This past weekend Todd and I booked a somewhat last minute trip to Tulsa, which is less than two hours away from Fayetteville. On Friday we hopped in the car after work, picked up Iris from daycare, and were on our way! Our main reason for visiting was that we’d heard fantastic things about the new Prairie Brewpub. Todd being the craft beer lover that he is, has been wanting to try it since it opened. And me? I’ll never turn down a food and drink inspired trip! We were also lucky enough to be hosted by the Tulsa Convention and Visitors Bureau. They hooked us up with a great room at the Fairfield Inn & Suites Tulsa Downtown, which is about a 30 second walk to the brewpub’s front door.
As soon as we checked into our room, we headed over to Prairie for dinner and drinks. We knew immediately that it was worth the drive. The building itself was nicely done, a mix of historic and modern charm with a very Instagram-worthy feel (the important stuff, I know). But with each appetizer, drink, and meal we fell more and more in love. Everything was SO good. Even Iris, who is terrible at eating dinner ate all of her rotisserie chicken and then half of mine. She even loved the spinach. THE SPINACH! It was so good that we went back the next night for appetizers and drinks before heading to the baseball game down the road. After we left the ballpark, we were still hungry, so we went back for a third time and got late-night burgers to go. All of it was some of the best food we’ve had in a while. And if you’re curious, this part of our trip wasn’t sponsored at all. We probably dropped close to $250 at Prairie over the course of the weekend. That said, the prices actually are very reasonable, we just wanted to try everything – and we almost did.
Enough about Prairie, back to Tulsa! We spent Saturday morning at the Oklahoma Aquarium which Iris absolutely loved. Besides a few exhibits at zoos, she’s never had an experience like that before.
For lunch we actually ate somewhere other than Prairie and, what do you know, it was also incredibly delicious! SMOKE on Cherry Street was serving brunch, which was fine by me because the breakfast burrito was amazing as were the pineapple basil mimosas (yes, plural). From there, we looked around Cherry Street for a bit before ending up back at our hotel for a much needed nap. After our afternoon snack at Prairie, we ventured to the Tulsa Drillers baseball game, with tickets courtesy of VisitTulsa.com. While at the game I got a tip from an Instagram follower to try Antoinette Baking Co. because it was Pie Night. Not knowing exactly what that even meant, I knew I didn’t want to miss it. Located right next door to our hotel, we saw the massive line and knew it had to be legit. It was.
Each night we also took advantage of the completely empty indoor pool at our hotel, which really helped make a short road trip feel like a real vacation. Overall, I was completely impressed with our time in a city that I often forget is so close by. I’m sure we’ll venture over again soon, probably hitting up Prairie at least three more times.
I’m a Northeast native who lives in NYC, and even I get sick of how Coast-centric most American media is. THANK YOU for showing me how much there is to do and see in the rest of the country. I never thought I’d be adding Tulsa or Kansas City to my “places to visit” list, but here I am. =)
We are so happy you came to experience Tulsa. Please let us know when you come back.
Thank you for spending part of your weekend at the Oklahoma Aquarium. Please come back when we open our new sea turtle exhibit!
Okay, I have been to Tulsa and had none of these fabulous experiences. Maybe the key is having Iris along? She seems to brighten up any space. Just sayin.
Thank you for your wonderful comments on our great city! I’ve lived all over the country and Tulsa is my home. I love it here. As a fellow wanderluster (that’s a word, right?), I live to explore new cities.
Please come back and visit The Philbrook (the gardens will blow your mind), attend a free concert at Guthrie Green (your kid may run into my kid at the splash pad), eat at Palace Cafe on Cherry Street (it’s legit AMAZING), stroll the shops at Utica Square and hit some balls at Flying Tee!
Absolutely love your pictures and write-up of your Tulsa visit. (I am one of your Insta followers, so already a BIG fan of Iris!) We are planning a trip to Tulsa next month to check out Univ. of Tulsa for my high school senior daughter. She absolutely LOVES outdoor murals, so I was intrigued by the number of pictures you had featuring murals. I wonder if there is a list of addresses for these and other murals that we might see while we are there. Keep up the great writing and pictures!
I’ve lived in Oklahoma my entire life and have never been to Tulsa. Thanks to your very enjoyable article I can’t wait to make my first trip!