Oktoberfest, Route 66 & Pizza: Oklahoma Trip: Day 2

Change of Heart, Heading to Oktoberfest Tomorrow!

A couple of days back I wrote about Day 1 of our recent trip to Oklahoma. The main purpose of our visit was to experience Oktoberfest in America at Tulsa’s take on the event.

This trip was very economical to book with the help of miles, points and cash. If it wasn’t for miles and points we’d probably not take these kind of excursions. Find out about all of my trip booking details here.

Day 2 continued where we left off, heading back to Oktoberfest. We then decided to visit a couple of fun Route 66 attractions before heading to what I read was the state’s best pizza.

Here are some details and photos of Day 2:

things to do in tulsaWe started off the day at Linde Oktoberfest. Admission was free for Family Friday (usually $6 per person) from 11-4 so we showed up around an hour after opening.

After feeling out the festival the previous day, it was time to wear our traditional German Tracht. I wore my lederhosen, Kim wore her dirndl. We had noticed a bunch of people wearing traditional clothing on day 1 and knew it would be fun to go dressed for the occasion!

The grounds weren’t overly crowded but definitely more than I would’ve expected for Friday afternoon. We decided to wander around the grounds for a bit before heading into a tent to hear some music.

things to do in tulsa
This way to the kids tent!
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GAST Blaskapelle at BierStube Tent

After grabbing some food we stopped into the BierStube Tent to listen to the German American Society of Tulsa’s band play some tunes. They were really good and played a mix of traditional German music along with some popular tunes.

Lucas being as friendly as he is, found a group of kids to dance/ run around with as the music played. For him this was much more fun than eating some food!

things to do in tulsa
Marhsall Brewing Co.- delicious!

Kim and I stuck to drinking a tasty, local beer from Marshall Brewing Company which is located in Tulsa. After having their Oktoberfest brew the previous evening, we went with their Sundown Wheat. I found the wheat to be a much tastier and more enjoyable beer. The Oktoberfest variety was also good, I just happen to prefer wheat beers better .

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My little drinking buddy

We hung out in the tent a bit longer. Lucas needed a drink break after all of the dancing/ running around plus it made for a good place for some photo-ops.

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Some of the rides

Shortly after we left the tent Lucas fell asleep. Luckily for us, he’s become  pro at napping while out about. This gave us time to wander around some more, enjoy another beer and grab some fun photos.

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Overall we had a really fun experience at Tulsa’s Oktoberfest. I can’t say that it compares to the real deal in Munich but it is definitely a really fun event and great beer festival. I’d definitely recommend using it as an excuse to visit Tulsa!

After leaving Oktoberfest we wanted to do something with the rest of our day. It seemed like a great time to check out a couple of quirky Route 66 attractions that we had previously come across.

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Our first stop was The Nut House, a cabin built from pecan logs which is now a shop selling snacks, nuts, fudge and other tasty things.

The building itself was pretty interesting to see and sampling some of the tasty treats inside was a lot of fun.
things to do in tulsa

The super-friendly staff offered us many samples of their delicious fudge. My favorite was the “almost snickers” variety.  There was also samples of flavored crackers, nuts and other snacks.

Before leaving, we chatted a bit more with the two employees. I think one of them was actually the owner. It was funny that they were so surprised (and impressed) that we were visiting the area from NYC. This was a common sentiment expressed by many others we met during the trip.things to do in tulsa

The #1 Route 66 attraction for us to visit was our last stop of the day before going for dinner. We made a pretty lengthy stop to see The Blue Whale of Catoosa. According to what we read, it might be one of the most recognizable attractions on Route 66.

Kim and I thought it would be a 10 minute pit stop but we had so much fun that we ended up spending at least an hour with the Blue Whale.

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Again, Lucas found a few kids to run after. They were a bit older and not really so interested in him but he kept trying! Otherwise, he had loads of fun running around on and around the whale. This is definitely an amazing attraction for kids!

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Great place for a jump!

When you go inside the whale you can climb ladders up to the portholes up top. There is another ladder at the back where you can stand at the top of the tail.

I also spoke for a while with a volunteer that runs the tiny gift shop and learned some details about the whale and surrounding property. It’s definitely an interesting story!

I plan to share some more photos and some details about the Blue Whale in a future post.

things to do in tulsa

I came across Hideaway Pizza in a slideshow from Zagat called 50 States, 50 Pies. I figured this must be one of the best places for pizza in Oklahoma since it was included making it a must-try for this pizza lover.

There are a bunch of Hideaway locations in Oklahoma so we picked one close to our hotel. The menu offered lots of interesting pizza combinations and we opted to go with one different than what was suggested by Zagat. While the pizza wasn’t bad, it reminded me of a better version of Pizza Hut. Would I consider it a must try pizzeria? Definitely not.

That wraps up a busy second day in Oklahoma. Check back for an upcoming post about the final day of our trip!

5 thoughts on “Oktoberfest, Route 66 & Pizza: Oklahoma Trip: Day 2

  1. Thanks for coming to Tulsa. I enjoyed meeting ya’ll! As far as Pizza goes, I probably would have recommended Andolini’s esp the Spring Street Pizza. Salvastanos isn’t my favorite and the folks at Ando’s make their own ingredients.

    1. Shane- It was very nice meeting you too! The pizza was definitely not the best but what can ya do! FYI- I’ll be writing about the day we met up with you pretty soon.

  2. MJ- It was definitely a fun event!

    Adam- Wish I had known about Savastino’s. It never came up during my brief pizza research! We went to Munich’s Oktoberfest last year and to be honest, Tulsa’s event doesn’t compare in any way. We had a great time in Tulsa but it didn’t quite have the energy of Munich. I’d consider it more a county fair with a heavy beer theme.

  3. The best pizza in Oklahoma is in Tulsa. Try Savastano’s in Bixby (suburb of Tulsa). It’s a Chicago style pizza place; very popular.

    Started by a family from Chicago, it began in a strip mall about 10yrs ago. Due to their success, they closed that location and opened in a big 2-story storefront next to the convention center in Bixby.

    Takes about 30-40 minutes for that deep dish pizza, but it’s worth it.

    Comparing Oktoberfests: I just came back from Munich. Very big and crowded, but you can only drink in tents, and then only when seated. Tulsa you can walk all over the grounds with that pitcher in hand. You have the freedom to go eat anything you want vs waht they’re serving in a particular tent. Tulsa is not nearly as big as Munich, but I don’t think the experience is any less enjoyable.

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