Green Country Roads: Route 66 Claremore Catoosa
Saturday, a friend and I celebrated her birthday by going on one of my favorite outings – old Route 66, in the Claremore area. Much of the highway is undergoing some much-needed construction, but is still passable.
We started at the Hammett House in Claremore, where I enjoyed some good ol’ Okiefied “chicken fried chicken.” From there, it was next door, to the Will Rogers Memorial Museum – a lovely place to spend a rainy afternoon. There is so much Oklahoma History and Americana there, displayed beautifully and artfully. And there is something for everyone – radio shows, a movie theater, beautiful gardens, an enchanting children’s’ play museum, a gift shop, and lovely folks to talk to, like Jim (who has a great story about sitting in a wagon, watching his first Will Rogers movie on the side of a building in the early ’40’s!)
From the museum we went across HWY 20, and walked around the gorgeous ponds at Rogers State University…the swans weren’t in a talkative mood this weekend as they are sometimes, as they were too busy diving for dinner.
From there, it was down old Route 66 past the Nut House (watch for the construction detour to the Nut House, if you’re Tulsa-bound), and to the Blue Whale.
Several years ago, I had some snobby European in-laws who used to visit, and then spend the entire trip bragging about the centuries-old architecture in Europe which they always pointed out was lacking in Oklahoma. Once, when I’d tired of explaining that Oklahoma’s only been a state for about 100 years, Ipacked them up and drove them down to the Blue Whale on Route 66, and show them an example of our “aged” architecture. It worked. They went home, and now they’re my former in laws. Yesterday, I just thought of it and smiled. As always, the Blue Whale smiled back.
Click here or on any of the images in this post to go to a slide show of some photos of the Blue Whale, RSU, and the Will Rogers Memorial Museum. Unless otherwise noted, the photos were taken in and around the museum.
Also see Batesline: Tulsa Route 66 activists honored
"There's no trick to being a humorist when you have the whole government working for you." 
Is Okiefield particularity good?
Last time I was in Claremore I went to the J.M. Davis Arms & Historical Museum. I haven’t been to the Will Rogers Museum. I’ll have to check it out next time I’m down there. I wonder if it would be too ambitious to try and do both?
LOL…Okiefied is the best, Steven! Thanks for stopping by.
I haven’t been to the Arms Museum, yet. Thanks for reminding me about that – I need to check it out next time I go up there.
The Will Rogers Museum has so much in it now (and they’re still adding exhibits) that it’s really hard to see it all in one stop, so I think it might be challenging to do both…maybe if you got an early start…?