Seniors Check Out Bartlesville

 I heard of Bartlesville when I became a guide at Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Arizona. Frank Lloyd Wright created a 19-story skyscraper in Bartlesville called the Price Tower. The Tower is the only realized skyscraper by Wright, and is one of only two vertically oriented Wright structures in existence. Senior travelers will find Bartlesville 47 miles north of Tulsa and 18 miles from Oklahoma’s northern border with Kansas.

I learned that the Bartlesville Community Center was designed by Wesley Peters, chief architect of Taliesin West–The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and Mr. Wright’s son-in-law. Beautiful flowers, sheltering trees, and a statue called “Suspended Moment” complement the smooth curves, rounded lines and earth tone colors that make up the unusual architectural style of the Community Center.

Let’s take a walking tour with Sharon Hurst to view some historic parts of the city. Note that the Caney River runs through Bartlesville.

 Seniors Enjoy  ‘Best Town’ In Oklahoma

I had no idea where Bartlesville was located or anything about it, however when I did some research on the best towns in the state, up came Bartlesville, with a population right at 37,000. Bartlesville is the longtime home of Phillips Petroleum Company.

I have not yet visited the Price Tower but it’s on my “Travel Bucket List.” Senior visitors can take the historic tour of Tower which includes a visit to the restored 19th floor executive office of H.C. Price who was associated with a local oil pipeline and chemical firm.

I would invite my wife to dine at the Copper Bar on the 15th floor of Tower. The Copper as it is called, offers the Copper Music series, a unique entertainment experience featuring live music from local and state artists.

Bartlesville’s Downtown revitalization efforts are in full swing, with many blocks of National Register Historic District.

 Oklahoma Historical Society Interests Senior Visitors

Read up on the history and you will come across the name of Jacob Bartles. His story goes back to 1874 when he opened a trading post and became a veritable entrepreneur.

The city hosts several annual festivals and shows, nearly all focused in the Downtown area. Senior visitors can enjoy Sunfest which includes an arts and crafts show, a music festival, a kids festival, and a classic cars show. A classic air show and festival  and the Oklahoma Indian Summer Festival are held each fall.

Senior visitors may want to tour Frank Phillip’s 26 room neoclassical mansion on Cherokee Avenue. It is one of 32 sites and museums owned, staffed, and operated by the Oklahoma Historical Society.

Frank Phillips, an ambitious barber-turned-bond salesman from Iowa, visited Bartlesville in 1903 to assess business possibilities in the surrounding oil fields. And now you know the rest of the story.  Enjoy your stop in Bartlesville-jeb