The Cave House, Historic museum on Charles Page Boulevard in Tulsa, US
The Cave House is a museum in Tulsa housed in an underground structure featuring irregular stone walls, curved ceilings, and numerous winding passages. The rooms create the feeling of moving through a subterranean dwelling, with tight corridors carved through the rock.
The building arose in the 1920s as the Cave Garden Restaurant, functioning as a dining establishment by day and as a speakeasy by night during Prohibition. This dual use reflects an era when such places shifted their purposes rapidly to evade the law.
The museum displays local artifacts and keepsakes, including a key tree and minivan seats honoring two mechanics linked to the property. These objects tell stories of people who shaped the place over time.
Access is typically through guided tours that must be booked in advance, as the underground layout includes tight spaces in some sections. It makes sense to wear comfortable shoes and prepare for uneven flooring and stairs.
Beneath the building lies a sealed concrete tunnel that once led to a hidden underground room during Prohibition. This passage shows the ingenuity and secret infrastructure that illegal operators built into such establishments.
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