Within 5 hours of Tulsa
13 cities and towns you can drive to for the day or the weekend — Fort Worth is closest at 4.5 h
13 destinations sit inside a 5-hour estimated drive of Tulsa — Fort Worth leads the ring at 4 h 32, and Cleburne rides the edge at 4 h 57. Five hours each way is the edge of what a one-day run should cost you; the "needs a night" flags below take that seriously.
The ring spans 4 states (Texas, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas) and runs from 100k+-size towns up to 919,000-person Fort Worth, so it mixes day-trip small towns with genuine overnights. Rankings weight population, county-seat walkability and drive time — the same order the table shows.
All 13 destinations
Every row is a city or a seed town of 7,500-plus people whose estimated drive time from Tulsa lands in the (4.5, 5]-hour window. Times are straight-line times a road factor — pad for traffic and stops.
| Destination | State | Est. drive | Road mi | Pop band | Trip type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Worth · Fort Worth–Tulsa pair | Texas | 4 h 32 | 271.6 mi | 100k+ | Needs a night |
| Tyler | Texas | 4 h 47 | 286.9 mi | 100k+ | Needs a night |
| Longview | Texas | 4 h 43 | 283.3 mi | 25k–100k | Needs a night |
| Burleson | Texas | 4 h 42 | 281.7 mi | 25k–100k | Needs a night |
| Jefferson City | Missouri | 4 h 50 | 289.8 mi | 25k–100k | Needs a night |
| Waxahachie | Texas | 4 h 46 | 286.0 mi | 25k–100k | Needs a night |
| Midlothian | Texas | 4 h 41 | 280.8 mi | 25k–100k | Needs a night |
| Cleburne | Texas | 4 h 57 | 296.8 mi | 25k–100k | Needs a night |
| Weatherford | Texas | 4 h 37 | 276.6 mi | 25k–100k | Needs a night |
| Dodge City | Kansas | 4 h 33 | 272.9 mi | 25k–100k | Needs a night |
| Hays | Kansas | 4 h 43 | 283.3 mi | 7.5k–25k | Needs a night |
| Rolla | Missouri | 4 h 45 | 284.8 mi | 7.5k–25k | Needs a night |
| Stuttgart | Arkansas | 4 h 57 | 297.1 mi | 7.5k–25k | Needs a night |
How to read the trip-type flag: "Day trip" means the one-way estimate is 3 hours or less, so the round trip fits in daylight with margin. Everything else in this window wants a bed — at 5 hours out, the same-day return lands deep into the evening.
Editor's picks: the best 6
Fort Worth, Texas
A 4 h 32 estimated drive puts you in Fort Worth (919,000 people) with evening to spare — the ring's largest destination.
Bed count first: roughly 28 estimated hotels in Fort Worth — enough that you can decide the day you go.
We may earn a commission when you search Kayak through our links.
Rates →Waxahachie, Texas
The Ellis County seat, 4 h 46 out — a walkable courthouse square and an estimated 6 hotels make it a classic small-town overnight.
Practical note: with an estimated 6 hotels, Waxahachie can tighten up on weekends, so book ahead.
Weatherford, Texas
The Parker County seat, 4 h 37 out — a walkable courthouse square and an estimated 6 hotels make it a classic small-town overnight.
Lodging reality check: about 6 estimated hotels, so in Weatherford you'll want a room reserved before you drive.
Cleburne, Texas
Cleburne (30,462 people, the Johnson County seat) is 4 h 57 away and punches above its weight for a town its size.
Lodging reality check: about 6 estimated hotels, so in Cleburne you'll want a room reserved before you drive.
Tyler, Texas
The Smith County seat, 4 h 47 out — a walkable courthouse square and an estimated 18 hotels make it a classic small-town overnight.
Bed count first: roughly 18 estimated hotels in Tyler — enough that you can decide the day you go.
Longview, Texas
County-seat polish 4 h 43 from Tulsa: Longview pairs a historic square with about 10 estimated hotels.
Bed count first: roughly 10 estimated hotels in Longview — enough that you can decide the day you go.
By theme
Big cities (2). Fort Worth (4 h 32), Tyler (4 h 47) bring the museums, teams and nonstop food clocks.
County seats (9). Longview (TX), Jefferson City (MO), Waxahachie (TX), Cleburne (TX), Weatherford (TX), Dodge City (KS), Hays (KS), Rolla (MO), Stuttgart (AR) — courthouse squares, real downtowns, reliable diners.
Small towns (2). Burleson, Midlothian for quiet weekender energy.
Turn it into an overnight
Three ring destinations earn a night instead of a dash: Fort Worth (an estimated 28 hotels), Waxahachie (an estimated 6 hotels), Weatherford (an estimated 6 hotels). The flag on each row above already separates day trips (inside 3 hours) from the ones that want a bed.
Friday departure changes the arithmetic: Fort Worth at 4 h 32 out means you arrive for a late dinner, spend a full Saturday, and still reach Tulsa by Sunday dinner. A ring this deep stops being a day trip the moment you stay for the evening — that's what the flag column is for.
We may earn a commission when you search Kayak through our links.
Hotels in Fort Worth — next Friday Waxahachie rates → Weatherford rates →Timing and traffic
Beat your own metro first: leaving Tulsa before 7:30 am keeps the first 4.5 h leg clear of outbound rush. For the far end of the ring (Cleburne, 4 h 57), a 5-hour outbound means the return lands in evening traffic — build in a dinner stop rather than fighting it. Daylight is a constraint here for half the year: northern winters leave roughly 9 usable hours, so put the farthest stops first.
Peak-season note: the top pick, Fort Worth, carries an estimated 28 hotels, and festival weekends in towns this size are exactly when book-ahead stops being optional. Summer adds construction season on the interstate stretches; fall is the forgiving window in most of Texas, Missouri, Kansas
Common questions
What city is almost exactly 5 hours from Tulsa?
What is the best day trip from Tulsa in this ring?
Can you reach Fort Worth and back in one day?
Which of these need an overnight?
Keep exploring
Data & method
Method: v1 seed model. Destinations are cities plus seed towns of 7,500 or more people whose estimated drive time from your city lands inside the ring window. Times are straight-line times a road factor, so treat them as estimates and pad for traffic. We earn a commission from Kayak links.