshire Motel (11017 E 11th St). See recreated vintage signs at the neon sign park listed below.

Tally’s Good Food Cafe

Enjoy breakfast all day at this comfort food cafe that began as a diner in the 40s and has been known as Tally’s since 1987. Large entrees include Fat Boy cheese burgers, chicken fried steak and chicken and waffles. Tally’s is famous for a cinnamon roll the size of a hubcap. Walk it off across Yale Avenue to see bubble letter murals of states along Route 66 and murals about Tulsa’s native and early history.

1102 S Yale Ave at 11th St | tallyscafe.com

Golden Driller

Tulsa’s most iconic symbol, the Golden Driller is a giant statue of an oil rig worker, or roughneck. The first driller was a gold tone statue for the 1953 International Petroleum Exposition, a world famous trade show back when Tulsa was “Oil Capital of the World.” The temporary exhibit was so popular that a new one climbing a rig was shown at the 1959 show. A third and final driller for the 1966 show was built to last. His bones are steel rods said to withstand up to 200 mph winds. His skin is made of plaster and painted mustard yellow. One arm rests on a real oil derrick. At 76 feet, he’s one of the tallest free-standing statues in the world. Detour just south of Route 66 to find the Golden Driller at Expo Square.

4145 E 21st St at Pittsburgh Ave

Mother Road Market

Take your pick of burgers, BBQ, pizza, sushi, tacos and more from a dozen local vendors at Tulsa’s only food hall. Our top choices are the burnt ends at Oklahoma Joe’s or the fried chicken sandwich at Chicken & the Wolf. Go easy on that chicken’s hot sauce — even mild is darn spicy. Oh, and don’t pass up a scoop from Big Dipper Creamery on your way out!

1124 S Lewis Ave at 11th St | motherroadmarket.com

Buck Atom's Cosmic Curios on 66 and Decopolis 66 + TulsaRama

Two quirky souvenir shops embody Tulsa’s Route 66 revival.

Meet space cowboy Buck Atom, a 21-foot fiberglass statue that’s sure to get your attention. This new “muffler man” brings back nostalgia for these roadside giants along old Route 66. Instead of a muffler, Buck holds a gleaming rocket ship. He stands outside a 1950s service station that’s now a Tulsa Route 66 souvenir shop owned by retail entrepreneur Mary Beth Babcock.

Next door, Decopolis 66 and TulsaRama is hard to describe. You’ll just have to see it for yourself. Expect a mini city with Tulsa-themed souvenirs, gifts, postcards, dairy bar and Art Deco museum. Family-friendly and full of local character.

Buck’s on 66: 1347 E 11th St | buckatomson66.com
Decopolis 66: 1401 E 11th St | decopolis.net

Meadow Gold Sign

This restored neon sign sits atop a brick pavilion with plaques about the sign’s history. From the 1930s to 70s, the Meadow Gold sign advertised smooth dairy products on a building on 11th Street. When that building was torn down in 2004, the sign was saved and stored until being relit on its new perch in 2009. Don’t miss the adjacent You Said We Couldn’t Do It mural about the bridge that saved Tulsa.

1324 E 11 St at Peoria Ave

The Blue Dome

This former gas station was a luxury pit stop in 1924 when it opened on 2nd Street along the original alignment of Route 66 in Tulsa. Motorists enjoyed 24-hour service with new-at-the-time amenities like hot water, car wash and pressurized air to keep those tires pumped. The White Star Gulf Oil Station was also listed in the Green Book, allowing black drivers to get service, too. Built of blond bricks in an Art Deco style, the building is closed except for special events. However, check out Blue Dome District bars, restaurants, bowling and murals.

313 E 2nd St

Cyrus Avery Centennial Plaza and 11th Street Bridge

The Mother Road runs through Tulsa because of this bridge over the Arkansas River. Cyrus Avery, father of Route 66, convinced the highway commission to use the preexisting 11th Street bridge — now blocked off in disrepair — rather than build a new bridge in a different town. In the plaza, flags from Route 66 states flutter in the breeze. Life-size bronze sculptures, called “East Meets West,” show the Avery family in their Model T surprising a horse-drawn oil field cart. Shifts in culture and physical geography support this river being a true diving line between America’s East and West.

Southwest Blvd at Riverside Dr

Neon Sign Park

Drive, bike or walk across the new Cyrus Avery Memorial Bridge to West Tulsa and relive the neon glory of Route 66 motel signs. This brand new park has replicas of three bygone motel signs: Oil Capital Motel, Tulsa Auto Court and Will Rogers Motor Court.

Southwest Blvd at River Parks West Trail

Route 66 Historical Village

On your way west out of town, explore Tulsa’s oil capital origins. An oil derrick soars 194 feet above a Frisco Railway steam engine from 1940, lounge car, oil tanker from 1917, and caboose from the 30s. The derrick marks the spot of the area’s first oil strike in 1901. Although output was relatively small, it attracted lots of attention as roughnecks and speculators converged on Indian Territory to get rich. The Oklahoma oil rush was on, and Tulsa would soon become the Oil Capital of the World. The information center is a recreated 1920s Phillips 66 station that looks like a cottage. Maps, coffee and restrooms are inside.

3770 Southwest Blvd, Tulsa | facebook.com/Route66Village