Theater and opera houses
Tulsa Performing Arts Center
The Tulsa Performing Arts Center in the city of Tulsa was opened in 1977 and includes 4 theater stages and an art gallery. The largest of the theaters has 2,365 seats. A total of 14 different groups occur here. These include the Tulsa Ballet, the Tulsa Opera and the Tulsa Symphony. The gallery has a collection of 76 works. The Tulsa Performing Arts Center can confidently be called the cultural heart of the city.
| Contact | 110 E 2nd St reet Tulsa, Oklahoma 74103 www.tulsapac.com |
Civic Center Music Hall in Oklahoma City
The Civic Center Music Hall in Oklahoma City was opened in 1937. Today, the Civic Center Music Hall includes the Thelma Gaylord Performing Arts Theater, the Freede Little Theater, the Meinders Hall of Mirrors and the Joel Levine Rehearsal Hall. The Civic Center Music Hall is home to the Lyric Theater, the Oklahoma City Ballet, the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, the Oklahoma City Repertory Theater and the Oklahoma City Theater Company. The Civic Center Music Hall offers over 250 different performances each year and is attended by around 300,000 guests.
- See Countryaah for a full list cities and towns in Oklahoma. Also includes counties, airports, zip codes, and public holidays of Oklahoma.
| Contact | 201 North Walker Avenue Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73102 www.okcciviccenter.com |
Museums and exhibitions
Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art in Norman
The Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art in the city of Norman is located on the campus of the University of Oklahoma. This art museum is one of the best art museums in the United States and has a permanent collection with more than 16,000 exhibits. The Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art was founded in 1936. The Fred Jones Jr.Museum of Art specializes in French Impressionism, American paintings and sculptures from the 20th century, and traditional and contemporary art of Native Americans. The museum also has artifacts from the American Southwest, contemporary art, photography, and Asian art from the 16th century to the present day. The most famous collections of the museum are:
- Weitzenhoffer Collection
The Weitzenhoffer Collection comprises the impressionist works by Degas, Monet, Cassatt, van Gogh, Pissarro and Renoir. - Fleischaker Collection
The Fleischaker Collection comprises approximately 350 objects of Native American art, from paintings to sculptures to ceramic works. - State Department Collection
The State Department Collection is viewed controversially. Some see it as a not very flattering representation of the “American Way of Life”. Highlights of the collection include works by Georgia O’Keeffe and Edward Hopper.
If you look at individual exhibits, the highlights are probably the paintings “Portrait of Alexander Reid” by Van Gogh, “Bergère rentrant des moutons” by Pissarro, “Coco” by Renoir and “La Berge à Lavacourt” by Monet.
| Contact | 555 Elm Avenue Norman, Oklahoma 7301 |
Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History in Norman
The Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History in the city of Norman is located on the campus of the University of Oklahoma. This natural history museum is among the best of its kind in the United States and has a collection of more than 10 million exhibits. The museum was founded in 1899 and has been in its current location since 1999. The museum’s exhibitions span a period of approximately 4 billion years of Oklahoma’s natural history. The highlights of the exhibition certainly include the skeleton of a Pentaceratops, whose skull alone has a height of more than 3 m, the world’s largest skeleton of an Apatosaurus and the Cooper Skull.
| Contact | 2401 Chautauqua Ave Norman, Oklahoma 73072 |
Museum of the Great Plains in Lawton
The Museum of the Great Plains in the city of Lawton is, as the name suggests, dedicated to the Great Plains region. The museum’s exhibition dates back to 11,500 BC. and represents the different cultures that lived in this area. The Museum of the Great Plains was opened in 1961 and today it covers an area of approximately 2,300 km². The museum’s collection features archaeological and cultural artefacts as well as a replica of a former postal station and a steam locomotive. The Tingley Collection is particularly impressive, comprising around 3,200 exhibits of Indian origin. Furthermore, natural history aspects of the Great Plains region are treated.
| Contact | 601 NW Ferris Ave Lawton, Oklahoma 73507 |
Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art in Shawnee
The Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art in Shawnee City is an art museum that opened in 1919. It is one of the oldest art museums in Oklahoma. The museum’s collection consists of over 3,500 works of art that date back over 6,000 years. Works of art from ancient Egypt mark the beginning of the collection. The Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art houses the only mummy in all of Oklahoma. Furthermore, contemporary American and European art as well as exhibits from China, Africa and pre-Columbian times can be found.
