The owner of the Outsiders House Museum in Tulsa soon will open a similarly themed Airbnb across the street so tourists can stay in the neighborhood overnight.
Danny Boy O’Connor, owner of the house and museum, will call the Airbnb site at 728 N. St. Louis Ave. the Greaser Hideout, a reference to where Ponyboy Curtis and Johnny Cade in “The Outsiders” novel and film took refuge, according to the Tulsa World.
During a preview tour of the “Greaser Hideout” Airbnb, O’Connor said: “I thought this would be great because people have been asking me since day one if there is an opportunity to stay overnight at the Outsiders House. ‘No’ is the answer to that. So why not stay across the street?” […]
Like the museum, the Airbnb is decorated with artifacts connected to “The Outsiders.”O’Connor has so much memorabilia related to the film (and the S.E. Hinton novel that inspired the movie) that the Airbnb is an ideal secondary spot to display selected pieces from his collection. […]
“I’ve still got another $1,000 worth of stuff coming that hasn’t arrived.” […]
“This is not a money grab as much as an opportunity for Outsiders fans who are ‘deep cut’ to immerse themselves in this and also to stay a little longer in Tulsa,” O’Connor said. “I don’t know if you could have stayed here a year or two ago. I wouldn’t have felt good about it. The neighborhood has really come up.”
O’Connor expects to take bookings later this month. Images of the inside of the Airbnb can be seen here.
He said he got the idea from friend Mary Beth Babcock, who opened a Route 66-themed Airbnb, Buck Atom’s Crash Pad, next to her Buck Atom’s Cosmic Curios on 66 store in Tulsa.
He said he wanted a site that would work well with families — it contains several bedrooms — and be affordable. Renters also can arrange for a visit to the museum outside of its usual hours.
The Airbnb also sits just a block from the railroad tracks and two more “Outsiders” filming areas.
O’Connor said about a year ago he wanted to open a second “Outsiders” museum nearby.
O’Connor also said something that indicates why Tulsa is becoming a favorite stop for Route 66ers and tourists in general:
“There is really cool stuff here that they can really get immersed in, but, for me, it’s another reason to invite people to Oklahoma and invite them to Tulsa and show them how cool we are and show them how all the growth that is going on and show them Route 66. They are two or three miles from anything cool.”
For instance: Leon Russell’s refurbished Church Studio, Cain’s Ballroom, BOK Center, Woody Guthrie Center, Gathering Place, Circle Cinema, the Admiral Twin, soon-to-open Bob Dylan Center, the under-construction Oklahoma Museum of Popular Culture and other attractions.
O’Connor, a member of the House of Pain hip-hop group who was deeply influenced by “The Outsiders” book and film, purchased the ramshackle north Tulsa house prominently used in the movie and refurbished it to hold memorabilia from the 1983 film. The museum opened in 2019.
Almost all the “The Outsiders” movie was shot in Tulsa area because Hinton’s inspirations for the book occurred there when she wrote it at age 17. Scenes included at least two Route 66 landmarks — the Circle Cinema and the Admiral Twin Drive-In theater.
“The Outsiders” film proved notable for casting young actors who later became stars — Matt Dillon, Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze, Tom Cruise, Emilio Estevez, Diane Lane and Ralph Macchio. Music legend Tom Waits also appeared in the film.
“The Outsiders” house sits about a half-mile north of the old Second Street alignment of Route 66.
(Image of the Greaser Hideout Airbnb in Tulsa via its Facebook page)