Heller Park - Tulsa, OK

Heller Park neighborhood came about as a result of an aggressive annexation expansion program by the City of Tulsa in the 1960s. Many residents in the area initially protested annexation as it meant they could no longer engage in activities such as raising livestock or selling fireworks within the city limits. However, progress was inevitable, and the area quickly adapted to its new urban lifestyle.

Heller Park excels as a neighborhood rich in the arts with Heller Theatre and Henthorne Performing Arts Center bringing live theater to the area. The Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art at 71st and Lewis provides a gallery of art and artifacts connected to Jewish history and a Holocaust exhibit. Just 3 miles north of Heller Park neighborhood, don’t miss Philbrook Museum with its international collection of fine art and decorative art residing in an ornate Italian Renaissance-style mansion and gardens dating to the 1920s.

Restaurants run the gamut in this neighborhood and are scattered throughout the area. One of Tulsa’s most famous restaurants of any type has its roots in the Heller Park neighborhood. Goldie’s Patio Grill opened in 1962 at its original location near 51st and Lewis and has been winning awards for Tulsa’s Best Hamburger ever since. Tulsans keep coming back for Goldie’s flame-broiled burgers and chicken served with all the accoutrements. Goldie’s creamy-good coleslaw remains the stuff of legend in these parts along with the take-all-you-like complimentary pickle bar.

For slightly more upscale cuisine, try Cardigan’s, a Tulsa favorite for many years and big draw for the London Square Shopping Center at 61st and Lewis. Start your dining experience with Sun-Dried Tomato & Three Cheese Terrine featuring feta cheese, parmesan and cream cheese blended with sun-dried tomatoes baked in the oven and served with grilled pita bread. Follow that with a grilled salmon fillet topped with chile lime butter and fire-roasted corn relish served with pepperjack mashed potatoes and topped with a roasted red bell pepper cream sauce. If bar food better suits your mood, Cardigan’s also serves fish and chips and crab cakes. For dessert, the tantalizingly named Chocolate Intemperance — chocolate mousse surrounded by an amaretto fudge brownie on a bed of whipped cream with raspberry and chocolate sauce — brings a smile to all who indulge.

Another London Square favorite, Arizona Mexican Restaurant has been touting authentic Mexican food since 1994. Spice up your evening with Chabelos Tinga, shredded chicken simmered with onions and tomatoes in a rich, hot chipotle sauce. For an even more authentic experience, choose your dinner from the “What Our Employees Are Eating” portion of the menu and find such novelties as Pozole — pork chunks in a rich soup “with hominy and whatever” and sides of shredded cabbage, chopped onions, radishes and limes. Vegetarians fare better at Arizona than at many Mexican restaurants with eight entrees of their own, including enchiladas filled with grilled bell peppers, tomatoes and onions, served with rice and beans, or enchiladas filled with sauteed spinach and cheese served with a chalupa and rice.

For entertainment, locals don’t have far to go; a perennial Tulsa favorite, the Bull & Bear Tavern, resides in London Square as well. Live music and a welcoming neighborhood feel keep folks coming back.

Most residents use cars as their usual form of transportation in this neighborhood. Don’t count on hailing a cab, but Tulsa has several cab companies that will answer your call, and Uber operates throughout the city. Public transportation with Tulsa Transit provides several options, from a one-way ride for $1.50 to a 31-day pass for $45. Street parking availability remains a viable option, and most businesses provide parking. With Interstate 44 forming the neighborhood’s northern border, access to the highway system presents no problem. The neighborhood is not especially walkable, and the only bike lanes and safe biking are on the Riverside Drive biking trail just west of the neighborhood.

Heller Park, for which the neighborhood was named, presents an arts-friendly, kid-friendly place for residents to enjoy theater productions or the outdoors. Admission to the park is free, and dogs are welcome on a leash. While the park does not host events such as summer movies or music festivals, the Center of the Universe Festival in Tulsa’s booming Brady Arts District and many other festivals year round can be easily reached by car or bus. Henthorne Performing Arts Center at 48th and Quaker, home to Clark Theatre productions, gives area youth a forum for expressing themselves through the arts and delivers acting and improve classes to teens and preteens.

Cost of living here stays about on par with the city average. Median rent for a one-bedroom apartment runs about $540 per month but can vary a lot depending on which areas of the neighborhood you’re considering. Cost of public transport to the city center in downtown Tulsa depends on the length of plan purchased rather than distance. Plan on paying $3 for a domestic beer and $5 and up for imports at the local pubs. Gas prices run a whopping 22 percent less than the national average, making driving a more desirable option.

Shopping centers are scattered throughout Heller Park with London Square and London South being of the most popular options. Zella’s Boutique in the South Pointe Shopping Center on South Lewis Avenue specializes in fun women’s fashions and also provides complete salon services.

Although Tulsa hosts many farmers markets, none reside within the borders of Heller Park neighborhood. Grocery stores include Warehouse Market on South Peoria and a Whole Foods just a mile north of the neighborhood at 41st and Peoria.