Woolaroc Museum & Wildlife Preserve

Best trip ever! The animals, the grounds, the many museums, all awesome. So much to see that it’s hard to believe. Fun for all interests and all ages.

Great family visit spot if you’re anywhere in the area or passing thru for a road trip. Beautiful grounds and wildlife. We went on Black Friday, at their Christmas lights celebration where they decorate the lodges and property with 750,000+ lights. I’d like to come back in the summer to hike around a bit.

Simply put Woolaroc is one of THE places to visit in Oklahoma if you are a native, or simply enjoying a trip through the state. I would say Woolaroc is also one of the best blending of experiences for anyone visiting or traveling in the USA.
A combination natural beauty, history and culture serve to interest and excite your senses. This experience occurs again and again with trips back at different point in your life so that everything is new and fun.
As a child I remember the museum was the first place I had seen a shrunken head. I also enjoyed seeing buffalo up close. Later on I enjoyed eating some buffalo sold here that is culled and available for the visitor to enjoy. I was also enthralled by the house, museum for all of the stories told. Both as a item show, and also as A/​V presentations. For every trip I have always enjoyed walking the grounds (there are a lot of the to walk).
Well worth the admission price and short drive from Tulsa.

Woolaroc has something for most anyone. It makes a great all-​day outing for families. You may get a pretty good look at a buffalo, deer, zebra or other animals not often seen outside a zoo. A petting zoo for the little ones is nice, too.
You can also have a nice picnic and nature walk. There is a concession stand, but you can also bring your own.
The museum justifies the relatively high entrance price ($ 10 per person). It has a widely diverse collection, including lots of Indian artifacts, western art, guns, dolls, an airplane, and exhibits about the early oil industry in the area.
The ranch house lodge has more art, artifacts and personal possessions of the colorful founder of Phillips Petroleum. Below the lodge is a rocky climb down toward Clyde Lake with lovely views and waterfalls.

Understand the phrase, ‘buffalo roam’ at Woolaroc.
This past March I decided I would like to be referred to as ‘Buffalo’ instead of Sarah. (This is a long hairy story but know it was for the best.) Since then, I’ve read Buffalo books, let my friends and family tease me before it caught on, and acquired much buffalo memorabilia. When I met new Oklahomans and referred to myself as buffalo, most immediately asked if I had been to Woolaoc yet. Now, I am proud to say YES.
A beautiful hour drive out of Tulsa got me to one of the most unique and breathtaking pieces of land. Admission is $ 10 per person and before entering you are given a site map and a CD to listen to as your drive through the wildlife preserve to the museum which explains the history of Woolarac.
Woolaroc (which is a word combo of Woods, Lakes & Rocks — take THAT Branjalina) was built in 1925 by oilman Frank Phillips as his ranch retreat. The museum was established in 1937 by Mr. Phillips and his wife, Jane.
Woolaroc’s website stated they could not guarantee visitors would be able to see the free roaming wildlife every time but I was DETERMINED to see my new extended family. It wasn’t hard; 20 seconds upon entering there was BUFFALO ABUNDANCE. They were not disrupted or frightened by our car, they just moved around and did their thing; they ROAMED. They were BEAUTIFUL and so close to the car. Signs were out warning visitors to not get out of their car due to danger the animals could create. With the windows rolled down, it didn’t matte much. However, soon, I felt like Pocahontas as dear and other sweet animals were around us. It took everything not to get out of the car and hug these creatures but I’m a sucker for following the rules.
As we got closer to the museum there were some more animals like LLAMAS and WATER BUFFALO fenced in. Even a BABY LLAMA was frolicking and stole my buffalo heart.
I would have paid $ 10 just for that experience alone but then we got to go into a SUHWEET museum filled with Woolaroc treasures. These treasures included Native American art, Frank Phillip’s gun collection, the Woolaroc airplane which won the Dole Air Race in 1927 and much more.
WOOLEROC, YOU ROCKED MY BUFFALO WORLD. I’ll be back very soon.

I visited the «Woolaroc Museum & Wildlife Preserve» in Bartlesville, OK on 9÷23÷2011. It was my first time there. My friend Homer (from Medford, OK) took me there. I had heard of the museum before I went there. More than just a museum, many animals roam the grounds that was once part of a ranch owned by an Oklahoma millionaire connected with «Phillips 66». Besides the Cowboy and Native American sections of the museum that you would expect — there is one dedicated to aviation which may not have expected. If you are in Oklahoma the «Woolaroc Museum» is a must see.

