A college student’s Tulsa top 10

The best places in town to hit between classes

I’m not going to lie. It took me my entire freshman year of college to figure out my way around Tulsa, and it took me the first half of my sophomore year to find my favorite places to go for food, fun, and entertainment. I will save you some time and pain by sharing my top ten. Thumbtack this bad boy to your bulletin board, and I promise you’ll have fun this semester.

Shades of Brown Coffee and Art
This coffee shop is a Tulsa gem. In the heart of Brookside, Shades offers a shabby and cozy corner for you to ingest espresso and express-finish assignments. Their coffee is intoxicating, served in a one-of-a-kind mug, and the place is adorned with local art for sale.
3302 S. Peoria Avenue

Purple Glaze Studio 
Across the street from the aforementioned Shades, you will find this fun spot to unleash creative juices with friends. The Purple Glaze allows you to paint a ceramic of your choice and then fires and glazes your work for you. If you’re in need of some cute coffee mugs or Christmas gifts, go here. 
3303 S. Peoria Avenue

Old School Bagel Café
My mouth is watering. Old School Bagel, too, is on Brookside, where bagels are boiled daily from fresh dough to create bagels of every flavor imaginable. From breakfast to lunch sandwiches, to sides and desserts, this place makes quality food with quality flavor.
3723 S. Peoria Avenue

Dragonmoon Tea Company
If you’re feeling dainty or quaint, pay a visit to the Dragonmoon Tea Company. On Harvard and 21st in an antique home, this tea room offers homemade lunch, a hefty list of teas and pastries worthy of the Queen’s palate. Try the chocolate chip bread pudding. You won’t regret it.
1927 S. Harvard Avenue

Cain’s Ballroom
You can’t get the college experience without concerts. Cain’s Ballroom is a historic music venue in the Brady Arts District, built in 1924 to serve as a garage for the automobiles of W. Tate Brady's (one of the guys who signed the charter to incorporate Tulsa). What later became a dance academy, the intimate ballroom hosts concerts for up-and-coming bands, and even some of your well-known favorites at a college-friendly ticket price.
423 N. Main Street

Eloté Café
This Mexican restaurant will rock your world. On South Boston Avenue in the Deco District of Downtown, Eloté serves fresh ingredients and organic, grain-fed meat from local farms. This place makes amazing puffy tacos, and here’s the best part—every Wednesday is puffy taco night, starting at 4 p.m. for $2.
514 S. Boston Avenue

Philbrook Museum of Art
Need a classy place for a date? Known to many, but understated among the college crowd, the Philbrook whisked me away to another country and another time. This sanctuary of modern and classical art is housed partly in a 1920’s Italian Renaissance villa, on 23 acres of gardens. La Villa Restaurant at Philbrook serves lunch Tuesday through Saturday as well as a Sunday brunch. Most Tulsa college students get free admission with student I.D.
2727 S. Rockford Road

Cinemark 8, the “Dollar Theater”
On South Memorial, the retro-lit Cinemark 8 offers the theater experience with recently screened movies for $1. That’s right, $1. I’d be lying if I said I never took a study break to go watch a movie here with my roommate.
6808 S. Memorial Drive

Woodward Park
Possibly the most beautifully scenic place in Tulsa, Woodward Park is a 45-acre public park, botanical garden, and arboretum. The park contains a variety of whimsical specialty gardens, cute dogs on their afternoon walk, and many friendly squirrels. I may or may not have had a tea party there with my friends among the azalea bushes. The fairies will never tell.
At 21st Street and South Peoria Avenue

Mod’s Coffee and Crepes
Need I say more? I’ve saved the best for last, my friends—the one and only Mod’s. Across the street from my beloved Eloté, Mod’s offers highly rated coffee, out-of-this-world, delectable crepes, soups, salads, and gelato. The variety of crepes ranges from savory to sweet. My personal favorite? The Nutella banana crepe. Only $5 for a slab of heaven.
507 S. Boston Avenue

McKensie Garber, a Hale, Missouri, native, is studying convergence journalism, writing, and dance at Oral Roberts University. Last year she served as Managing Editor for ORU's student newspaper, The Oracle. Garber was recently the recipient of the third-place national scholarship in Christian Life Missions’ inaugural presentation of the Walker Journalism Award for one of her feature stories published there. She is at work on her first book.