Wichita to Tulsa road trip: Drive time, distance & best stops
The distance from Wichita KS to Tulsa OK by car is 176 miles, with a 2h31m driving time. The best road trip stops on the Wichita to Tulsa drive are the Bartlett Arboretum, the Cherokee Strip Museum and Keystone State Park.
Planning a Wichita KS to Tulsa OK road trip itinerary
The Wichita to Tulsa drive connects the biggest city in Kansas to the oil hub of Oklahoma.
Good things to do in Wichita include the Museum of World Treasures, the Exploration Place Science Museum and the Great Plains Transportation Museum.
Of these, the Museum of World Treasures is the most gloriously eclectic. It flits from Ancient Egypt to World War II via shrunken heads and dinosaurs.
Tulsa’s big ticket attraction is the Philbrook Museum of Art, but you’ll get more of a local cultural education at the Woody Guthrie Center.
Alternatively, the Tulsa Air and Space Museum has a decent planetarium and Gathering Place is a great park with play areas on the Arkansas River. The classic photo stop, though, is at the enormous Golden Driller Statue.
Wichita to Tulsa distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Wichita to Tulsa is 176 miles. That makes for a driving time of around two hours and 31 minutes. The quickest route is via the I-35 and US-412.
The best road trip stops on the Wichita to Tulsa drive are the Bartlett Arboretum, the Cherokee Strip Museum and Keystone State Park.
Wichita to Tulsa road trip stops: Bartlett Arboretum
The Bartlett Arboretum in Belle Plaine, Kansas, was established in 1910. It boasts that it’s the only mature Arboretum between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains. One thing’s for certain – it provides a rare bit of lush greenery on the Kansas plains.
The arboretum’s gardens were inspired by Versailles in Paris, and the site often hosts music concerts.
Wichita to Tulsa drive: Cherokee Strip Museum
The Cherokee Strip Museum tells the tale of the Cherokee Nation’s forced move to what was then the Indian Territory and is now Oklahoma. Emphasis is on everyday life within the Cherokee Outlet, and the site covers four separate buildings including a blacksmith shop and an original one-room schoolhouse.
The Cherokee Strip Museum is in Perry, Oklahoma.
Wichita to Tulsa drive: Keystone State Park
Keystone State Park is based around Keystone Lake, created by the damming of the Arkansas River. There are several picnic grounds around the lake, as well as three camping areas. Boating is the most popular activity here, with most facilities based around the Pier 51 Marina. For kids, there are playgrounds and a children’s fishing pond.
More Wichita road trips
Wichita to Dallas | Chicago to Wichita | Denver to Wichita | Houston to Wichita | Kansas City to Wichita | Wichita to Oklahoma City | Wichita to St Louis.
More Tulsa road trips
Tulsa to Albuquerque | Tulsa to Amarillo | Atlanta to Tulsa | Chicago to Tulsa | Tulsa to Denver | Houston to Tulsa | Tulsa to Kansas City | Memphis to Tulsa | Tulsa to Nashville | Tulsa to New Orleans | Tulsa to Oklahoma City | Tulsa to San Antonio | St Louis to Tulsa | Springfield MO to Tulsa.