Last week I wrote about having a change of heart and our decision to head to Oktoberfest.
With the big festival ending in Munich the week before, we decided to head to an American version in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Some of you might wonder- why Oklahoma? My typical answer when asked why I am going to a place is, why not? (With a variety of travel goals and one being to visit every state in America, this would get one more checked off the list!)While the Oktoberfest celebration was the main purpose we picked Tulsa, it wasn’t the only thing we planned to do.
Here is a recap of the first day of our trip.
Once we picked up our luggage and rental car, we headed straight from the airport to Blue Bell Creameries to take a tour of their ice cream factory. (The factory is actually located in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma not Tulsa.) It seemed like a sweet way to start our visit.
We made it in time for the last tour of the day.
During the quick, 30 minute tour, we learned a little about the history of the creamery by watching a short video. We also got to see a couple of factory areas through a second floor viewing window. The area where the ice cream is made was being cleaned up for the day so we didn’t see anything exciting going on. Our friendly tour guide did explain the process though.
We also got to view the packaging area which was actually pretty interesting (photo above). There were many people doing a various jobs to pack a variety of Blue Bell products.
However, the best part was saved for the end- sampling the goods!
We tried traditional flavors like milk chocolate and homemade vanilla as well as odd ones like bubbegum, butter crunch and cotton candy.
My favorite flavor was the chocolate peanut butter. After being told that vanilla was the top-selling flavor, I was a bit disappointed. The bubblegum was pretty gross and reminded me of toothpaste!
Overall, I’d recommend a visit to Blue Bell Creamery. The sample alone is worth the $3 entry fee and it’s definitely a fun activity for kids!
We headed to the Linde Oktoberfest for the opening and arrived soon after it got started. Right away we were impressed with the set-up. There were around 6 large tents set up as well as vendors all around the grounds selling food, souvenirs, crafts and beer.
We missed the opening keg-tapping but made it just in time to get a complimentary beer from the keg, a delicious small cup of Shiner Bock.
After checking out the grounds for a bit longer, we made it over to the sign up area for the Lederhosen Lauf 3-mile run.
I decided to sign up for the race after debating whether or not it was a good idea. It was a long day with an early wake-up for our flights plus running around a bit once we arrived in Oklahoma.
I am glad that I decided to do the race. The course was really nice. We ran along the Arkansas River, over two bridges (one covered). There was a beer stop towards the end for runners 21+. I decided to pass and keep running while I saw others enjoying a beer.
The race was a lot of fun and it was a great activity to add to the trip. Kim would’ve liked to have entered too but someone had to watch Lucas.
By the time I finished the race, Lucas had woken up from his nap. He isn’t typically a fan of rides (much like Daddy) but wanted to try one out.
At first he seemed excited to be on the motorcycle ride (photo above) but towards the end we could see him screaming out STOP! When the ride was done, he said that he liked it but didn’t want any more rides. (This was a good thing since they weren’t so cheap at $3 per…)
After Lucas’ ride it was time to check out the food offerings and music in a couple of the tents.
Booths sold German specialties like sausage, sauerkraut, potato pancakes & pretzels and there were also burgers, pizza, hot dogs, french fries and more.
Kim and I shared one of the sausages which was pretty good. We also had a giant turkey leg which was very tasty. Lucas’ favorite item was the massive pile of greasy curly fries. (I wouldn’t recommend them!)
Live bands played music in a handful of tents. Lucas loved the music and didn’t want to sit and eat. Kim and I took turns eating so we could keep an eye on him as he tore up the dance floor! It was pretty funny and reminded me of the time at the first BoardingArea Conference where Lucas Loved Cowboy Music.
Some bands played popular music while the busiest tent had bands playing German tunes, some which we recognized from our time at Oktoberfest in Munich last year.
Overall, we had a really enjoyable first day during our trip to Tulsa.
Make sure to check back for more posts about our trip…
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