While my mother swears that I'd been to Tulsa previously, I have no memory of the event. (Perhaps they borrowed another child for the entire trip!) Several people I talked to about our potential road trip destination raved about the fun restaurants and the gorgeous Art Deco buildings downtown. So, armed with the books Off the Beaten Path: Oklahoma and Oklahoma Curiosities, plus the website Roadside America, I set our course!
I am a big believer in three things in regards to road trips. 1)Take as many back roads as possible 2)The odder the roadside attraction, the more likely that I must have my picture taken in front of it. 3)Eat local and eat well! To start off the first day of our Tulsa adventure, we began at the always lovely Fried Pied Co Restaurant in Gainsville, TX.
Not quite fully awake (we were still recovering from a Robert Plant concert the night before), we drank as much coffee as we could stand!
To me, the Fried Pie Co exemplifies what a good diner should be: although nothing fancy, the food is always tasty, served with a smile, and easy on the pocketbook. Of course, the fact that they also make amazing fried pies is also a pretty big draw!
After getting some fried pies to go, we left Gainsville and headed along Highway 82. I had decided to cross over the Texas/Oklahoma border farther east so we could make sure to pass through Durant, Oklahoma. Why Durant? Where else could I see the World's Largest Peanut? We also made a quick stop at the Amish Store, where they sold everything from fresh eggs to cheese to soap. I'm not sure a lot of the products were actually made by the Amish, but we picked up cold drinks for the road (and also some fudge and jars of pickled bologna and sausage). A bit of a side note here: apparently there are some Amish communities in Oklahoma, which I hadn't known. Along the way we drove past a sign to watch out for buggies on the road!
Leaving Durant, we headed north along back roads and passing through several small towns on our way to our lunch-time destination. As we went through Prague, I made us pull over to get a closer look at the National Shrine to the Infant Jesus of Prague. Apparently there was also a gift shop, but unfortunately I didn't realize that until later.
Not too long after we left Prague, we hit Stroud and made a bee-line for the Rock Cafe! Situated on the historic Route 66, the Rock Cafe originally opened in 1939 and is named for the distinctive sandstone used in its construction.
I remember reading to bring a good pen or marker when you visit and it's quite true! Every inch of the bathrooms (and part of the hallway) have been decorated with names and other short messages. As always, the husband remained amused at my photo documentation of our adventures.
The menu is an interesting mix of home-cooking and German selections. Their Jagerschnitzel and Spaetzle were featured on the television show, Diners with Guy. However, their chicken-fried steak was featured in Gourmet Magazine. (Yes, this was the second time that day that I ate chicken-fried steak ... Don't judge me!)
Another interesting thing is that John Lasseter (of Pixar fame) visited back in 2001. He even based a character in the movie Cars on the owner of the Rock Cafe. As a result, there is a lot of signed Pixar/Cars memorabilia in the restaurant, as well as cool photo opportunities outside!
After lunch, we continued east on Route 66. Before we left Stroud, we pulled over to look at the Shoe Tree. It sounds like the original Shoe Tree fell down at some point, but people have continued on the tradition of flinging their shoes over tree branches. Next time we pass through, the husband and I will have to add a few pairs ourselves!
We planned to take Route 66 into Tulsa, avoiding the Interstate as much as possible. We stopped briefly in Sapulpa, famous for the Frankoma Pottery company. We stopped in a big antique store, hoping to find a Frankoma piggy bank for my mother, but no such luck. I did find a utterly frightening egg/Humpty Dumpty costume. However, the husband thought we should pass on it.
After Sapulpa, we decided to head directly to our hotel. We were lucky enough to get a really good deal on a downtown hotel. So after we got settled for a bit, we were able to walk only a few blocks to the Blue Dome District to find a place to eat dinner. We decided on James E. McNellie's Public House, as both the husband and I are hard-pressed to pass up an Irish Pub. The place was pretty hopping, but we were immediately seated and had a beer in our hands. I opted for the Landlord's Cottage Pie and a dark brew.
On the way to the restaurant, we had noticed a bunch of white tents blocking some of the streets. When I asked our waitress, she said they were already setting up for the big St. Patrick's Day event the next day. The husband & I resolved not to be anywhere near the area during that madness! We headed back to the hotel to get plenty of rest for the next day's excursions.
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