Blue Whale of Catoosa to see upgraded visitor center

Blue Whale in Catoosa to welcome a new era with the incoming visitor center. Several locals and tourists say they are excited to see the new changes.

Wednesday, July 2nd 2025, 1:33 pm

By: Kaitlyn Deggs

CATOOSA, Okla. -

The City of Catoosa says big changes will be coming soon to the Blue Whale.

The city broke ground on a new visitor’s center in June, but is now accepting new bids for the project.

HOW PEOPLE ARE RESPONDING

The Blue Whale of Catoosa welcomes visitors from around the world.

“We like to stop at roadside attractions every time we go on vacation,” said Meghan Smylie, who was visiting from the Chicago area. “Just memories, I know they used to do it in like the 1950s it was a huge thing to travel rural roads.”

Some who made the trip say they would love to see more things to do there to add to the Route 66 experience.

"If you build it, they will come,” said Geno Boarman, who was visiting from Tennessee. “It's true. But to have a visitor's center here, have a little more expansion. It's got a beautiful lake out here, the ducks, got the Blue Whale, beautiful setting. You couldn't ask for a better day for it."

“I think it would be great, I think it would draw more people to it, bring in some revenue, maintain it so things like this stay around for a very long time to come so other families can do the same thing,” said Smylie.

Those like John Guest who grew up around the Blue Whale say they hope it sticks around for generations to come.

“Just worth preserving, all I can say,” said Guest. “A lot of people have enjoyed it, and I’d like to see a lot more people enjoy it.”

WHAT THE CITY SAYS

Catoosa Co-City Manager Josh Brown sent News On 6 this statement:

"The bids that came back exceeded the project budget, and as good stewards of city tax dollars and grant funding, the city has decided that we will re-bid the project. We are realigning the project's scope with current economic conditions and seeking new bids. We will continue to provide updates as they become available."

MORE INFORMATION

You can find more information about the project and renderings from the city here: https://www.cityofcatoosa.org/o/catoosacity/page/blue-whale-of-catoosa

Kaitlyn Deggs

Kaitlyn Deggs came to Tulsa after graduating from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. Kaitlyn started as a Multimedia Journalist for News On 6 January 2022.