2008 Tulsa Tours[1]

 

Tour 1 - Monday May 26th, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm

Myriad Botanical Gardens, Lunch on your own at Bricktown and Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial

 

The Myriad Botanical gardens has over 100 species of palm trees, the epitome of tropical trees, Cycads which flourished in primeval forests during the time of the dinosaurs and made up 20 percent of the world’s flora, Gingers of which most people are familiar with the culinary variety of ginger. However, many members of this “spicy” plant family are also quite beautiful and are normally seen only in expensive floral bouquets, Bromeliads, Orchids, Euphorbias, a cacti look alike and Begonias.
Just steps away you will find the Crystal Bridge Gift Shop offers a fantastic selection of botanical and nature related gifts:

Garden accessories abound in the gift shop including statuaries, wind chimes and other decorations to accent any garden.
After a long day in the garden, a little pampering should be in order. The gift shop stocks skin care products from Crabtree and Evelyn and Ahava, the ultimate in skin care from the Dead Sea.
Bring the garden inside with beautiful home accents such as vases, Christmas ornaments, greeting cards, and books.
Fun and educational toys found in the gift shop are stretchy bugs, rubber snakes, animal hats, nature related games, puzzles and kid-sized gardening tools.

We will stop for lunch on your own and/or shopping at Bricktown located in the heart of downtown Oklahoma City. Bricktown, was once a warehouse neighborhood that has been magnificently restored.  After this lunch on your own stop, we will resume our trip to the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial. The Oklahoma City National Memorial Archives came into being in the fall of 1995. Following the April 19, 1995, bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, a 350 member task-force was created to deal with aspects of memorializing the tragedy. Here you will find exhibits on:
            1. Records from the professional response

            2. General Public and media response

            3. Impact on the local community as well as the nation

            4. Investigation and trials

            5. Memorial process

For more information check out http://www.myriadgardens.com/index.html , http://www.bricktownokc.com/ and/or http://www.oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org/

 

Tour Cost $50.00

 

Tour 2 – Tuesday May 27th, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm

Tulsa City Tour with stop at the Oklahoma Aquarium, lunch, on your own, and shopping at River walk, Stone Bluff Cellars and Lavender Hill Farms.

 

Nestled on the banks of the Arkansas River in Jenks is a major Tulsa area attraction called the Riverwalk where we will visit the Oklahoma Aquarium and have lunch and/or shopping, on your own, before going to Stone Bluff Cellars and Lavender Hill Farms.

The Oklahoma Aquarium offers over 200 marine and aquatic animal exhibits, plus a fishing tackle museum. When you walk through the aquarium’s acrylic tunnel and unique dome, you will find yourself surrounded with 500,000 gallons of water and the largest bull sharks in captivity. If you are lucky they will be feasting on a feeding day. The fishing museum offers over 20,000 pieces, valued at more than $4 million, of fishing tackle, the largest in the world.

The Riverwalk will provide us with places (note plural) to shop and/or eat. (Note that some walking, and possibly, waiting for food will prevail on this stop.)

Then it is on to the Stone Bluff Cellars (Oklahoma’s little bit of France). That’s right, a well known winery sitting on a hillside where we can taste and purchase internationally award-winning wines. Save room in your suitcase for at least one bottle, but pad it with your washable clothes just in case. But I bet they will ship large orders if you find a wine you really, really like.

Our last stop will be at Lavender Hill Farms. (At this writing the farm is for sale and may not be in operation but there is no entrance fee and we’ll stretch the River walk time if this stop is not available.) This hilltop hideaway is Oklahoma’s largest commercial source of lavender over the past few years. Lavender will delight your senses with this aromatic visit. Learn about growing conditions for this plant. A gift shop is available.

 

For more information check out: http://www.okaquarium.org , http://www.riverwalkcrossing.com , http://www.stonebluffcellars.com and http://www.lavenderhillfarm.net

 

Tour Cost $43.00

                                                                                                                                 

Tour 3 – Tuesday May 27th, 6:00 pm to 11:00 pm

 

This evening we travel to an Norman & Fannie Miller’s Amish farm in the Chouteau area. If you’ve ever eaten in an Amish restaurant you know the traditional assortment of really good cookin’, belly fill-in’ food is ample enough to satisfy any appetite you can imagine. The menu, served family style, includes two meats,  mashed potatoes, gravy, noodles, dressing, green beans, coleslaw, dinner rolls, butter and apple butter, tea and coffee and a choice of two pies. “You will not go away hungry”.

