Free monthly tours offer sneak peek inside Tulsa’s OKPOP Museum

The long-anticipated Oklahoma Museum of Popular Culture, or OKPOP Museum, is opening its doors in a new way — with free monthly tours during Tulsa’s First Friday Art Crawl.

Each month, visitors can enjoy a guided tour and preview parts of the museum’s extensive collection, all while enjoying local art, music and snacks.

What to Expect During First Friday Tours

The OKPOP Museum will offer free guided tours on the first Friday of each month, timed with Tulsa’s First Friday Art Crawl. Tours run hourly from 5 to 8 p.m. and are open to people of all ages.

No registration is needed in advance. Guests can simply show up and take part.

A Glimpse Into Oklahoma’s Creative Legacy

Each tour includes an early look at upcoming exhibits and rare artifacts from the museum’s collection, which includes more than 40,000 items celebrating Oklahoma creatives across music, film, television, and comics.

Recent highlights include:

1. Posters and signage from the iconic Cain’s Ballroom
2. Leon McAuliffe’s 1955 Fender Quad-neck Stringmaster steel guitar
3. Tommy Allsup’s 1958 Fender Stratocaster guitar

Interactive and Family-Friendly Features

Visitors can do more than just look. Anyone participating in the tours can experience:

1. A vinyl record listening lounge featuring Oklahoma artists
2. An “ink and draw” station presented by the Oklahoma Comic Arts Foundation, hosted by local comic artist Jerry Bennett
3. Refreshments from Cheers Soda, a Tulsa-based soda shop offering “dirty sodas” — soft drinks mixed with syrups and cream

Fundraising Still Underway

While the museum is not fully open yet, leaders say they’re making steady progress. OKPOP is more than halfway to its $18 million fundraising goal. The museum must reach that goal by November to qualify for additional state funding. News on 6 took an In Focus look at OKPOP's funding journey in late 2024.

Looking Ahead

As construction and fundraising continue, the First Friday tours offer the public a chance to connect with Oklahoma’s cultural legacy and support the museum’s vision.

For more information about how to support the museum, visit okpop.org