Gathering Place

BIG NEWS! 🏆 Gathering Place is officially USA TODAY's Best City Park for 2024! After being chosen by an expert panel and USA TODAY 10Best editors, Gathering Place was featured in a readers’ choice contest along with 19 other city parks across the United States before being voted #1 by the public. This USA TODAY reader’s choice recognition marks the third win for Gathering Place in five years, following its prior recognition as USA TODAY’s Best New Attraction in 2019 and Best City Park in 2021.   The Gathering Place team is so grateful for the incredible support we have received from the Tulsa community, and we are blown away by how Tulsans rallied around the vote to boost the park to the number one spot. Thank you for making Gathering Place America’s Best City Park this year! 💚🌳 Learn more about the award: https://lnkd.in/g6mPbNrw

Today marks the 33rd Annual Day of Caring organized by Tulsa Area United Way! ❤️ Every year, volunteers participate in community service projects fr local nonprofits, schools, and other community organizations. Gathering Place hosted volunteers from Mid-Continent Group, MidFirst Bank, and Enterprise who supported us with park maintenance and horticulture projects. A big thank you to Tulsa Area United Way for coordinating this city-wide celebration and to the volunteers for their hard work and dedication at the park!

"Williams Crossing, a 1,440-foot-long pedestrian and cycling bridge that opened on September 3, is the latest expansion of the park, and, designed by engineering firm schlaich bergermann partner sbp, is the first steel-plate arch bridge built in the United States." Almost a decade in the making, Williams Crossing is finally open! Read about Tulsa's new pedestrian bridge in Architectural Record: https://lnkd.in/gG53dgep

Members of the marketing and senior leadership teams had a great time at Tulsa Regional Tourism's Annual Meeting on Tuesday at Osage Casino! Congratulations to Tulsa Regional Tourism and all of our city's tourism partners on another highly successful year for Tulsa. There are many more exciting developments coming soon to Tulsa Tourism, and we can't wait to see what the next year brings.

"[Williams Crossing] also seems likely to solidify Tulsa’s spot on the shortlist of American cities worth visiting for the design ambition of their civic infrastructure." Williams Crossing, Tulsa's new pedestrian bridge that connects the east and west banks of the Arkansas River, was featured in The New York Times as an example of new infrastructure revitalizing urban areas. Check it out! 🔗: https://lnkd.in/eK76nbEM

Williams Crossing, Zink Lake, and Tulsa Wave Park are officially open! The City of Tulsa celebrated the new landmark this Labor Day weekend, which connects Gathering Place with the River Parks and Midland Valley Trails to link 16 miles of cycling and pedestrian paths on either side of the Arkansas River. MVVA collaborated with schlaich bergermann partner sbp on the 1,440-foot-long, 18-foot-wide bridge deck to seamlessly integrate it into the experience of the Gathering Place landscape and to make an elegant, unique structure for the city. Two more pieces of infrastructure will define a new public interface with the river, including a reconstructed dam that forms Zink Lake to enhance fish habitat and moderate currents, and a 1,100-foot-long whitewater course for kayaking, surfing, and rafting designed by McLaughlin Whitewater Design Group. An additional 5.5 acres of parkland are also being added to Gathering Place's riverfront. Images courtesy of Gathering Place and High Caliber Captures. Client: City of Tulsa, River Parks Authority, Gathering Place Collaborators:  schlaich bergermann partner sbp Domingo Gonzalez Associates Crossland Construction Company, Inc. Hillsdale Fabricators Merrick & Company McLaughlin Whitewater Design Group LandPlan Consultants, Inc. Jacobs

Sunday marked Gathering Place's anniversary! 🌳✨🎉 Six years ago, the park opened its gates for the very first time. We are proud to serve as a welcoming, vibrant, and inclusive space for Tulsans to play, learn, relax, and connect. In the past year, Gathering Place was named USA TODAY's Best City Park of 2024, celebrated by National Geographic as a top travel destination, recognized as a Great Place to Work, and has expanded all the way the water's edge with a new lawn and trails on the Arkansas River. As Tulsa's riverfront park, we're honored to be a part of the Tulsa community and we look forward to creating even more memories together for many more years to come!

Gathering Place is the ultimate family road trip destination! 🌟🚗 Recently featured in "Kids in KC", a Kansas City mom shares her family's experience and offers tips for making the most of your weekend at the park. 🔗 Read more: https://lnkd.in/gF_gqKDT

🎉 Gathering Place and Magic City Books are thrilled to welcome Abigail Heringer and celebrate the publication of her memoir, "The Deaf Girl: A Memoir of Hearing Loss, Hope, and Fighting Against the Odds" on Sunday September 8. This free event will take place in Williams Lodge at 2 p.m. Abigail will discuss her memoir, take questions from the audience and will sign copies of her book which will be exclusively for sale at the event two days before publication. 📖 ABOUT ABIGAIL Abigail Heringer was an instant fan-favorite from the moment she stepped out of the limousine on season 25 of The Bachelor. Her memoir, The Deaf Girl, shares Abigail’s journey of navigating life with a profound hearing loss and her transformation from merely accepting her disability to embracing it wholeheartedly. This memoir serves as an inspiring reminder for anyone who has ever felt like an outsider or struggled to embrace their differences, showcasing that every voice is worthy of being heard. 🔗 : https://buff.ly/3APHcOY 

The ONEOK Boathouse roof has recently undergone a stunning restoration project, led by our talented engineering team in partnership with Kreysler and Associates! The Boathouse roof is an assembly of 130 unique and individually shaped panels, and the restoration project included various repairs and a fresh paint job. 🔗 Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gSeacBxB