Tulsa

An Art Deco city on Route 66, with the Gathering Place, the Bob Dylan Center, the history of Greenwood's "Black Wall Street" and the Blue Whale.

Tulsa sits on the Arkansas River in northeastern Oklahoma and is the state's second-largest city. The oil boom of the 1920s earned it the title "Oil Capital of the World" and left behind one of the densest collections of Art Deco architecture in the US. Route 66 runs through the city, and Cyrus Avery, the "Father of Route 66," was a Tulsan. The city can be explored in several parts: the downtown Art Deco district and Boston Avenue Methodist Church; the Bob Dylan Center, Woody Guthrie Center and Cain's Ballroom in the Tulsa Arts District to the north; the Greenwood Historic District and Greenwood Rising, the history center that tells the story of the 1921 race massacre; the Gathering Place, Philbrook Museum of Art and Woodward Park along the river to the south; and the vintage Route 66 signs along 11th Street, plus the Blue Whale of Catoosa in the northeastern outskirts. April–May and September–October have the most pleasant weather; summers are hot and humid, and in spring watch for thunderstorm and tornado warnings. Tulsa International Airport has flights from Dallas, Denver, Chicago and elsewhere; sights in the city are spread out, so driving is recommended, though the Arts District, Blue Dome District and Greenwood are walkable from one another. Plan on 2–3 days; if you're road-tripping Route 66, add half a day for Catoosa and Claremore, or a day at Woolaroc to see bison.

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