Tulsa, Oklahoma
The Arkansas River brushes up against Tulsa’s western boundary, carving out the city’s edge, where the river take a sharp turn south. The Tulsa Riverwalk District stretches from the 96th Street Bridge north to 21st Street and includes parks and trails as well as some shops, said Vanesa Masucci, director of sales for the Tulsa Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Although there aren’t many opportunities for people to get on the river, there are plenty of places where people can be “on” the water, including on the riverfront recreation trail and on a bicycle and pedestrian bridge that crosses the river, she said.
Groups can also check out Pepto-Bismol-pink cruisers from Tulsa Townies, a sort of bicycle library with two “Cyclestation” locations on the riverfront. The bikes are free to use, although to check one out from the automated bike racks, riders have to swipe a credit card to ensure that the bikes are returned.
The big news, though, is the Gathering Place, a 55-acre, $200 million riverfront park that is being built on the shores of the Arkansas River. Crews are already working on the park’s infrastructure, and construction of the park is slated to begin this summer. When it is complete in 2017, the park, which will straddle Riverside Drive fronting the Arkansas River, will include a large pond, gardens, a skate park, a cultural museum and a “land bridge” over Riverside Drive.
“That’s going to be some pretty massive changes for Tulsa,” Masucci said of the Gathering Place.
