Fun Things to Do in the Tulsa Arts District
Visit Bob Dylan’s archives, hear live music at Cain’s, eat cake at Antoinette’s
From music to murals and delicious cake to the city’s best cocktails, the Arts District is the center of Tulsa culture and gastronomy.
Museums for legendary musicians like Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan share the block with venues hosting contemporary bands. Quaint red brick buildings along Main Street house shops serving yummy breakfast tacos (Chimera), the perfect slice of cake cakes (Antoinette Baking Co.), to historic venues like Cain’s Ballroom and Tulsa Theater. A pop culture museum is set to join them in 2024.
Here’s a guide to our favorite things to do:
1. First Friday Art Crawl
The District comes alive
Valkyrie
Cain’s Ballroom
Bob Dylan Center
Woody Guthrie Center
Tulsa Theater
Once known as the Brady Theater,
Antoinette Baking Co.
Welltown Brewery
Deco District landmarks include:
Exchange National Bank aka Oil Man’s Bank (now 320 South Boston)
Cosden Building (now Mid-Continent Tower)
Atlas Life Building (now Courtyard by Marriott)
Philtower
Philcade
Tulsa Club (now Tulsa Club Hotel)
Mayo Hotel
Pythian Building
PSO Building (Public Service Company of Oklahoma)
ONG Building (Oklahoma Natural Gas)
As oil money fueled construction downtown, the zigzag style of Art Deco debuted at a Paris exposition in 1925. The design arose in Tulsa two years later with the Medical and Dental Arts Building (demolished).
Art Deco buildings in/around Tulsa’s Deco District:
Philcade
Tulsa Club
Southwestern Bell
Pythian
PSO Building
ONG Building
Mayo Motor Inn
Tulsa Union Depot
Boston Avenue Methodist Church
Today, Deco treasures share the street with modernist office towers built in the late 40s through 70s during a second wave of development after WWII. The BOK Tower (aka One Williams Center) stands the tallest and was designed by the architect of the Twin Towers in NYC.
The Philtower, PSO, Mayo 420, and other buildings have been converted into rental apartments. The former Sinclair Oil and Gas headquarters (1919) is next in line for adaptive reuse using historic tax credits.
The Deco District is home to more rental apartments than any other neighborhood downtown. It also hosts the Tulsa Christmas Parade, a holiday tradition since 1926. The marathon’s starting line and Pride Parade pass through here too.
The best way to experience the Deco District is our Architecture & Art Deco walking tour held most Saturday mornings (except winter). At other times, travelers and corporate groups may enjoy a private tour.
Tulsa arts district history
Downtown’s oldest neighborhood centers around North Main Street — Tulsa’s first street after the railroad tracks put Tulsa on the map in 1882. Businesses grew and evolved with the influx of commerce — first agricultural and then oil. The area became associated with entrepreneur Tate Brady, one of Tulsa’s founding fathers. Streets like Archer, Brady and Cameron