#52 OUR FIRST STORE* (revised 6/6) 'why tulsa?" part four

Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys at Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa in the 1930’s Cain’s Ballroom is largely credited for being the birthplace of western swing music.

What is the culture of the area?

Gardening and landscaping follow a pattern of diverse leisure activities that are enjoyed by a rich and vibrant community. If the community and surrounding areas support a variety of cultural activities, the residents will be frequent customers to outlets for quality plants and plant care items for their homes and businesses.

Because Tulsa is influenced by the Midwest, Southwest, and Southern cultural regions as well as the large Native American so dominant in the state of Oklahoma, these influences are expressed in the city’s museums, performing arts venues, ethnic festivals, park systems, zoos wildlife preserves and large growing collections of public sculptures, monuments and artwork.

Museums, art, music, and performances

Museums are numerous in Tulsa. The Philbrook, located in the city of the city, is considered on of the top 50 fine arts museums in the United States. The Gilcrease Museum holds the world’s most comprehensive collection of works from the American West. The Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art preserves the largest collection of Judaica in the Southwest United States. There is the Tulsa Air and Space Museum, the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame, and the Greenwood Cultural Center which preserves the history of the city’s African American heritage.

Public displays of art are funded by 1% of the annual budget of the city of Tulsa. Public art is located in numerous locations throughout the city

Tulsa has a number of permanent dance, theatre, and concert groups; The Tulsa Ballet, The Tulsa Opera, The Tulsa Symphonic Orchestra, The Tulsa Signature Symphony, The Heller Theatre, and Theatre Tulsa. Performing Arts Centers include the Tulsa Convention Center, Expo Square Pavilion, The Mabee Center and the River Parks Amphitheatre.

Music is everywhere in the city of Tulsa. The Blue Dome District of the city hosts its annual Diversafest showcasing independent and emerging artist to the 60,000 people who attend the two day event. Cain’s Ballroom, considered the birthplace of western swing, is hopping with nationally known musicians regularly. The "Tulsa Sound" developed by local musicians including Leon Russell in the 1960's and 70's, heavily influenced songwriter, Eric Clapton. Musicians who have started their musical careers in Tulsa include Garth Brooks, Ronnie Dunn, Gene Autry and David Cook. Ten miles west of the city, an outdoor amphitheatre holds the official title of the world’s performance headquarters of the musical “Oklahoma”.

Outdoor Recreation

There are 140 parks spread of 6000 acres in the city of Tulsa. Along the Arkansas River, there are 20 miles of hard surface bike trails with an additional 30 miles of mountain biking, hiking and horseback riding in the Turkey Mountain Wilderness Area all within the city. The 78 acre Tulsa Zoo was voted America’s Favorite Zoo in 2005 by Microsoft Game Studios. In the nearby suburb community of Jenks, the Oklahoma Aquarium is the state’s only freestanding aquarium. The Tulsa State Fair in September attracts nearly one million people and the city’s Oktoberfest was named one of the top ten in the world by USA Magazine.

Sports

Tulsa has a wide variety of sports venues and the professional and collegiate level. The city hosts two NCAA football colleges and five professional minor league sports teams in basketball, arena football, baseball, hockey and soccer. The Southern Hills County Club is one of two of the golf courses in the city that have hosted four PGA Championships and three U.S. Open Golf Championships. The city’s running and cycling communities support events such as the Tulsa Tough cycling race, The Route 66 Marathon and the Tulsa Run which features over 8000 participants each year. Gambling is supported by the community with Indian owned and operated gaming venues. Horse racing events are hosted by the Fair Meadow Race Track and Will Rogers Downs in a nearby city.