The Performing Arts
The best places to check for performing arts events in Amarillo are www.artsinamarillo.com and www.panhandletickets.com.
Amarillo Little Theatre, 2019 Civic Circle (tel. 806/355-9991; www.amarillolittletheatre.org), produces about 10 plays a year at two theaters southwest of downtown. The Mainstage focuses on musicals and lighter fare, whereas the Adventure Space produces edgier, adult-oriented fare. Recent productions have included Dracula, Smokey Joe's Cafe, and The Rabbit Hole. Ticket prices range from $10 to $19.
The Amarillo Opera (tel. 806/372-7464; www.amarilloopera.org) produces two main-stage operas annually, one each in the fall and spring, and an annual spirituals concert on the first weekend of every February. The performances take place at the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts, 400 S. Buchanan St., and tickets are priced from $25 to $100. The Amarillo Symphony (tel. 806/376-8782; www.amarillosymphony.org) performs classical and pops concerts year-round, also at the Globe-News Center; tickets for most concerts cost between $12 and $50.
Lone Star Ballet (tel. 806/372-2463; www.lonestarballet.org) presents a season of local and guest performances from October to April at the Globe-News Center. The local company produces The Nutcracker annually on the second weekend of December, and occasionally performs joint performances with the Amarillo Symphony. Tickets are $13 to $35.
Nightclubs & Bars
The main nightlife district in Amarillo is South Polk Street downtown, between 7th and 8th avenues. Bodega's, 709 S. Polk St. (tel. 806/378-5790), is a chic wine bar and jazz club. Butlers Martini Lounge, 703 S. Polk St. (tel. 806/376-8180), and a music venue, the Mayfair Club, 701 S. Polk (tel. 806/367-9641), are other slick standbys on the block. Rough and raw, the Golden Light Cafe & Cantina, 2908 W. 6th Ave. (tel. 806/374-9237; www.goldenlightcafe.com), is a Route 66 landmark, open since 1946 with a grill and oodles of nostalgia. For country-and-western fans, there's Midnight Rodeo, 4400 S. Georgia St. (tel. 806/358-7083; www.midnightrodeoamarillo.com), featuring a gargantuan dance floor centered on an oval bar. Another good venue for live music -- primarily country -- is the hubcap-laden Route 66 Roadhouse, 609 S. Independence St. (tel. 806/355-7399), which also has pool tables and dartboards.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
