Rolla, MO - Our journey begins after a tasty breakfast at the bus. We travel south and along the way we'll catch up with old friends and get to know new ones. Tonight we'll stay in Rolla, MO and share a dinner together.

Tulsa - After breakfast, we continue our journey and arrive in Tulsa in early afternoon. We'll check into our hotel for a five-night stay and then we'll get acquainted with the city of Tulsa. We'll begin with a visit to the Gilcrease Museum. Established in 1949 by Thomas Gilcrease, a local oilman of Creek Indian heritage, the museum is home to the world's largest collection of art and artifacts of the American West, including paintings and sculptures by Frederic Remington. We'll enjoy a museum tour and followed by some time to view the exhibits on your own. We'll then take a driving tour of Tulsa. Did you know that Tulsa has one of the largest concentrations of Art Deco architecture in the country? The city was experiencing phenomenal economic growth during the Roaring Twenties, just as the Art Deco style became popular. The timeless beauty of these buildings, which include service stations, theaters, industrial buildings, private homes and grand office buildings, stands in tribute to the oil barons who built them including Skelly, Sinclair and Phillips. Next we'll visit the Creek Council Tree Site. When the Creek Indians migrated from Alabama, they brought with them embers from their last fire in Alabama. To mark their arrival, a ceremony was held and the ashes were deposited at a site that became their spot for ceremonies, feasts and games. A mature burr oak marks the site which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Our tour also includes Black Gold Row, one of Tulsa's premier historic districts featuring mansions built by the early oil barons, and the Golden Driller monument. Tonight we'll have dinner at the new Cherokee Hard Rock Casino with some time afterward to try your luck!

Tulsa - We begin our day with breakfast and a visit to the Port of Catoosa, located at the head of the Arkansas River Navigation System. It is one of the largest inland river ports in the U.S. with year-round ice-free barge service. Its world-wide accessibility allows it to transport goods from America's heartland to the rest of the world. Next, we'll travel to Oolagah, the hometown of famed humorist and social commentator Will Rogers. Here we'll visit the Iron Dog Ranch, Roger's birthplace. Then we'll travel to Claremore where we'll enjoy a delicious lunch at Hammett House, famous for its cozy atmosphere and delicious pies. We'll then spend time at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum where we'll see artifacts and memorabilia including photographs and manuscripts from his career as a trick roper, vaudeville and Ziegfield Follies performer, movie star, radio commentator, syndicated columnist, author and philosopher. We'll also view his extensive saddle collection. It's an afternoon you're sure to enjoy. As we travel back to Tulsa, we'll stop at Totem Pole Park, home to the world's largest concrete totem pole. Along our route back, keep watch for some familiar icons of the famous Route 66. Back in Tulsa, enjoy dinner and and some free time this evening.

Tulsa - Following breakfast, we'll travel to Pawhuska, the capital of the Osage Nation. We'll visit the Osage Tribal Council House, the Constantine Theater (perhaps its resident ghost will join us!) and take a driving tour of the Tall Grass Prairie. Lunch today is at Big Bad Brad's. We'll also tour the Cathedral of the Osage which features twenty-two Bavarian Art Glass windows, made in Germany, each with a likeness of the Osage children who were part of he congregation in 1910. We'll also learn about Pawhuska's special significance to the Boy Scouts and about the Rein of Osage Terror. After this very busy day, we'll return to Tulsa where you'll have a free evening.

Tulsa - Enjoy breakfast and then we're off to the Woolaroc museum and wildlife preserve in Bartlesville. Woolaroc was created in 1925 as the ranch of oilman Frank Phillips. This 3,700-acre wildlife preserve is home to both native and exotic wildlife such as buffalo, elk and longhorn cattle. The museum features an outstanding collection of western art and artifacts including a fine collection of Colt firearms. The Frank Phillips mansion, featuring original furniture and décor, is our next stop followed by a visit to the Phillips 66 Petroleum Company Museum which chronicles the pioneering spirit of the Phillips 66 Company. We'll then tour the Price Tower which is the only skyscraper designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The tower, which today serves as an arts center, was commissioned by Harold C. Price as the corporate headquarters of the H.C. Price Company, an oil pipeline and chemical firm. Enjoy lunch on your own at one of the many charming eateries in Bartlesville before we depart for Dewey, home of the Tom Mix Museum. One of Oklahoma's most colorful figures, Tom Mix was a rodeo performer before beginning his movie career. His movies were action-filled westerns in which Tom and his horse Tony often performed daredevil stunts. You'll enjoy strolling through this charming museum and viewing items from Tom Mix's personal collection. After a stop at an old-fashioned soda fountain where you can order one of your favorite treats, we'll travel to Prairie Song. Here we'll tour an authentic turn-of-the-century Old West town, built by descendents of Oklahoma's pioneers, to honor those pioneers who settled Oklahoma and to acknowledge the cowboy and Indian cultures of the state. We'll also enjoy dinner at the Saloon! What a fun way to end our day!

Tulsa - Our destination today is Tahlequah, the capital of the Cherokee Nation. We'll learn the story of the Cherokee who travelled along the Trail of Tears after being forced from their ancestral homeland in the east and founded Tahlequah in 1839. Our Cherokee history tour begins at Northeastern State University which was founded in 1851 as the Cherokee National Female Seminary. Here we'll visit Seminary Hall, the Standing Columns and the Sequoyah Statue. Sightseeing in downtown Tahlequah is next and then we'll stop at the Cherokee Heritage Center. We'll tour the ancient village and enjoy lunch at the Adams Corner Rural Village which features a collection of buildings representing Oklahoma rural life in the 1890's. Our last stop will be the Murrell Home, one of just a few antebellum homes in the Cherokee Nation that survived the Civil War. We'll tour the home with its mid-1800's furnishings as well as the Daniel Cabin which features living history demonstrations of Cherokee life in the 1850's. We'll then return to Tulsa for a Farewell Dinner and some unique entertainment.

Rolla, MO - We check out of our hotel today, but our visit isn't over yet. We start our morning in Jenks where we'll visit the Oklahoma Aquarium. With over 200 exhibits and eight major galleries, the aquarium features both salt and freshwater creatures, including many fish, sharks, corals and other species that live in waters throughout the world. After visiting the aquarium, there will be time to stroll the Main Street area of the town know as "The Antique Capitol of Oklahoma, visit the unique shops and enjoy lunch on your own. Following lunch, it's time to bid farewell to Oklahoma and begin our journey home. Tonight we'll stay in Rolla, MO where we'll share dinner together.

Home - We continue on our way back to Wisconsin filled with special memories of all we've seen and done on Travel America's 23rd Anniversary Tour to Tulsa and Oklahoma's Green Country.