Tulsa Regional Tourism

It was a special moment to be at the re-opening of the Ida Red General Store on Brookside. After almost everything within the store was lost to a fire in September, this local staple for all things Tulsa and pop culture merch is back and better than ever! The resiliency and ingenuity of our small business community is always impressive and an essential part of tourism. Make sure to shop local this holiday season! 🎁 ✨

It was a busy week preparing for the future of travel and tourism, starting with the National Tour Association's Travel Exchange in Huntsville, Alabama where Tulsa Regional Tourism had the honor of announcing Tulsa as the host city for the event in 2026—just in time for the Route 66 Centennial! My next stop was in Washington, D.C. for the U.S. Travel Association Fall Engagement Week where I had the opportunity to meet with various travel leaders, policymakers, and associations to discuss the industry's future. Lots of great conversations happening to make The Capital of Route 66® the place to be in 2026. I'm looking forward to strategizing more with our State and National partners. Wishing everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday!

"We can't host a Super Bowl, but this is pretty close." The National Senior Games is one of the largest sporting events in the country and is expected to bring 12,000 top-qualifying athletes ages 52-100+ to Tulsa in 2027 where they will compete in up to 26 different sporting disciplines. With another 15,000 family members of athletes expected at the event, that's a lot of visitors experiencing everything Tulsa has to offer. We'll be counting down the days until the competition comes to Tulsa in just two short years! Hear more of the details from our very own Joel Koester, STS and Amanda Blair, MPA of Expo Square in their interview with KOTV - The News On 6 👉 https://bit.ly/3AHH9W2

🏅🏃The National Senior Games are coming to Tulsa in 2027! The biennial event is the largest qualified multi-sport event in the world for seniors. How big is this for Tulsa? The competition will attract over 11,500 athletes ages 50-100 to compete in over 25 sports across two weeks and multiple facilities in town, generating over $32 million in economic impact when last contested in 2023. This is a huge win for our Tulsa Sports Commission and the City of Tulsa as a whole. Get ready to witness some of the most impressive athletes in the world when the National Senior Games Association arrives to town in just two years. #NSGA #NationalSeniorGames #TulsaSports #VisitTulsa

✍ We had an easy time filling out the first prompt on last week's The New York Times crossword puzzle. 😏 Great to see The Capital of Route 66® getting more and more buzz heading into the Centennial in 2026!

It was a heartfelt moment being in the room for City of Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum's last Tulsa Regional Chamber State of the City address. From the Discovery Lab (Tulsa Children's Museum) to the USA BMX Headquarters, and most recently our reimagined riverfront, Mayor Bynum reflected on the way our city has transformed over the past 8 years and the persistent collaboration it took to get there. I know I speak for all of us at Tulsa Regional Tourism when I say that we're incredibly grateful for his dedication to tourism and the legacy he will leave behind. His parting call to "Stay Gold" is something we'll take to heart. The rest of the week was full of surprises, from a last-minute concert at Cain's Ballroom featuring part-time Tulsa resident Jack White (who also made a stop on Route 66), ESPN in town for The University of Tulsa football game, and a trip to OKC for the 97th Oklahoma Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony where Tulsa local Amber Valletta was honored. Never a dull moment in T-town!

This past week at the Sports Events & Tourism Association 4S Summit, Joel Koester, STS of our Sports Commission had the honor of announcing The Center for Individuals with Physical Challenges as this year's Legacy Fund beneficiary! The Sports Legacy Fund awards an annual grant and sports equipment donation in the host city of the Sports ETA Symposium with an emphasis on non-profit organizations that provide individuals, particularly at-risk youth, veterans, or physically or intellectually disabled individuals, opportunities to participate in sports and encourage healthy lifestyles. We've long admired the work that the Center for Individuals With Physical Challenges has done in our community. The Center serves individuals from 6 years old to end of life with a variety of diagnoses, including cerebral palsy, hearing impairments, limb amputations, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, Parkinson's disease, seizure disorders, spina bifida, spinal cord injuries, stroke complications, traumatic brain injuries and visual impairments. They are the only adaptive recreational facility in the region offering the expansiveness of programs and services for its members. #SportsETA #4SSummit #SportsETASymposium #TheCenter #SportsETALegacyFund #TulsaSportsCommission

⚽ ⚾ 🏓 Back in August, we announced a sports equipment drive in collaboration with Tulsa Area United Way to support local organizations in bringing the joy of sports to those who might not have the resources to participate. This past Friday, Goodwill Industries of Tulsa made a generous donation that will put us over 1,000 items donated in total, surpassing our goal of 500! The sports equipment we've received will soon be distributed to the following organizations serving the Tulsa community: YMCA of Greater Tulsa Clubhouse Tulsa PALMER DRUG ABUSE PROGRAM OF TULSA INC KIPP Tulsa Public Charter Schools Thank you to Goodwill and everyone who has donated both their possessions and time for the betterment of Tulsa! 🙌 #UnitedWayTulsa #TulsaSportsDrive #TulsaSports #TulsaSportsCommission

Make sure to check out this latest Greenwood Rising feature in the 2025 African American Heritage Guide!