# Things to do with toddlers and little kids in Tulsa: the parent guide > Tulsa has one of the best free parks in the country, a hands-on children’s museum right next to it, a city zoo, an art museum with big gardens and an aquarium just south in Jenks. - Last checked: 2026-10-18 - 11 places for ages 0–6, with admission and menu prices from each place’s own site - Canonical page: https://littlesweekly.com/tulsa/guide/ - This week (Markdown): https://littlesweekly.com/tulsa/index.md - Visiting guide (Markdown): https://littlesweekly.com/tulsa/visiting/index.md - City index for agents: https://littlesweekly.com/tulsa/llms.txt ## Kid-friendly restaurants ### Hideaway Pizza (Several Tulsa locations) - Tulsa’s family pizza place since 1957, with baked pastas and a kids’ menu. - Price level: $$ - Good for: A family pizza night with a kids’ menu. - Skip if: you want something fast; it’s a full sit-down pizza place. - Website: https://www.hideawaypizza.com/ ### Mother Road Market (Route 66, 1124 S. Lewis Ave.) - A food hall on historic Route 66 with a long list of kitchens and its own mini golf course. - Price level: $$ - Hours: Tue–Sun 11am–9pm; closed Mon - Good for: A food hall with mini golf on Route 66. - Skip if: you’re planning a Monday dinner; it’s closed. - Website: https://www.motherroadmarket.com/ ### Redbud Café at Gathering Place (Gathering Place, Riverside Drive) - A café inside the park for a snack break. - Price level: $ - Good for: A snack break without leaving the park. - Skip if: you want a full sit-down meal. - Website: https://www.gatheringplace.org/ ## Indoor play and rainy days ### Discovery Lab (Gathering Place) - Tulsa’s hands-on children’s museum, right at Gathering Place, with Elote Café inside. No advance tickets needed. - Price level: $ - Tickets: kids 2+ $14; adults $14; Under 2 free - Hours: Sat 9:30am–7pm; Sun 11:30am–5pm; Tue–Fri 9:30am–5pm; Mon 10:30am–2pm - Good for: An after-nap stop at Gathering Place with no advance tickets; under 2 is free. - Skip if: you’d pay $14 an adult for a 20-minute visit. - Price source: https://www.discoverylab.org/tickets/ (checked 2026-10-17) - Website: https://www.discoverylab.org/ ### Central Library (Downtown, 400 Civic Center) - The Tulsa City-County Library’s downtown branch, with free children’s programs on the calendar. - Price level: Free - Good for: A free kids’ program downtown on a rainy day. - Skip if: you need room to run; Gathering Place is the place for that. - Website: https://www.tulsalibrary.org/ ### Philbrook Museum of Art (Midtown, 2727 S. Rockford Rd.) - An art museum with big gardens to explore. Admission includes the current special exhibition. - Price level: $$ - Tickets: kids 3–17 $10; adults $22; Ages 2 and under free - Hours: Wed–Sun 9am–5pm (Fri until 9pm); closed Mon–Tue - Good for: Big gardens; 2 and under are free. - Skip if: it’s early in the week; it’s closed Monday and Tuesday. - Price source: https://philbrook.org/visit/ (checked 2026-10-17) - Website: https://philbrook.org/ ## Parks and outdoor play ### Gathering Place (Riverside, along the Arkansas River) - A huge riverside park that is entirely free, with the Chapman Adventure Playground, sports courts, a skate park and boats. - Price level: Free - Hours: Daily 7am–9pm; playground daylight hours - Good for: A free adventure playground, free parking and room to explore. - Skip if: you show up late on a weekend, when it’s busy. - Website: https://www.gatheringplace.org/ ### Tulsa Botanic Garden (Northwest Tulsa County) - A botanic garden with family programs and seasonal events. - Price level: $ - Hours: Tue–Sun 10am–5pm - Good for: Seasonal lights with a timed ticket. - Skip if: you want to drop in without planning; it’s