Where to stay with kids?

We are thinking of taking a trip with our Girl Scout Troop to Tulsa early this summer. So far we have in mind the Aquarium, the Bluebell Ice Cream tour and Discoveryland. We need to know what area of Tulsa to stay in that would central or close to these activities. Also, I know the girls would love a hotel with a pool. We need something nice and affordable. Any suggestions?

Where to stay with kids?

That should be a great trip! The attractions you mentioned are a little far flung from each other so if you stay near one, you%26#39;ll have a bit of a drive to the other two. Discoveryland is about 10 miles west of downtown on west 41st street, the aquarium is about 10 miles south of dowtown in Jenks, and the Blue Bell plant is about 16 miles southeast of downtown in Broken Arrow.

If you want to stay near one of the attractions, I%26#39;d recommend the Holiday Inn Express (until very recently it was the Best Western Aquarium Inn %26amp; suites) in Jenks ( ichotelsgroup.com/h/…welcome ). It sits directly on the west bank of the river right next to the Aquarium. It is less than two years old. There is a nice shopping/dining complex within walking distance called Riverwalk Crossing that has several restaurants and a multi screen cinema, interactive fountains that kids like to run around in, and free live entertainment on an outdoor stage on weekend evenings. There is also an outdoor ';trapeze school'; there that is fun to watch, if not try (but I think its kind of pricey).

If you%26#39;ld rather stay in a ';central'; location with a lot to do nearby, I%26#39;d look at one of the hotels along the two mile stretch of 71st Street between Memorial Drive and Garnett Road. There is a Hampton Inn, Fairfield Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Candlewood Suites, Homewood Suites, Residence Inn, Springhill Suites, and a Renaissance Hotel, among others, in the area. All of them look to be in good shape and the area is busy but safe. The state%26#39;s biggest Mall, Woodland Hills, is at 71st %26amp; Memorial, and there is pretty much every kind of restuarant and store imaginable in this area. There is an IMAX at the Tulsa Cinemark theater in the area too.

For a fun lunch or dinner, I recommend you take the girls to the the ';Tulsa%26#39;s Incredible Pizza Company'; restaurant ( www.incrediblepizza.com/tulsa/index.php ). It is a HUGE place with several cool dining rooms done in 1950%26#39;s themes (the high school gym, the family room, the diner, the drive-in theater), an all-you-can-eat pizza buffet, and a gigantic game area with bowling alleys, bumper cars and boats, a go-cart track, and a neat Route 66-themed indoor miniature golf course. It on 71st, just east of Memorial, across the street form the mall.

I%26#39;m not sure if it%26#39;s something your girl scouts would be super excited about, but I recommend a trip to the Philbrook Museum of Art for any visitor to Tulsa. It is just incredibly beautiful. Take a look at www.philbrook.org .

I have a page at VirtualTourist.com that you might find helpful for more information about visiting Tulsa ( members.virtualtourist.com/m/78ee5/cfd6d ).

Feel free to contact me if you have any more questions. Have fun!

Where to stay with kids?

Other posts have good advice on where to stay, so I%26#39;ll try to recommend some more activities to consider.

The Tulsa Zoo is very nice.

Another thought, though might be a little pricey (check into group admissions) would be the Big Splash Water Park at the Tulsa Fairgrounds. (And there is an inexpensive motel there.)

Also at the Fairgrounds, it might be different to take them to the horse races. Free admission (at least last summer) and while they can%26#39;t bet, you can look at the horses in the barns as well as try to pick a winner. The race track is a little dowdy, but the horses are beautiful and you can line up right along the rail.

Tulsa also has a new planetarium at its relatively new Air %26amp; Space Museum--definitely kid friendly.

Try a picnic @ Tulsa River Parks. There are many large statues of animals native to Oklahoma spread through the park which runs the length of Riverside Drive.

And the Tulsa Garden Center will surely have some kind of flowers in bloom, and it is adjacent to Woodward Park at 21st %26amp; Peoria.

you might want to try residency inn by marriott, i have had family with kids that have stayed there with good results.

incredible pizza is a crazy place, i took my nephew there and try multiplying chucky cheese by 1000.