There’s no doubt the TU campus is beautiful and filled with fun activities throughout the week, but sometimes we all want some time away. Whether you’re living on campus or are a commuter, there are plenty of fun things to do around Tulsa that allow students to step away from the textbooks and enjoy the world around you. Tulsa is filled with beautiful parks, diverse art museums and many more attractions to explore during your free time. As a way to welcome in the new school year, here are the top five places to see in Tulsa during your free time.
1. The Gathering Place
The Gathering Place is a free 66.5-acre park filled with fun activities for everyone. This includes playgrounds, cafés, beautiful gardens filled with wildlife, and even art. This is a great place to go with friends, whether it’s for a walk around the park or sitting down and grabbing a bite to eat. And if those ideas don’t sound like your style, you could have a fun day at the skatepark, take a ride on the bike trail or even just walk around the art exhibits to appreciate the creativity they hold.
The Gathering Place sits beside the Arkansas River, which brings in more wildlife scenery to visitors. Even with the constant free activities going on every day, the Gathering Place also holds scheduled events throughout the year. This includes educational events, nature guided events and “Dog Play Wednesday” every week, where everyone is invited to bring their furry companions to walk around the park and have a great day in nature.
2. The Philbrook Museum of Art
If you want those perfect Instagram photos, head over to the Philbrook Museum of Art. Just a little over a mile away from the Gathering Place, Philbrook is filled with diverse artwork and surrounded by beautiful gardens perfect for your next social media post. It doesn’t matter if you appreciate more modern artwork, contemporary pieces, or very abstract works, you will find art that speaks to you within the museum.
Philbrook also has wonderful gardens to walk around allowing you to enjoy the outdoors. Philbrook also hosts Fowler Automotive Films on the Lawn, where you and your friends can take a seat in the garden and enjoy the chosen movie. The next movie in the garden, “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi,” is set for September 30.
3. Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness Area
Just across the river from The Gathering Place, Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness Area opens opportunities for individuals to explore the natural environment of Oklahoma with guided trails looping around the area. The wilderness area is open from 5 A.M.-11P.M. for anyone who wants to get their steps in. Each trail is marked with a level of difficulty to give everyone the opportunity to challenge themselves with more rigorous trails.
Not only can you get your steps in, but Turkey Mountain is also a great way to get away from the busy environment on campus and surround yourself with wildlife. From the beautiful birds to ground critters, this place gives you the adventure of exploring while still staying safe on trails with safety signs posted about the wildlife surrounding you
4. Tulsa Botanic Garden
Like Philbrook’s gardens, Tulsa Botanic Garden surrounds visitors with plant life but at a much larger scale. The vibrant plants allow for visitors to escape the city life and disappear into enchanting gardens, taking away the stress of that homework assignment due next week. The gardens are a great place to go if you don’t want the natural environment of Turkey Mountain but also want to get away from the controlled plant life around the city. It’s the middle ground between both environments with a large amount of diverse and exotic plant life, but in a more organized environment. The garden is open Tuesday – Sunday from 10 A.M .to 5 P.M. with admission prices costing $10 for ages 16 and up.
Also listed on their calendar is their clearance plant sale! If you would like to spice up your dorm or take on the title “Plant Mom/Dad,” this event might be for you. The next clearance plant sale event is scheduled for Tuesday, August 30, with additional sales taking place the first week of September.
5. Tulsa Zoo
Although the city of Tulsa is filled with its own wildlife, the Tulsa Zoo takes wildlife to the next level. With only a 15-minute drive from campus, every student can go to the zoo for a small entry fee of $14. With 17 listed exhibits anyone can spend their day exploring wildlife from different parts of the world from 8 A.M. to 5 P.M., although the latest you can enter the park is at 4 P.M.
Tulsa Zoo is also holding events like most attractions here in Tulsa, the most recent being “Zoorassic World,” allowing visitors to learn about dinosaurs through life size replicas of the beasts. This event is ongoing until September 5, 2022, with an additional admission separate from the zoo’s regular ticket prices.
