The Sand Springs amphitheater that staged 'Oklahoma!' for thirty-five years
2502 East 41st Street, Sand Springs, OK 74063
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Event-based pricing; check Discoveryland Ranch website for current schedule and ticketing.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Outdoor 2,000-seat amphitheater on a rural ranch property; uneven ground in adjacent areas
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1976 · Original home of the outdoor 'Oklahoma!' musical · Sand Springs cultural landmark · Tulsa-area performing arts
Discoveryland Amphitheater opened in 1976 in Sand Springs, Oklahoma, on a rural property west of Tulsa. The 2,000-seat outdoor venue was developed alongside parking for 800 vehicles, a camping area, a barbecue pit, and a trading-post building. The amphitheater's debut production was the original musical 'Dust on Her Petticoats,' with a cast of approximately 80 and a crew of 45.
In 1977, Discoveryland became the official outdoor home of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical 'Oklahoma!' and presented the show every summer until 2011. The production drew tourists from across the United States and was a defining feature of the Tulsa-area summer calendar for more than three decades. Live horses, wagons, and a working corral were part of the staged action, and many cast and crew members returned year after year.
The final 'Oklahoma!' season ended in 2011, and the park closed officially in 2014. In 2019, Jason and Kayla Shipman purchased the property and renamed it Discoveryland Ranch. Renovation of the amphitheater began in 2020 and the venue has since operated as a multi-use event space hosting weddings, concerts, and family events. Subsequent owners Tim and Kelly Jackson, working with the Discoveryland Charitable Foundation, have publicly stated a goal of returning 'Oklahoma!' to the venue on a limited per-season basis, although the licensing rights currently rest with an Oklahoma City theater.
Sources
Local tradition among Discoveryland cast and crew from the long 'Oklahoma!' run includes a small set of accounts from the horse-and-wagon staging area behind the stage. One wrangler reported feeling a shove against the rear of a one-horse cart while driving the cart uphill after exiting a scene, with no one visible behind the cart. A second wrangler reported the sensation of weight settling into the cart bench beside her in roughly the same location weeks later. These accounts are described in compilations of Oklahoma haunted-site lore but are not corroborated in newspaper coverage or in the venue's official materials. The amphitheater itself has not been the subject of a documented paranormal investigation. As a working event venue, Discoveryland Ranch does not promote ghost-tour or investigation activity.
Attend a scheduled performance, festival, or family event at the 2,000-seat amphitheater that was the longtime home of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical 'Oklahoma!' from 1976 to 2011. New owners have restored the venue and host a regular event calendar with goals of bringing the musical back in some form.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
Atlanta, GA
Lakewood Amphitheatre opened in July 1989 on the historic Lakewood Fairgrounds in Atlanta, an 18,920-capacity Live Nation venue that has carried at least six sponsor names including HiFi Buys Amphitheatre (2001–2007) and currently Cellairis. The surrounding fairgrounds hosted the Southeastern Fair from 1915 to 1975 and the Lakewood Speedway from 1917 to 1979, the latter the site of multiple documented racing fatalities.
Tulsa, OK
Theatre Tulsa (founded as the Tulsa Little Theater in 1922) purchased land at 15th Street and South Delaware Avenue in 1929 and completed its permanent building in 1932. The theater was designed in an art nouveau / art-style mode and served as Tulsa's premier community-theater home for sixty years. The building later became known as the Delaware Playhouse and underwent a 2004 restoration; it operates today as the Tulsa Little Theatre, hosting events and productions.
Paragould, AR
The Capitol Theatre opened on West Emerson Street in Paragould on October 25, 1925, built by Bertig Realty Co. with John A. Collins as initial manager. The Collins family operated the venue across six decades until 1986, when they deeded it to the Greene County Fine Arts Council. Renamed the Collins Theatre and restored beginning in 1991, it now operates as northeast Arkansas's principal community performing arts venue.