As Mike W. said, this is a great way to spend half a day or so if you’re stuck in Bartlesville, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to get there. It’s the kind of place locals bring out of town guests and animal-​crazy kids, but otherwise ignore.
My father-​in-​law loves it here, but I think it’s been serving as an escape from awkward extended family gatherings for so many years for him that it just feels tranquil to him. I was initially a bit confused about what we were going to see that was so unique (my commute is across an elk migration path and we have a herd of bison a couple miles from our house) but I was pleasantly surprised. The albino elk and deer were pretty cool, and it was fun to see Asian deer wandering around with bison. I always seem to make friends with a goat, and this was no exception– a big billy goat in the petting zoo jumped up on the fence and blissed out when I scratched his neck and chin. Now my hands will smell like goat all week, but it was totally worth it!
If you’re into guns, I would actually recommend going out of your way to check out the world’s largest privately owned gun collection. It impressed me, and I’m a pacifist (that knows how to shoot a gun, but still) so I’m sure it’ll make a true enthusiast drool.

Stuck in the Bartlesville, Oklahoma area for a half day or so with nothing to do? A trip to Woolaroc is a must. (I wouldn’t make this a destination trip, ie. Mt. Rushmore or the Grand Canyon or something like that, but I’d consider it a must «if you’re in the neighborhood.»)
You pull off the highway and pull up to a toll gate. I believe admission is $ 8 to $ 10; I’m not sure because I was way in the back of the van and someone else paid for me. The tollbooth attendant admits you and gives you a «sketch map» of the property. The map outlines the one-​lane, one-​way path that winds around the preserve. Here and there, species of animals are segregated so they can be highlighted to vehicle occupants through a tall fence. On my visit, the temperature hovered around 105 degrees, so I didn’t see much in the way of wildlife. A couple bison, a few rams and yaks, and one pissed off looking ostrich. Presumably, other animals took refuge from the scorching Oklahoma summer sun, and went unseen.
Toward the back of the long loop drive is the museum. The parking lot was full, about 60 – 70 cars or so; not many out-​of-​state plates were seen. The museum is two levels, with large rooms arranged in series, so it’s easy to move from one room to the next without worrying about missing anything.
The first few rooms are American Indian artifacts – pottery, blankets, arrowheads, clothing, regalia, etc. Dozens of paintings of all sizes line the walls, capturing the people and moments of the era. The intriguing items for me were the games displayed. «Board games» in a sense, some with an element of chance. Native gambling in the 1800s!!!
The next few rooms, including the last couple rooms of the top level and all of the bottom level, are what can be called the «cowboy» and «industrial era» rooms, although I am unaware if the rooms have names at all. Cowboy/​Western culture is on display here: saddles, barbed wire, rope, cabin accouterments, log books, etc. More paintings as well, including the most memorable item of my visit: a depiction of Custer’s Last Stand. The name of the artist is forgotten, but the painting is remarkable because of the abject fear in Custer’s eyes in the penultimate moment in his life. On canvas, his eyes are a bit smaller than two tiny tablets of aspirin; however, red-​lined, bright white, and very round, they stand out starkly indeed. I spent several moments looking into those eyes, those eyes unaccustomed to defeat in the otherwise decisive Indian wars.
The back of the museum – the turnaround point where you go downstairs to the «return level” – houses the biplane named Woolaroc, which was the first plane EVER to fly from San Francisco to Honolulu, a few months after Lindbergh’s NY-​Paree jaunt in 1927. The plane is suspended from the ceiling, Smithsonian-​style; framed newspaper articles and other artifacts line the walls. Going down the steps and returning to the exit, one encounters a functional replica of the oil wells that are a familiar sight on the Oklahoma and western Kansas plains. Right there is a pretty cool collection of Phillips Petroleum Company knick-​knacks. A full-​size, old school service station pump, old cans of Phillips 44 oil, vintage clothing, and just about anything else you can plaster the Phillips 66 logo (old school version) on. There’s even a cashiers check from the 1800s, made out to a fancy bank in New York City for 25 million dollars! I never heard of Phillips 44, Phillips 77, or Phillips 55 until I encountered this display!
Probably the marquee attraction, especially to «gun-​friendly» individuals like myself, is the Colt firearms room. Smaller than the main display rooms, and «off to one side,» the room nonetheless houses dozens, nay hundreds, of Colt firearms of all makes and models. Most are 75 to 100 years old, or more. A good hour or two (or more) could be spent in this room alone. There were dozens of weapons with very low serial numbers – like, Serial Number Two, or Serial Number 14. Frank Phillips must have had very good connections with the Colt family. The collection is simply staggering – I’d say the collection is probably insured for millions, but many items are literally priceless. Definitely a can’t miss, and it makes the drive to Woolaroc and price of admission more than worthwhile.
If you like museums, allocate at least 3 hours for Woolaroc. I «did it» in 3, and still feel like I didn’t spend enough time there. (I didn’t set one foot in the gift shop.)
There are picnic areas and, I believe, camping areas on the premises. Make a day of it at the Woolaroc! It will be a nice memory for you and your family.

Oil
Money
Can’t buy love
But museum
With a dinosaur egg is no problem.