Ride the Dragon Trail in Tulsa’s Global District
Have you heard about the Tulsa Global District’s new Dragon Trail? It opened Saturday, Aug. 23, but sadly we were busy and didn’t make it to the kickoff event. Bike Club Tulsa was doing free bike tuneups, and they were giving away helmets, bike lights/locks, etc. It sounded like an amazing time. Anyway, a week later, we needed to run to Nam Hai for a birthday gift, so took advantage of our proximity to explore a portion of the new Dragon Trail.
The Dragon Trail is designed to be both a “urban art and wellness initiative.” The wellness portion of that is that the dragons making up the trail are custom-painted bike racks. The idea is that you can ride your bike to each of the 12 stops along the trail. And, because each is located in front of a local business, you can leave your bike with the dragon and head inside to visit the business and grab a special Dragon Trail sticker. (Each stop has a unique sticker.)
We were traveling by car so didn’t get the full Dragon Trail experience, but it was still fun to keep an eye out for them and to stop inside the businesses when we could. Most of the ones we saw were in front of restaurants, and since we’d just eaten a delicious lunch at Phở Nhi, we didn’t really need more food. So it might make sense to go to the trail multiple times to try different restaurants each time.
Picture is not doing the food justice, but it was delicious!
In addition to the beautiful dragon, each stop has an informative sign telling you a little more about the dragon. It also has a map directing you to the next stop on the trail, which is helpful.
Visit globaldistrict.org/thedragontrailtulsa to learn more. The page has info about the artists who painted the dragons, as well as a map.
About the Dragon Trail, from the website:
“The Dragon Trail is a new urban art and wellness initiative based in Tulsa’s Global District, one of the most multicultural neighborhoods in the city. This creative project honors the rich heritage of our AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) community while celebrating the vibrant influence of Latino culture that also shapes the area. All supported by Ascension St John.“
Here are three of the five dragons we saw (Didn’t want to share too many spoilers!):
Location: Nam Hai/Dragon: Hulong, The Peaceful Flame
Location: Pancho Anaya Bakery/Dragon: Young, The Loyal Heart
We went inside Pancho Anaya to grab a sticker.
Location: El Pollo Bravo/Dragon: Qinglong, The Azure Dragon of the East
More about the Global District
In addition to the Dragon Trail, there are lots of great reasons to explore the Global District, which “is a 501(c)3 organization committed to commercial revitalization of the 21st St & S Garnett Road commercial corridor.” Here, you’ll find local businesses to support, including plenty of food trucks and restaurants (globaldistrict.org/food-and-drinks). And they have frequent family-friendly events, like outdoor family movies and the upcoming La Fiesta de Tulsa (Sept. 13).
Follow @tulsaglobal on Facebook for updates.
