Heavy Traffic Near Gathering Place As People Enjoy Spring Break, Sunny Weather

People have been taking advantage of this week’s sunshine before rain moves on Thursday night. 

Gathering Place was packed Wednesday and Thursday with families enjoying spring break. Osage Sky News 6 showed the traffic from the air, bumper to bumper in the northbound lanes of Riverside Drive, as spring breakers were eager to get to Gathering Place, and the newly opened Discovery Lab. 

Once folks found their parking spots, the crowds moved in on the QuikTrip lawn, the playground equipment, and Tulsa's very own version of the beach. 

"I like playing outside and I like spending time with my friends," Claire Fernandez said.   

 Lisa Carter visited the park with her grandson and another family. 

 "We got here kind of early so it wasn't too bad but others came and they said they had to wait a lot,” Carter said. 

 Carter said they also came to Gathering Place last year for spring break and believes the popularity of the park has only grown. They packed their lunch, making their spring break not only budget-friendly, but completely free. 

 "They have just had a blast. They've just been running, playing, sit down and have a snack, go back out and go play again. No money - we didn't spend any money,” Carter said. 

 Craig Watson grew up in Tulsa and is in town visiting his parents. For Watson and his daughter, the drive from Dallas and the traffic on Riverside were worth the wait. 

 “Just really neat to see how much the city's grown. I haven't been here in 20 years or lived here. There are a lot of really good things happening. This Gathering Place is incredible,” Watson said. 

 Gathering Place, Tulsa Transit, and TCC’s downtown campus have teamed up to offer a free shuttle during spring break. The shuttle runs every 20 minutes until 9:00 p.m. each night through Sunday. 

 Starting next week, the shuttle will run Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. The shuttle will run on that schedule for the rest of the year.