Entry No. 26 — the Oklahoma City file — filed under: outdoor
Automobile Alley Door Tour
Tucked into the service alleys on either side of Broadway, 21 vinyl artworks by 13 artists turn ordinary back doors into a hidden open-air gallery of Art Deco patterns, nature motifs, and graphic illustrations. The whole point is finding art where you least expect it, away from the storefront crowds.
The story
While the rest of the district strolls down Broadway Avenue popping in and out of polished storefronts, you duck off the main strip into the gritty service alleys between NW 4th and NW 9th. Launched in June 2020 through a community microgrant from the Downtown Oklahoma City Partnership and ULI Oklahoma, the Door Tour turned 21 ordinary service entrances into a stealth gallery. Thirteen artists were brought in to turn industrial back doors—the kind usually reserved for delivery drivers and kitchen staff—into vinyl-wrapped graphic canvases.
Rather than massive, showy wall murals designed for Instagram crowds, these pieces play hard to get. You'll find sharp Art Deco patterns, nature-inspired illustrations, and abstract graphic designs tucked into narrow corridors behind heavy brick buildings. Each installation sits right on the door frame, quietly interrupting the brick, steel, and concrete of working utility lanes.
The charm here is the complete lack of museum pretension. There are no glass cases or docents—just you, a handful of QR codes mounted next to the artwork detailing the artists' backstories, and the satisfying payoff of finding high-concept design hidden in the back alleys of Oklahoma City.
What it's like
You are walking through actual working service alleys, so don't expect manicured footpaths. You'll be navigating asphalt alongside delivery vans, commercial dumpsters, and grease traps. Go during daylight hours—not just for safety and visibility in active alleys, but because daylight makes the vinyl graphics and vivid colors pop against the aged brickwork. You can pull up the Automobile Alley Association's free online map to hunt all 21 doors systematically, or just wander the parallel alleys east and west of Broadway. The whole walk takes under an hour, placing you seconds away from Broadway's coffee spots and bars when you finish.
The move: Treat it as a low-key scavenger hunt: duck into the alleys behind Broadway and see how many of the 21 painted doors you can find together before grabbing a drink in the district.
📍 Before you go You will find the 21 doors in the service alleys running parallel to Broadway between roughly NW 4th and NW 9th, so park anywhere along the strip and explore on foot. Pull up the free Door Tour map from the Automobile Alley Association, or scan the QR code posted by each piece for the artist's story. It is a free, anytime outdoor walk, but go in daylight to actually see the work and stay alert for cars and dumpsters since these are working back alleys. When you are finished, the district is dense with coffee, restaurants, and shops a few steps away on Broadway.
- 📍 Automobile Alley
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: Alleys flanking Broadway Ave between NW 4th and NW 9th, Oklahoma City, OK 73102
Hours: Outdoor alleyways; viewable anytime, daylight recommended.
Pair it with
- Lunar Lounge — After ducking through utilitarian back alleys, slip into this celestial speakeasy hidden in a Midtown office building for a cocktails-in-the-dark reset.
- Mycelium Gallery — Trade outdoor vinyl graphic doors for an entirely indoors, color-shifting immersive art installation over in Gatewood.
- Beloved Bones — Continue your hunt for offbeat local art by heading west to browse taxidermy and wet specimens in the Plaza District.
Good to know
How much does the Door Tour cost to visit?
It is completely free to view since all pieces are installed on outdoor alley doors in public space.
What are the hours for the tour?
The alleys are open 24/7, but visiting during daylight hours is strongly recommended to see the art clearly and navigate active alley traffic.
How do I find the locations of all 21 doors?
You can access a free digital map on the Automobile Alley Association website, or scan the QR codes posted next to each door along the alleys between NW 4th and NW 9th Streets.
Are the alleys pedestrian-only?
No, these are active service alleys used by local businesses for trash collection and deliveries, so keep an eye out for moving vehicles while exploring.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · travelok.com · hoffnerdesignstudio.com · bryanboone.com
last checked: 2026-06-06