Happy 2026, friends! I haven’t gotten to chat with you yet this year.
In case you’ve missed it, we’ve dubbed this the year of quick overnight trips close to us. It started with a deck of “Missouri Adventure” cards from my in-laws for Christmas and continues, but on a bit of a side quest, because we have family living near us for the first time EVER! Ever. Wild.
Two weekends ago, we took a 3-hour jaunt to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to meet up with one of Jason’s cousins. His cousin is in Tulsa for work for the next few months and is taking full advantage of all the cultural differences from NYC (we keep asking if she’s bought a truck, boots, and a cowboy hat yet). Her sister flew in for the weekend, so we obviously had to join them. Cousin meetup! Let’s just say there’s a slight generational gap between us, and they tried their best to get us to relive our younger days.
Our boutique days had previously taken us to Tulsa. In the past, we’d participated in massive shopping shows at the fairgrounds, but hadn’t spent much time in the inner workings of the city – work and all. But this time, in true-ish go-get ‘em attitude, we found ourselves in some unexpected places.
We dropped our stuff at the hotel upon our arrival – Residence Inn Midtown by Marriott, definitely recommend for the space/location. After a quick change of costume, we picked the gals up for dinner at 3 Tequilas in Brookside to get the party started. Let me just say, we had absolutely no idea what we were in for. The margaritas at this place were literally as big as your head! I’m not joking. The food was also great. I’d say there was a risk it was the margaritas talking, but I managed to get a “tiny” one, so I wasn’t hunting down the facilities all night. Ha!
Once properly fortified, they BEGGED, literally begged us to go dancing with them. Let me just say, neither one of us dances without much “encouragement.” Since we were in charge of transportation services, we agreed to go observe what the kids call dancing these days. Enter Whiskey 918 Dance Hall & Saloon in the Blue Dome District. A bona fide country dancing night club. Line dancing, two-stepping, the whole deal. We had a phenomenal time watching all the people who knew what they were doing, those who didn’t, and the brave cousins trying their best to keep up. Well done. Did I know ANY of the music they were playing? One song. One. And I grew up on country music. What in the world?? It was truly the best time, and I would recommend it for legit dancing AND some great people watching. It was very tempting to give it a shot…maybe next time, after I do extensive YouTube research. Why does every song have its OWN dance!?
We collapsed into bed in the wee hours with plans to meet again at a museum later in the morning. Somehow, that turned into coffee and tea before the museum. These DeBodes (not this one, gentle reader) have an unworldly ability to function on no sleep. We were off again before I had my eyes open. Much more to pack in on this short adventure!
Next on the agenda was a visit to the Philbrook Museum of Art. This turned out to be such a fun bit of culture from around the world, right in the middle of Tulsa. The main part of the museum was an Italian Renaissance-style mansion built and owned by the Phillips family of Phillips 66. Yep, that Phillips 66. I believe they lived there for 9 years during the oil boom in Oklahoma before they gave it to the city and moved on in 1938. The art museum opened in 1939 and added an enormous wing in 1990, turning it into a massive complex. The beautiful gardens were renovated in 2004, and I hear they do movies on the lawn periodically. How fun!
We were able to enjoy a short tour with a docent that mostly covered information about the house itself and not so much about the art. But no worries, I was still able to hang back and enjoy some of my favorite art pieces. The museum is full of paintings, sculptures, photography, native art, and decorative arts. It’s such an interesting mix of art from all over the world, right in little ole Tulsa.
By now, we were starving, so we headed downtown for lunch at Misfit Kitchen in the Arts District. Let me just say, they make a mean BLT (and now that’s all I can think about – yum). Great, fresh food, vegetarian friendly, another highly recommended restaurant on our short trip.
After lunch, we needed to head back home to get there in time for chores (no extra farm help on these short trips), but we had one more stop on the list of fascinating things to experience. We walked around the block to the Center of the Universe. Did you know the center of the Universe is in Tulsa, Oklahoma? Us either. Actually, it’s this unique architectural phenomenon that allows you to hear your own voice echoed back to you when standing exactly at the center of it. BUT, no one else can hear that echo. It’s crazy! Take one step away from the center, and the echo is gone. Wild. It’s not the ACTUAL center of the Universe – obviously – but it definitely was other worldly.
We had to leave the cousins after that and head back to our home duties, but somehow, I think there are plans for more DeBodes to gather at our house this summer for Chickolympics. We’re letting that one work itself out. City cousins are hilarious. Just tell me when I need to make beds for the basement slumber party. There was also mention of tent camping in the yard. You’ve been warned – maybe stand by for a hilarious tale in a few months, but also probably don’t hold your breath.
So there you have it, not quite 24 hours in Tulsa, Oklahoma. A whirlwind of experiences, all of which we recommend for a step outside of your daily routine and a quick little getaway from Springfield, MO.
Next month, I think we’ll be back to our Missouri Adventures, but who knows, life is funny.
See you out there!