| Contact | 1900 West MacArthur Drive Shawnee, Oklahoma 74804 |
Comanche National Museum and Cultural Center in Lawton
The Comanche National Museum and Cultural Center in the city of Lawton offers visitors lots of information and insights into the traditional world of the Comanches. The museum shows interesting cultural objects of the Comanches and is dedicated to their history. There is also a traveling exhibition on the history of Native Americans. The museum’s collection also includes works of art by the Comanches.
| Contact | 701 NW Ferris Ave Lawton, Oklahoma 73507 |
Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa
The Gilcrease Museum in the city of Tulsa is particularly known for its collection of art from the American West. The museum also has exhibits from Central and South America. The history of the Gilcrease Museum dates back to 1943, but it has existed as a public city museum since 1962. The museum is surrounded by the very beautiful Gilcrease gardens and the museum and garden cover an area of approximately 2 km².
| Contact | 1400 North Gilcrease Museum Road Tulsa, Oklahoma 74127 |
Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa
The Philbrook Museum of Art in the city of Tulsa is an art museum from 1939. The museum is housed in a villa from the 1920s. This villa and the architecture inside are worth a visit. The museum’s collection is not regionally bound and the highlights of the exhibition include works by Bellini, Bouguereau, Chase, Drew, Herrera, Loloma, Martinez, Moran, Picasso, Scholder, da Varallo, Whiteread and Wyeth. The museum has up to 150,000 visitors annually.
| Contact | 2727 South Rockford Road Tulsa, Oklahoma 74114 |
Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City
The Oklahoma History Center in the city of Oklahoma City is an important museum that, as the name suggests, deals with the history of Oklahoma. The beginning of time is in prehistoric times with the history of the indigenous people and extends to the present day. On about 20,000 m² of exhibition space, the museum shows exhibits on the subjects of geology, culture, aviation, transport and much more. In addition, the Oklahoma History Center has 4 permanent galleries and a changing gallery for special exhibitions. The museum is located on the Capital Complex and is almost directly adjacent to the State Capitol.
| Contact | 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73105 www.okhistory.org/historycenter |
Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in Muskogee
The Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in the city of Muskogee honors musicians from Oklahoma who have made a special contribution to music. The Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame was established in 1997 and opened to the public in 2003.
| Contact | 401 S 3rd Street Muskogee, Oklahoma 74401 |
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City
The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in the city of Oklahoma opened in 1972, but has been around since 1955, when it was still known as the Cowboy Hall of Fame and Museum. The museum’s exhibition area covers approximately 19,000 m² and the museum’s collection comprises more than 28,000 exhibits from a “Western context”. The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum also has the world’s largest collection of exhibits on rodeo and barbed wire. The museum also has a replica of a historic western town. The museum also annually awards the “The Wrangler” award. This bronze statue gets important works of literature, art or music that can be thematically assigned to the “Western”. In the past, greats like Gene Autry, James Stewart, Tom Selleck and of course John Wayne received the award. The Prix de West, an important art exhibition on the theme of “Western”, also takes place here every year.
| Contact | 1700 NE 63rd Street Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73111 www.nationalcowboymuseum.org |
Five Civilized Tribes Museum in Muskogee
The Five Civilized Tribes Museum in the city of Muskogee is dedicated to the history, art and culture of the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee Creek and Seminole tribes, the so-called Five Civilized Tribes. The museum opened in 1966 and is housed in the former Union Indian Agency building. The museum’s collection features a high proportion of traditional art, including artists such as McCombs, Beaver, Stone, Tiger and Hill. The museum also has the world’s largest collection of works by Jerome Tiger.
| Contact | 1101 Honor Heights Drive Muskogee, Oklahoma 74401 www.fivetribes.org |
Park Hill
Cherokee Heritage Center The Park Hill Cherokee Heritage Center is committed to preserving and remembering the Cherokee’s historical and cultural artifacts, craftsmanship and language. The Cherokee Heritage Center’s collection is rich in historical documents of art and culture, as well as many relics from the Trail of Tears. The Cherokee National Museum exhibits them and also offers modern, culturally valuable Cheroke works. The replica of a typical Cherokee village can also be found here with the Adams Corner Rural Village.
| Contact | 21192 S. Keeler Drive Park Hill, Oklahoma 74451 www.cherokeeheritage.org |
Science Museum Oklahoma in Oklahoma City
The Science Museum Oklahoma in the city of Oklahoma City is a museum dedicated to the natural sciences and technology. The history goes back to 1958. The museum has many interactive exhibits and, due to its design, is more geared towards children, adolescents and those keen to experiment. A highlight of the exhibition is the space department, which contains, for example, a replica of the lunar module of the Apollo mission. The Kirkpatrick Planetarium is also housed in the Science Museum Oklahoma.
