Gems of, and beneath, Tulsa

A vast array of local eateries, a network of tunnels under the city and a museum preserving Tulsa film history

tried a lot of the restaurants inside Mother Road Market, but there’s (always) something new in the Takeover Café,” Fussell said.

Mother Road Market is made up entirely of locally owned businesses, which makes it a taste of Tulsa.

“We look for diversity of food and to support the next entrepreneurs making their way through the pipeline in order to start their business,” Fussell said.

Nicole Hood, a Tulsa resident and Mother Road Market visitor, said the environment and the different cuisines available are what keep her coming back.

“It’s food court style, but local restaurants,” Hood said. “And (it’s) kind of like home cooking, so everything seems really fresh, and it’s got a lot of different ethnic choices that you wouldn’t really find everywhere else.”

This unique experience encompasses the market’s motto of “Do Good x Eat Well x Shop Local.”

“We love that it’s on Route 66, too,” Hood said. “We like to explore Route 66 and try all sorts of different cuisines. It’s a really fun environment. They have mini golf out back and they have music, and it’s just a cool place to come and try out.”

Fussell said Mother Road Market aims to bring comradery to the Tulsa community. Their stacked event calendar mirrors their expansive food selection. They host tailgates, movie screenings, karaoke, brunch club and more from their large outdoor patio.

“We really want to rally the community around food, events and a family-friendly place that everyone can enjoy,” Fussell said.

Mother Road Market is located at 1124 S. Lewis Ave. in Tulsa, and is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Upcoming events can be found on the Mother Road Market website.

Tulsa Tunnels

Deep below downtown Tulsa, under its towering buildings, lie a network of tunnels with a rich history. These tunnels connect office buildings, parking garages and a Hyatt hotel beneath the downtown area. Most of the tunnels are accessible to the public, and you can explore them yourself or take a guided walk-through.

Jeffrey Tanenhaus, Tulsa Tours founder, said the indoor corridors were built as a result of the oil boom in order to connect the buildings that are “testaments to Tulsa’s global importance in the early 1900s.”

“They were primarily created for the convenience of office workers to get from building-to-building or to parking garages without having to contend with the very changeable Oklahoma weather,” Tanenhaus said. “Now there’s an exception. … A historic tunnel between two buildings in the downtown that were built by Waite Phillips.”

During the 1920s and ‘30s, Phillips built three important buildings in Tulsa, all with his name on them: The Philbrook Museum of Art, the Philtower and the Philcade. Phillips had Oklahoma miners dig two tunnels between the Philcade building, where he lived, and the Philtower, where he had his office, so that he and his family could travel safely from either building.

“They are legitimate, historic tunnels and were (built) for (Phillips’) safety and convenience because, at that time, being that wealthy was risky, and in the era of organized crime and kidnappings, both he and his family were targets of kidnappers,” Tanenhaus said.

Phillips’ motive was to safely commute and export his money to the bank without fear of being attacked, a necessary measure due to his wealth.

“It’s an easy commute,” Tanenhaus said. “You would just have to cross the street, but back then it was really too dangerous for him.”

While that may not be necessary today, the tunnels are still enjoyed by residents for an underground adventure, convenience or protection from the weather.

Only one of Philips’ two tunnels still remains available to the public. Tanenhaus said this tunnel is saved for the end of the tour and is the highlight of many visitors’ experience because it is “legitimately creepy.”

“The tunnel between the Philtower and Philcade is not as well lit,” Tanenhaus said. “It is more confined, it’s old and looks kind of creepy. So it’s different and it’s cool and people certainly like that the best. Everybody likes a good creepy tunnel.”

Rest assured, Tulsa tunnel explorers will not be in dangerous conditions. Tanenhaus said headlamps are not necessary, nor is crawling through tight spaces, as most of the tunnels are climate-controlled, well-lit and spacious.

“(Visitors) would get a newfound appreciation for Oklahoma in general and Tulsa in particular by learning about what a player Tulsa was 100 years ago,” Tanenhaus said. “Learning about (Tulsa’s) history and going through these buildings really brings you back to an era you can’t really imagine.”

For locals and visitors alike, there is so much history to learn and new sights to see underneath downtown Tulsa. To book a tour with Tulsa Tours, visit their website.

The Outsiders House Museum

Inside a quaint, unassuming house on the corner of a North Tulsa neighborhood is “The Outsiders” legacy. With a collection of prized memorabilia, autographed walls, an exact replica of the movie set and frequent visits from the cast, it is a dream for a fan of the film or novel.

The museum opened in 2019 and since then, people from all over the nation have come by to see the movie set for themselves. The coming-of-age movie features the struggles of Ponyboy Curtis and his greaser friends as they try to navigate life as “outsiders” to society. The candid portrayal of hardship and loyalty has connected Oklahomans since 1983.

Michael Fellwock, volunteer coordinator for the museum, said the closer visitors are to where S.E. Hinton wrote the novel in Tulsa, the more personal connections they can make to the movie and its set.

“It’s a collaboration through donations, things we’ve got from actors, things we’ve gotten from local people and things from collectors,” Fellwock said.

While “The Outsiders” has firm roots planted in Tulsa, Fellwock said he has seen people from all over the world come to the museum.

Joe Cervantez, an extra from “The Outsiders” film adaptation and a volunteer at the museum, said the Tulsa community has played a major role in completing the museum.

“It took a lot of the community to help with it and to raise money,” Cervantez said. “A lot of labor supplies and materials were donated to help the effort to restore the house.”

Cervantez said he loves to share experiences on set with museum visitors and show them his film photographs of the cast and crew.

“I didn’t think Tom Cruise was going to amount to anything with that ugly tooth he had,” Cervantez said. “So I thought, ‘Oh, he’s not going to be anybody, so no need to waste my film on him.

“Where are y’all from?” is likely the first thing they will hear upon walking into the museum.

“We get a lot of people from all over the country,”

Cervantez said. “People from every state and some foreign countries. We get young and old alike. Seems like everybody really likes the movie and can identify with it, too.”

While some of the filming locations have been torn down and changed, Fellwock said that it’s amazing how much of the scenery has been preservered.

Filming locations in the area are well known to Tulsans and can be easily recognized while watching the movie. Within walking distance from the museum, visitors can see multiple filming locations, such as the intersection where Dallas met his fate and Crutchfield Park where Ponyboy nearly met his.

The home of the Curtis brothers displays multiple costumes that were worn on set, international posters and book copies, as well as prop replicas scattered throughout the museum.

“There’s a magic to this place,” Fellwock said.

The Outsiders House Museum is located at 731 N. St. Louis Ave. in Tulsa, and is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday through Sunday. For more information, visit the Outsiders House Museum website.