Opened in 2018, this 66-acre waterfront park sits along the Arkansas River and offers a wealth of attractions for residents and visitors alike. Along with sports courts, a skate park, pedestrian and bicycle paths and a variety of gardens, Gathering Place is also home to a beach and a pond where visitors can rent paddleboats, kayaks or canoes. Families with young children will be especially pleased with the 5-acre Chapman Adventure Playground and the adjacent Slide Vale (a network of four slides, one of which goes underground) and Swing Hill, which features a variety of swings and stunning views of the park and the Arkansas River.

Recent visitors said Gathering Place is a must-see in Tulsa, with many using words like "amazing" and "beautiful" to describe the park's scenic setting and plethora of fun activities. Others were especially impressed with the park's free admission and its water-based attractions, which are particularly popular on hot Tulsa days.

The pieces inside Tulsa's Philbrook Museum of Art are constantly competing for attention with the natural splendor of the grounds. In fact, visitors can't seem to decide which they like better. You'll find Renaissance and Baroque paintings and sculptures, plus a sampling of Asian art, Native American pieces and African sculptures. In addition to well-manicured pathways and blooming environs, recent visitors said the breathtaking gardens also have a picturesque sculpture walk with 17 installations to enjoy.

Just south of Woodward Park, the Philbrook occupies the former estate of oil tycoon Waite Phillips. It's open Wednesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Fridays, the exhibits stay open until 9 p.m. General admission costs $17 for adults, $14 for seniors ages 62 and older, veterans and college students and $6 for children ages 3 to 17; children 2 and younger get in for free. You'll also find a formal restaurant and gift shop on-site. Visit the museum's website for details.

If you want to gain a better understanding of Tulsa's pivotal role in American Black history and culture, you'll want to pay a visit to the Greenwood District. Famously dubbed "Black Wall Street" in the early 20th century, this neighborhood in northern Tulsa was home to prosperous Black businesses, including grocery stores, hotels, doctor's offices and theaters, as well as approximately 10,000 residents. In June 1921, it was destroyed during the Tulsa Race Massacre. During the massacre, white mobs looted and burned businesses and homes throughout Greenwood in retaliation of an alleged incident between a Black teenager and a white woman in downtown Tulsa.  

Today, the neighborhood is home to several historic sites dedicated to telling the story of "Black Wall Street," as well as a collection of Black-owned businesses, such as Wanda J's Next Generation Restaurant and Silhouette Sneakers & Art. Among the historic sites located here is the Greenwood Cultural Center, which displays exhibits featuring photos from the massacre, as well as survivor accounts. Other points of interest include the John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park, which features bronze sculptures memorializing the victims, and the Mount Zion Baptist Church, which was destroyed during the massacre, but rebuilt in 1952. For a more immersive history lesson, visitors will want to stop by Greenwood Rising. This free museum opened in 2021 and features a variety of interactive, tech-savvy exhibits to help tell the story of the neighborhood before, during and after the massacre.

This up-and-coming neighborhood south of Tulsa's downtown offers excellent coffee houses, shops, cafes and a few choice wine bars. You'll uncover some furniture stores and clothing boutiques and even a Harley-Davidson store as you stroll up and down South Peoria Avenue. Locals recommend stopping by Charleston's for chicken fried steak, a burger or another classic American meal, noting that it's a nice place for a date or to bring the family.

Consider yourself informed and – hopefully – enticed to swing by, particularly on a Wednesday morning. In spring, summer and fall that's when and where you'll find the Brookside Market, from mid-April to mid-October from 7:30 to 11 a.m. In the winter, the market is held every other Saturday from 8 to 11 a.m. Visit this Arkansas riverfront district's website for more information on shopping, nightlife and sightseeing.

The Woody Guthrie center is, as you might have guessed, a museum dedicated to the life of Woody Guthrie, a renowned folksinger who was born in Oklahoma and who wrote “This Land is Your Land.” The center is home to the original, hand-written lyrics, which visitors can see, along with the Woody Guthrie Archives, a collection of his writing, art and songs, plus information about the Dust Bowl.

For visitors who are inspired by Guthrie’s art, the center also is home to a lyric-writing station, a listening station and exhibits by other artists that change throughout the year. Recent guests recommend taking some time to watch the videos on display, and say this is an “informative and entertaining” spot for guests of all ages, especially music lovers.

Located just to the north of the Tulsa International Airport, the Tulsa Air and Space Museum & Planetarium is home to numerous exhibits that showcase Tulsa's role in America's aviation history, from a smoke-filled balloon in the beginning to World War II to the Space Age to present day. Visitors of all ages have plenty to see, and can even experience what it’s like to fly a Viper F-16 jet through an interactive display.

If you want to learn about space, head to the James E. Bertelsmeyer Planetarium, where visitors can watch daily screenings on full-dome screens about astronomy, earth science, constellations and art history. Plus, all visitors get admission to one video with the general cost of admission (an additional showing will cost $7). For a full schedule of showings, visit the museum's website.

Flush with azaleas, dogwoods and roses, Woodward Park is truly a sight to behold. This public park is particularly popular for weddings, but you can also just come here to relax. To learn about the flowers here, heed the advice of recent visitors and stop by the Tulsa Garden Center, which is located next door. Along with information about the park's flora, the center also provides educational programs on horticulture, gardening classes and workshops, as well as tai chi classes.

For a relaxing day, bring a picnic and take your time wandering through the trails. The Tulsa Garden Center is also a great place to improve your green thumb, as it houses more than 5,000 volumes on botany, landscaping and more.

Tulsa's visitors say the Gilcrease Museum is one of the best spots to see artwork inspired by the American West. Artists featured here include Frederic Remington, Frank Tenney Johnson and Charles Marion Russell, among others. There are also works by Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent and Thomas Moran. Outside, guests will find 23 acres of themed gardens, including the Pioneer Garden, the Rock Garden and the Pre-Colombian Garden, to name a few.

Some visitors suggest studying the museum's website extensively before dropping by, citing a confusing layout (since the exhibits are spread out over 460 acres, you could easily lose precious time).

Though it's small compared to other zoos across the country, Tulsa's iteration does do well with what it's got, according to recent visitors. The chimpanzees, red pandas and Asian elephants are the most popular of the zoo's residents. What's more, there's also a carousel, a train and a playground located on-site.

Recent visitors say the zoo is a great outing if you're traveling with kids thanks to its manageable size and variety of attractions (the train, in particular, is a hit).

The permanent collection at The Sherwin Milller Museum of Jewish Art includes iron and bronze works from early Jewish history (think 3200 BCE), work by Israeli artists like Reuven Rubin and objects from the Holocaust. Of interest to the Oklahomans who have visited is the museum's collection of memorabilia chronicling local Jewish history.

While on the smaller side, recent visitors highly recommend visiting this museum, saying that all of the exhibits are informative and impressive. It's also a good place for a repeat visit, as the exhibits change throughout the seasons.

Home to more than 100 exhibits and thousands of animals, the Oklahoma Aquarium is a great place to spend the day with the family. Here, you can pet stingrays, feed turtles and walk through the shark tunnel. Click here for a full feeding schedule; recent visitors suggested visiting on a Monday or Thursday in the early afternoon to witness a shark feeding.

Located about 15 miles south of Tulsa in the town of Jenks, the Oklahoma Aquarium is open year-round from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. On Tuesdays, it stays open until 9 p.m. Some say admission is a little pricey: expect to pay about $16 for adults, $14 for seniors and military personnel and about $12 for children between the ages of 3 and 12. Visit the aquarium's website for more information.