The Blue Whale of Catoosa has been on my Route 66 bucket list for quite a while, and I'm glad we…read morefinally made the stop. At first glance, you might wonder why people travel miles to see a giant blue whale. Then you get there, walk through it, read the story behind it, and it all starts to make sense. What began as a whimsical anniversary gift from Hugh Davis to his wife Zelta has become one of the most recognizable landmarks on the Mother Road. The recent restoration is impressive. The visitor center does an excellent job sharing the history, the grounds are clean and well maintained, and the whale looks fantastic. Walking through the whale's mouth and out the tail brought out the kid in me, while the historical displays gave me a new appreciation for the people who created it. This isn't a place where you'll spend half a day--20 to 30 minutes is about right--but it's absolutely worth the stop. It's fun, nostalgic, family-friendly, and one of those Route 66 attractions you'll be talking about long after you leave. One piece of advice for fellow Oklahoma Route 66 Passport travelers: don't get so caught up exploring that you forget to get your passport stamped...like I did! ‍ No worries--the Blue Whale gave me the perfect excuse to plan another trip down Route 66.

The Blue Whale is a historic landmark along Route 66 in Catoosa, OK. It was a stop we wanted to…read moremake rain or shine during our Route 66 Centennial Celebration road trip in the Midwest. My eldest daughter and I did just that. Yes, it was raining cats and dogs. Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to walk outside to be closer to the Blue Whale. We did our best to capture some photos from a far of its 20 feel tall and 80 feet long frame. There is a visitor center that holds the history of its loving story. We didn't get to walk inside the center either. It was slightly disappointing to come from a far and we didn't get to experience it the way we would have liked. Yes, we could have gotten out of the car and walked on over to the whale and center. However, we didn't bring an umbrella or any covering to keep us dry from the pouring rain. Lesson learned... bring an umbrella rain or shine! LOL No regrets... just fond memories of our wonderful experiences as it is meant to be. We just weren't meant to see the Blue Whale up close and personal. All good! I didn't know until after our trip that the Blue Whale of Catoosa was built in 1972 by zoologist Hugh Davis as an anniversary gift for his wife Zelta. It evolved from a private family swimming hole into a beloved free public attraction. If you ever get a chance to visit here, please give the Blue Whale a hug for me. Thank you!

Important and terribly unfortunate ;and shameful) part of American history. Need to learn more and…read morespend more time in this area. Very moving experience that should motivate all of us to learn to love each other and work to stomp out racism of all forms ...

What an amazing experience!! I had the opportunity to visit this museum with my daughter and my…read moremom. There is some street parking right in front of the museum and around the museum. Don't park in the parking garage right behind the museum. They will tow you. I was greeted when I walked in and purchased my ticket. After you buy your ticket, you walk into an area that has Maya Angelou "Still I Rise" playing along with images of black people. After the poem, you then walk into a room that starts breaking down the history. First, why black people, mostly freed slaves, are trying to escape the South, and migrated to Oklahoma. Then it shows you how and why these black towns were created (segregation). Then you walk to the "barbershop" and get to hear about some of the challenges that were starting to happen. Once you walk out of the barbershop and you see this large wall broken into 3 sections to show you how May 31, 1921, started and ended. It was powerful! Then, it breaks down the aftermath, the reconstruction and decline. I would recommend anyone who wants to learn about something historic. This is the place to do it. The museum is put together so well. It makes the information so consumable and impactful to anyone of any age and any ethnicity. They also offer tours and merchandise.

1943-1945 WW2, McAlester was home to almost 3,000 German POW's. It's hard to believe that less than…read more80 years ago McAlester was part of such significant history. I have heard rumors that originally it was an interment camp for Japanese Americans for one year prior to housing Germans. I also heard that it was going to house Italian POW's but due to the local population of Italian immigrants they where housed elsewhere. It would be very interesting to dive more in to this part of our local history. The miniature castle was built by the POW's and there is another one at the old McAlester High School.

We had a great time touring the cave house. Linda does a wonderful time explaining the history and…read morequirks of this unique place. I especially love the stories of the key lady and the buttons. It was so much fun to explore and I loved the slide upstairs. Definitely put it on your list if visiting Tulsa!

You get quite a history lesson with your tour! Highly recommend it the owner is really nice and…read moregreat at telling stories.

While my eldest daughter and I were in the City of Tulsa, OK, we had to swing by the icon statue of…read moreThe Golden Driller. It depicts an oil worker wearing a hard hat and holding a drilling derrick. It stands 76 feet tall and weighs 43,500 pounds. It captures the bold spirit and history of the region's oil boom in turn is a striking tribute to the petroleum industry. This statue is located right outside the Tulsa Expo Square. It is very easy to find. It's so tall and yellow. You can't miss it. It was rainy during our visit, but I was still able to capture some photos of the statue. I zoomed in to see the impressive scale and detailed craftsmanship of this super cool and giant landmark. Despite of the wet weather, it was still a fantastic stop for quick photos during our Route 66 Centennial Celebration road trip in the Midwest. Definitely a memorable roadside attraction for all visitors to enjoy. Thanks Golden Driller!

I stopped by the Golden Driller statue in Midtown Tulsa, OK, in honor of my dad worked in the…read moreoilfield for over 50 years. On July 25, 2025, the statue had no extras adorned on his person as I have seen in past photos, but he was still magnificently gold with "TULSA" on his belt. He was much taller than I expected - 76' tall! He weighs in at 43,500 pounds. Wow! It sits in front of the Tulsa Expo Center at Golden Driller Plaza. There was free parking. If you're traveling along the historic Route 66, stop by and show him and the men and women who have been in the petroleum industry some love. Works Cited https://www.travelok.com/listings/view.profile/id.16498

The Harmony Bridge carries Memorial Drive (US-64) over the Arkansas River, joining Tulsa with…read moreBixby. There are actually two bridges here - the highway bridge that has two lanes of traffic in each direction and the parallel Harmony bridge that is a pedestrian and bicycle route also known as the Riverwalk Trail. I'm not sure if it's Tulsa, Bixby or the State that did the work here, but the bridge is almost a park all by itself, with shaded dining areas, plastic lounge seats looking out of the river and even a love lock structure where you can add your padlock with your significant other's initials to leave your mark. The remodeling was completed this past summer and it looks terrific. There is a small parking lot at the south end or the much larger parking lot in the Washington Irving Park. [Review 16260 overall - 96 in Oklahoma - 1766 of 2021.]

i had a beautiful experience at the centennial plaza. i'd saw the statues from across the pavement,…read moreso to speak, and thought, huh, giving "british are coming." thus, in anticipation of the upcoming 2026 fifa world cup, i searched for when the english national team is scheduled to come to the event, which north america, the united states of included, is hosting, and found, gratefully, that the english team will play in the group stage in the dfw area, and that one pub local to dallas, called the londoner, is excited for the city to host the event, also, more objectively speaking, the commemorative plaza features a placard in the center among a series of five that biographizes the life of the namesake person, who was key to the establishment of ok statehood, and who from the brief reading i've done on him, leans more toward the side of public service than colonialism, certainly as far as ok whites go.

Cyrus Avery Centennial Plaza is important location when you enter into Tulsa metropolitan from the…read moresouth. This plaza located at the Arkansas River with major connections to the historic memorial bridge, river walk bridge, and statue of car and wagon. Very easy to spot. You can park your car at the right of pedestrian bridge and cross sit to the plaza. This plaza is part of famous history Route 66. You can enjoy the old railroad station, bridge walk to other side of bank to visit the historical sign. This plaza definitely is photo hot spot. Many place can get this photo including the gateway of Tulsa.