An 80-foot smiling whale has been sitting in an Oklahoma pond since 1972

The Blue Whale’s wild Route 66 comeback

About 20 miles east of Tulsa, something in a pond will stop you cold. A smiling blue whale, 80 feet long and 20 feet tall, sits in the water like it’s always been there.

Because it has, more or less, since 1972.

It’s one of the most photographed stops on all of Route 66, and after years of neglect, a community rescue, and a brand-new renovation, it’s about to have its biggest moment yet.

A zoologist built this whale one bucket at a time

Hugh Davis was a zoologist, and in 1970 he started building his wife a whale. Zelta collected whale figurines, so he figured he’d give her a real one.

With help from a welder friend named Harold Thomas, Davis built an iron framework and then mixed and applied concrete by hand, five gallons at a time. The whole project took around 2,920 hours.

He revealed it to Zelta on Sept. 7, 1972, their 34th wedding anniversary.

Grandkids swam here, then everybody showed up

Davis built the whale as a private swimming hole for his grandchildren. That plan lasted about as long as it took the neighbors to find out.

Locals started arriving anyway, to swim, fish and eat lunch by the water. Rather than shoo them off, Davis brought in sand, built picnic tables and hired lifeguards.

He opened the whole thing to the public for free. Kids slid down the whale’s fins into the pond and jumped off a diving platform built onto its tail.

Climb inside the whale’s head and look through the portholes

Get close enough and you’ll notice the whale wears a small white cap, added over the years to show support for the local school system. Its smile is wide and unmistakably friendly.

A steel ladder inside lets you climb up into a hidden compartment in the whale’s head, and from there you can look out through portholes at the top.

It’s a strange little detail that catches most visitors off guard.

The whale went quiet in 1988, then came back

Davis’s arthritis forced him to close the site in 1988. He died in January 1990.

Zelta passed away in 2001. The whale sat neglected for years, hit by weather, vandalism and time.

In the mid-1990s, the town of Catoosa decided it wasn’t going to let the landmark disappear. Volunteers, local businesses and the Hampton Inn hotel chain all pitched in on a restoration.

Then-Governor Frank Keating came out and painted the pupil of the whale’s eye himself. It reopened in 1997.

Catoosa spent $1.8 million to make the whale even better

The City of Catoosa bought the 23.5-acre property from the Davis family in 2020.

In June 2025, the city broke ground on a full renovation funded by a $1.8 million grant from the Oklahoma Route 66 Commission.

The new additions include a visitor center shaped like a whale tail, with exhibits on Route 66 history and the whale’s origin story.

A whale pod playground, fire pits, neon signage, walking trails and expanded parking are all part of the project, and as of early 2026, construction was running ahead of schedule.

The grand opening lands on Route 66’s 100th birthday

The renovated site opens May 30, 2026. A 5K run kicks things off at 8 a.m. Vendors and food arrive at noon.

The ribbon-cutting happens at 2 p.m., live music starts at 4 p.m., and fireworks close the night at 8 p.m. The timing is no accident.

Route 66 was established on Nov. 11, 1926, which makes 2026 the highway’s 100th anniversary.

The whale’s reopening is one of the marquee moments of the year, and it falls on the same day as Tulsa’s Route 66 Capital Cruise.

Feed the turtles, fish the pond, eat lunch in the shade

The spring-fed pond around the whale has its own life. Turtles live in the water and you can feed them.

Fishing is allowed. Swimming is no longer permitted, but picnic areas with shade trees line the banks.

Restrooms are on site. The renovation also added ADA-compliant pathways, so the grounds are easier to get around for everyone. You can spend an hour here without running out of things to do.

Pick up a whale souvenir before you leave

An on-site gift shop carries Blue Whale souvenirs, Route 66 memorabilia and work from local artists. During the renovation, the nearby D.W. Correll Museum in Catoosa handled the merchandise.

Admission to the Blue Whale has always been free, and that’s not changing.

You can pull off Route 66, walk around a giant smiling whale, climb inside its head, feed some turtles, and leave without spending a dollar. That’s a pretty good deal.

Oklahoma owns more original Route 66 than any other state

Oklahoma has more drivable miles of original Route 66 alignment than any other state, over 400 miles of it. If you’re making a longer run down the road, Catoosa sits in good company.

Near Foyil, you’ll find the world’s largest totem pole. The Round Barn in Arcadia is another stop worth making.

In Tulsa itself, the Cyrus Avery Centennial Plaza honors the man known as the Father of Route 66. The whole Oklahoma stretch is worth more than a single day.

Route 66 ran 2,448 miles and changed how America traveled

Route 66 originally stretched 2,448 miles from Chicago to Los Angeles through eight states. The federal government decommissioned it in 1985 after the interstate system replaced it.

But preservation groups and local communities spent decades keeping the original road drivable and its landmarks standing.

The 2026 centennial brings events to all eight states, from car shows and neon sign relightings to parades and community festivals. The Blue Whale’s reopening sits right at the center of it all.

A whale built for one woman now belongs to everyone

Davis built this whale as a gift for his wife. He poured the concrete himself, bucket by bucket, over thousands of hours.

He had no idea it would outlast him by decades or draw visitors from around the world to a small Oklahoma town. It survived because people kept deciding it was worth saving.

With a new visitor center, restored grounds, and a grand opening timed to Route 66’s 100th birthday, the Blue Whale is ready for another generation of travelers to pull over and stare.

Visit the Blue Whale of Catoosa in Oklahoma

You’ll find the Blue Whale right on Route 66 in Catoosa, about 20 miles east of Tulsa. The grand opening of the newly renovated site is May 30, 2026, and admission is free.

The park is open daily during daylight hours and includes the whale, the spring-fed pond, a gift shop, picnic areas, walking trails and the new whale tail-shaped visitor center.

Confirm hours before you go, since schedules may shift around the opening events.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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