 

Tour Cost $40.00

Tour 4 – Wednesday May 28th, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm

Greenleaf Nursery, Country Cottage for lunch on your own and Fern’s Wholesale Nursery

 

Our first stop today is at The Garden Shop (AKA Fern’s Wholesale Nursery), growers of unique perennials and annuals, in Wagoner, OK. Fern, our local tour assistant, and her husband Jack, owners, will be on hand to guide us and answer any questions. The nursery is a rooted cutting wholesale greenhouse where they propagate Phlox subulata, Phlox divericata, Phlox paniculata, Perennial hibiscus, Angel trumpets and many other perennials and annuals.
For lunch, on your own, we will stop at the Country Cottage Restaurant for some “Home Style Cooking” in a Victorian Atmosphere. (Currently, a Senior Lunch, a large buffet, is $10.33 tax and tip included but I can’t assure you of this price when we arrive there.)
Next we board the bus for a ride to Greenleaf Nursery in Tahlequah. This Nursery produces high-quality shrubs trees and plants. Caution: They do not allow non-employees to walk on the soil in growing areas; however, they give great tours from the bus.
I can’t promise that we will be able to purchase plants or shrubs during these tour stops but you will know where all the things we like to grow come from and how they get to the size they are before we purchase them. You will immensely enjoy this tour.

For more information checkout:  http://www.thegardenshopinc.com

Tour Cost $35.00

 

Tour 5 – Thursday May 29th, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm

Will Rogers Birthplace and Museum, Lunch on your own at the Hammett House and J.M. Davis Arms & Historical Museum

 

Another birthplace and museum? No, not just another museum, it is the Will Rogers’ birthplace and museum. We’ve all heard about this famous cowboy from Oklahoma through his exploits as a circuit rider, cowboy, politician, movie star (#1 box office five years in a row), radio pundit, philosopher, Ziegfield Follies star and Indian-cowboy. A man of many talents and glib tongue with phrases like “I never met a man I did not like”.  Don’t you just wonder if the next line wasn’t “except the man I lassoed, tied up and shot three times in the head”?  Add to your memories by visiting the museum to see and hear about this famous man of the past from Oklahoma.

Next we will stop at the Hammett House for lunch, on your own. You can see the menu online and their prices are reasonable and the food is delicious.

Enjoy your lunch before we continue our trip to the J.M. Davis Arms Museum where you can see ancient arms such as ‘boga, boga’ spears up to and including more modern firearms. However, it is not all weapons. Here you will also find knives, swords, steins, saddles, Indian artifacts and more.

 

For more information checkout: http://www.willrogers.com/index3.html , http://www.hammetthouse.com , http://www.state.ok.us/~jmdavis/

 

Tour Cost $34.00

 

Tour 6 – Thursday May 29th, 8:00 am to 12:00 noon

Tulsa Garden Center, Tulsa Rose Garden, Linnaeus Teaching Garden, and Philbrook Gardens and Art Museum


Our first stop will be the Tulsa Garden Center building which is one of Tulsa’s early mansions.  It is often the site of weddings, receptions and many photographic opportunities.  You may have a docent give you a tour of the building.  This is the “home” of the African Violet Society of Greater Tulsa.  Our monthly meetings, shows and sales are all held here.

 

Outside you have available a self-guided tour of the Tulsa Municipal Rose Garden.  This should be a good time for many blooms to give you a sight that will fill up your camera.  The garden is of the Italian Renaissance style built in the 1930’s as a public works project.  Renovations have been made in the past few years and funding is being solicited for further renovations.

 

A few yards east and you will be in the Linnaeus Teaching Garden.  The garden was opened in 2006 as a teaching garden.  The garden was developed and is operated by volunteers who are responsible for all of the planting and care.  You will see a large water garden and many different types of garden areas and plants that can be grown in the Tulsa area.  Educational groups use the garden as a source of knowledge about growing plants of many types. 

 

A few yards south of the Garden Center is the Tulsa Historical Society Building and its garden.  Built in 2006-7 it is also a young garden but with unique features and a sharing of history.  Exhibits will be on display in the building if you want to go inside for a few minutes.

 

Our last stop will be at the Philbrook Gardens and Mansion which houses the Art Museum. Here you may tour the gardens and the Art Museum on your own.

 

 
For more information checkout: http://www.philbrook.org , www.tulsagardencenter.com 

 

Tour Cost $36.50

 

Special Event – Friday May 30th, 6:00 pm to 12:00 midnight (or finish)

In-Hotel dinner followed by “Teepees and Trail Songs”[2]

 

This will be a ‘western’ evening to enjoy and a night to remember. After dinner in the hotel we will be entertained by a singing cowboy’s rendition of trail songs and the Intertribal Council of Indians who dance and chant to authentic tribal rituals. If you wish you may dress in costume. Choose your side (Cowboys or Indians). The menu will be an authentic Oklahoma Cowboy Barbeque consisting of  chipotle barbeque ribs, honey mustard & scallion chicken breast, hickory smoked beef brisket, an assortment of salads, smoked cheddar mashed potatoes, green beans & roasted cut corn, warm corn bread & butter and an assortment of home style desserts.

 

Tour Cost $65.00

 


[1] All tours leave and return to the Renaissance Tulsa Hotel & Convention Center, 6808 S 107th East Avenue (918) 307-2600).

[2] Note: Must attend Friday nights’ in-house dinner for entrance to “Teepees and Trail Songs”