| Contact | 2100 NE 52nd Street Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73111 www.sciencemuseumok.org |
Oklahoma City Museum of Art
The Oklahoma City Museum of Art in the city of Oklahoma City is housed in the Donald W. Reynolds Visual Arts Center. The art museum has several collections on the subjects of European and American art. The museum focuses on contemporary works of sculpture and painting. The museum also has a very good collection of photographs from the 20th century. There is also a cinema in the museum which shows foreign and independent films every week.
| Contact | 415 Couch Drive Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73102 www.okcmoa.com |
Museum of Osteology in Oklahoma City
The Museum of Osteology in the city of Oklahoma City deals with osteology (the study of bones and the skeleton). In this context, the Museum of Osteology also deals with the comparison of different skeletal systems. The fairly new museum, only opened in 2010, has a collection of skeletons from over 1,000 animal species from around the world. In the exhibition, the museum places great value on a real-life exhibition of the skeletons and, although “only” dead bones, makes the exhibition very lively and entertaining.
| Contact | 10301 South Sunnylane Road Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73160 www.museumofosteology.org |
Monuments and memorials
Oklahoma City National Memorial
The Oklahoma City National Memorial in the city of Oklahoma City is a memorial of national importance. The memorial serves to commemorate the Oklahoma City bombing of April 19, 1995 on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. It honors the victims, survivors and of course the rescue workers from the attack and was built on the site of the former Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. The establishment of the memorial began on October 9, 1997 by the then President Bill Clinton and was inaugurated on April 19, 2000, on the fifth anniversary of the attack. In 2001 the affiliated museum also opened. The memorial covers a total area of 25,000 m² and is made up of 8 parts.
- Reflecting Pool
The Reflecting Pool is a large water pool with a reflecting water surface which is located at the place where Timothy McVeigh parked the car loaded with explosives. - Gates of Time
The gates of time limit the reflecting pool and symbolize the course of the attack. The times 09:01 (time before the attack) and 09:03 (time after the attack) are engraved on the gates. - Field of empty chairs
The field of empty chairs, framed by the foundations of the former Alfred P. Murrah Building, consists of 168 glass chairs that symbolize the victims of the attack, including 19 smaller chairs for the 19 children who fell victim to the attack. The names of the victims are engraved on the chairs. - Survivor Tree
The Survivor Tree is an elm tree, which was located opposite the former building. This was badly damaged by the attack and was to die, but recovered and is symbolic of the will to survive. - The Fence
The Fence is the fence that should enable the emergency services to work smoothly and protect the former ruin. To this day, visitors have left or are left with memorabilia. Many of the memorabilia are also in the museum today. - Childrens Area
The Childrens Area is home to over 5,000 hand-painted ceramic tiles from school children in the United States and Canada that were sent to Oklahoma after the attack. - And Jesus Wept
This is a statue that was built by St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, which was almost completely destroyed by the attack. The statue of Jesus turning away from the scene of the accident with a crying and partly covered face. - Museum
The museum offers visitors a wealth of information about the events on the day of the attack, shows finds and is particularly devoted to the search for the perpetrators and their reasons. The museum contains interactive exhibits where you can relive the attack yourself.
| Contact | 620 North Harway Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73102 www.nps.gov/okci/index.htm |
Ed Galloway’s Totem Pole Park
Ed Galloway’s Totem Pole Park is a work of art and memorial in northeastern Oklahoma. On an area of approx. 57,000 m² there are 11 very artistically designed totem poles. The largest totem pole in the park is even the world’s largest totem pole at 27 m. Ed Galloway’s Totem Pole Park is just 6 km east of Route 66. Ed Galloway’s Totem Pole Park was created in 1937 and since 1999 Ed Galloway’s Totem Pole Park has been on the list of Historic Places.
| Contact | 21300 E Highway 28a Chelsea, Oklahoma 74016 74016 www.rchs1.org/totem-pole-park |
Pioneer Woman in Ponca City
The bronze statue Pioneer Woman in the city of Ponca City in northern Oklahoma was inaugurated in 1930 and basically shows a woman holding a child by the hand. The statue symbolizes the bravery of the women of the pioneers during the western expansion of the USA, but also their suffering. The statue has a height of just over 5 m and weighs over 5 tons. The Pioneer Woman statue has been on the list of Historic Places since 1978. The Pioneer Women Museum is also adjacent.
| Contact | 701 Monument Road Ponca City, Oklahoma 74604 |
