Outdoor recreation
The City of Tulsa manages 140 parks spread over 6,000 acres (24 km²). Most notably, Woodward Park, a 45 acre tract located in midtown Tulsa, doubles as a botanical gardens featuring the Tulsa Municipal Rose Garden and more than 6,000 rose plants in 250 varieties. Along the Arkansas River, a linear park system runs through more than 10 miles of shore with 20 miles of hard-surfaced biking and running trails. An additional 30 miles of unpaved trails run through Turkey Mountain Urban Wildreness Area at the summit of Turkey Mountain featuring hiking, biking, horseback riding, and vistas overlooking downtown Tulsa.
The city's zoo, the Tulsa Zoo and Living Museum, was voted "America's Favorite Zoo" in 2005 by Microsoft Game Studios in connection with a national promotion of its Zoo Tycoon 2 computer game. Doubling as a museum that documents the cultures and history of various climates in North America, the zoo encompasses a total of 78 acres with approximately 1,500 animals and 436 species. The zoo is located in Mohawk Park, the third largest municipal park in the United States. On the west bank of the Arkansas River in the suburb of Jenks, the Oklahoma Aquarium is the state’s only freestanding aquarium, containing over 200 exhibits.
The Tulsa State Fair, operating in late September and early October, attracts over one million people during its 10 day run, and the city's Oktoberfest celebration was named one of the top 10 in the world by USA Today and one of the top German food festivals in the nation by Bon Appetit magazine. The annual Mayfest arts and crafts festival entertained more than 375,000 people in its four day run in downtown during 2007. On a smaller scale, the city hosts block parties during a city-wide "Block Party Day" each year, with festivals varying in size throughout city neighborhoods. Tulsa has one major amusement park attraction, Big Splash Water Park, featuring multi-story water slides and large wave pools. Until 2006, the city also hosted Bell's Amusement Park, which closed after Tulsa County officials declined to renew its lease agreement. Most of the park's equipment had been removed by early 2007 and the owner was discussing relocation with other cities in the Tulsa Metropolitan Area.
(Source: Wikipedia.org)