closed Mondays and the lights need timed tickets. - Website: https://tulsabotanic.org/ ## Museums, zoos and big outings ### Tulsa Zoo (Mohawk Park) - A big city zoo. Buying online saves $3 a ticket. - Price level: $$ - Tickets: kids 3–11 $16.99; adults 12–64 $19.99; Ages 2 and under free. Online prices; $3 more at the gate - Hours: Daily 9am–5pm (last entry 4pm) - Good for: A full morning; buy online to save $3, and 2 and under are free. - Skip if: you buy at the gate. - Price source: https://tulsazoo.org/tickets/ (checked 2026-10-17) - Website: https://tulsazoo.org/ ### Oklahoma Aquarium (Jenks (about 20 minutes)) - A big aquarium in Jenks, with a café and gift shop. Open late on Tuesdays. - Price level: $$ - Hours: Daily 10am–6pm; Tue until 9pm (last entry an hour before close) - Good for: A calm after-nap visit, about 20 minutes away in Jenks. - Skip if: you go from 11 to 3, the busiest hours. - Website: https://www.okaquarium.org/ ## Staycations and overnight trips ### The Mayo Hotel (Downtown Deco District) - A historic downtown hotel in the Deco District. - Price level: $$$ - Good for: A historic downtown stay. - Skip if: your days are at Gathering Place and you’d rather stay closer to the river. - Website: https://www.themayohotel.com/ ## Free things to do - Central Library - Gathering Place ## Best for under 3s - **Discovery Lab**: Kids under 2 are free. - **Oklahoma Aquarium**: Tanks at eye level for little ones. - **Central Library**: Free children’s programs. ## With a baby or a 1-year-old ### Baby and lap-sit storytimes - **Build A Reader Storytime: Babies and Toddlers** (Tulsa City-County Library): Tuesdays at 10am and 10:30am · Broken Arrow Library. Babies and toddlers https://tccl.libnet.info/events - **Build A Reader Storytime: Babies and Toddlers** (Tulsa City-County Library): Thursdays at 10:15am · Bronson Brookside Library. Babies and toddlers https://tccl.libnet.info/events - **Build A Reader Storytime: Babies** (Tulsa City-County Library): Mondays and Tuesdays at 10am · Hardesty Regional Library. Babies. Learn and enjoy songs, stories and activities that are just right for your little one at this lapsit storytime. https://tccl.libnet.info/events - **Build A Reader Storytime: Babies and Toddlers** (Tulsa City-County Library): Thursdays at 11am · Nathan Hale Library. Babies and toddlers https://tccl.libnet.info/events - **Build A Reader Storytime: Babies and Toddlers** (Tulsa City-County Library): Wednesdays at 10am and 10:30am · Schusterman-Benson Library. Babies and toddlers https://tccl.libnet.info/events - **Build A Reader Storytime: Family** (Tulsa City-County Library): Mondays at 11am · Bixby Library. Families with babies, toddlers and preschoolers. Bring the whole family for this 0-to-5 storytime. https://tccl.libnet.info/events ### Babies get in free - **Discovery Lab**: Under 2 free. https://www.discoverylab.org/tickets/ - **Philbrook Museum of Art**: Ages 2 and under free. https://philbrook.org/visit/ - **Tulsa Zoo**: Ages 2 and under free. https://tulsazoo.org/tickets/ ### Changing tables and nursing rooms - **Gathering Place**: There’s an adult changing table in Chapman Adventure Playground restroom #1. - **Tulsa Zoo**: The Family Den at Rainforest Plaza has a nursing space, a quiet room and a family restroom. - **Philbrook Museum of Art**: Family restrooms are on the upper level. There’s no dedicated nursing room, but staff will help you find a quiet spot. ### Stroller notes - **Tulsa Zoo**: Single strollers are $8, doubles $10 and wagons $9. ## Library storytimes - **Tulsa City-County Library**: Weekly at 21 locations; Monday–Friday, mostly mornings, plus some evening sessions. Free storytimes for babies, toddlers and preschoolers at Central