4145 E 21st St, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74114 USA
Road Trip Classic
The Golden Driller was never meant to be a permanent installation, but more than 60 years after its construction, this giant is a Tulsa icon. His belt buckle may now be sponsored by Ford and his oil derrick draped in a Pepsi banner, but the scale of this 75-foot-tall giant is something you need to experience in person.
In a long-ago and more bountiful time, Tulsa, Oklahoma, sat atop the world's largest known pool of oil. Drilling derricks were everywhere -- even on the lawn of the state capitol -- and the city called itself "Oil Capital of the World."To celebrate this good fortune, a giant roustabout was built on the Tulsa Fairgrounds in 1953. Dubbed "The Golden Driller," he resembled an oversized brass statuette, with a big grin on his face, his tin hat tipped back in a rakish skew, and his gloved right hand raised in a kind of limp-wristed OK sign. The statue proved so popular that it returned permanently to the Fairgrounds in 1966 -- only in a new version that was very different from the original: ballet-slender, muscles ripped under skin-tight clothing, and a face that was a chiseled mask of Teutonic invincibility. Still, it was big and it was gold (well, mustard-yellow), and Tulsa embraced it as its own. One of the tallest statues in America, the Golden Driller has survived tornadoes and turbulent oil markets.
July 9, 2021 - The statue is there, but there is no access due to construction.
It's a great photo opp stop. We like visiting world's biggest things when traveling around the U.S. Often the statues like this have meaning and represent the culture of the area, which is nice. It was easy to find/see since it's so tall and located at the Tulsa Fairgrounds. It's definitely worth a stop if in the area.
This is worth stopping if you are close to it. Its one of those "now I can say I saw it" type of landmarks. I wouldn't go out of your way to get to it. We stayed about 5 minutes, took a few pictures and went on our way. It was neat, but like I said, I wouldn't go out of my way to make sure I saw it.
Cool picture stop
This is the perfect place to take your profile pic.
This was ok. I would suggest going on the weekend when something is going on at the River Expo.
This is a nice road trip stop while passing through Tulsa, and one I've always heard about as an icon of Oklahoma even as a native Floridian. We stopped by on a day when nothing was happening at the expo center, so easy parking and very little traffic made this a nice place to stretch and take photos. This guy is bigger than we expected, and you can totally climb all over his massive shoes and stuff. Excellent quirky roadside attraction for lovers of Americana.
Great photo opp. These are the odd things that float our fancy.
This is totally cool and accessible at the fairgrounds. My husband and I climbed on the shoes and took all types of pictures, it was great. If you are in OKC, you have to stop here, definitely something worth seeing.
Located on the fairgrounds' entrance. We just did a drive-by due to lack of time but for being a big statue it was pretty impressive to look at. Cool photo op!
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