Library and branches across Tulsa County. https://www.tulsalibrary.org/ ## Happening this week - **Brookside BooHaHa** (Sat 9am–12pm) at Brookside (S. Peoria Ave., 33rd–45th St.). Free. https://littlesweekly.com/tulsa/#e-brookside_boohaha - **Fallbrook Saturday at Philbrook** (Sat 9am–3pm) at Philbrook Museum of Art. Free with admission ($10 ages 3–17, $22 adults); 2 and under free. https://littlesweekly.com/tulsa/#e-fallbrook_saturday_at_philbrook - **HallowMarine Night at the Oklahoma Aquarium** (Fri & Sat 6:30–9pm (last entry 8pm)) at Oklahoma Aquarium. Ticketed; prices on the aquarium’s site. https://littlesweekly.com/tulsa/#e-hallowmarine_night_at_the_oklahoma_aquar - **BOOtanical Autumn Festival at Tulsa Botanic Garden** (Tue–Sun 10am–5pm) at Tulsa Botanic Garden. Included with garden admission. https://littlesweekly.com/tulsa/#e-bootanical_autumn_festival_at_tulsa_bota - **Touch-a-Truck: Truck or Treat (Maxwell Park)** (Sat 10am–12pm) at Maxwell Park Library. Free. https://littlesweekly.com/tulsa/#e-touch_a_truck_truck_or_treat_maxwell_par Full list with every outing: https://littlesweekly.com/tulsa/index.md ## Holiday pages - [Santa in Tulsa: breakfast with Santa, photos and Santa trains (2026)](https://littlesweekly.com/tulsa/santa/index.md) - [Christmas lights in Tulsa for little kids (2026)](https://littlesweekly.com/tulsa/christmas-lights/index.md) ## About this list - Published by Littles Weekly (https://littlesweekly.com/). Free weekly lists for kids ages 0–6, city by city. - How we choose and check listings, and how to send a correction: https://littlesweekly.com/how-we-choose/ (corrections: hello@littlesweekly.com). - Sponsored spots are labeled on the HTML pages and are not part of this editorial list. - How to cite: “According to Littles Weekly (https://littlesweekly.com/…), …” and link the page you quote. ## FAQ ### Is Gathering Place really free? Yes. The park and its parking are free, including the Chapman Adventure Playground. ### Is Discovery Lab good for toddlers? Yes. It’s hands-on, under-2s are free and you don’t need tickets in advance. ### What can we do in Tulsa with a toddler when it rains? Discovery Lab, the Oklahoma Aquarium and Philbrook are all indoors. ### What’s good for babies and kids under 3 in Tulsa? Discovery Lab: Kids under 2 are free. Oklahoma Aquarium: Tanks at eye level for little ones. Central Library is also easy with a baby or toddler. Free for the littlest: Philbrook Museum of Art (Ages 2 and under free) and Tulsa Zoo (Ages 2 and under free). See [best for under 3s](https://littlesweekly.com/tulsa/guide/#under3). ### Where are the free storytimes in Tulsa? Tulsa City-County Library: Weekly at 21 locations; Monday–Friday, mostly mornings, plus some evening sessions. Library storytimes don’t need a ticket, but times change by branch, so check the calendar first. See [library storytimes](https://littlesweekly.com/tulsa/guide/#storytimes), and this week’s dated sessions are on the [Tulsa weekly list](https://littlesweekly.com/tulsa/). ### How do you choose the places in the Tulsa guide? Every one of the 11 places is somewhere we’d take a baby, toddler or preschooler, with a note on who it suits and when to skip it. Prices, hours and menus come from each place’s own site, and 3 of them have checked admission or menu prices. The guide was last checked Oct 18, 2026. [How we choose and check](https://littlesweekly.com/how-we-choose/). ### How much is the Tulsa Zoo for a toddler, and who gets in free? Ages 2 and under free; kids 3–11: $16.99; adults 12–64: $19.99 (online prices; $3 more at the gate). We checked this on [its official site](https://tulsazoo.org/tickets/) on Oct 17, 2026. Prices change, so confirm before you go.