Things To Do in Amarillo
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Amarillo Attractions
Cadillac Ranch is just the tip of Amarillo's public art iceberg, which is in large part the product of the fervent imagination of Stanley Marsh 3 (he favors the Arabic "3" over the Roman "III").
The grandson of an early Texas oil millionaire, Marsh is also the man behind 200 signs on display at Amarillo homes and businesses. Looking very much like colorful municipal signs, they don't dispense traffic or parking rules, instead offering a variety of offbeat slogans. One reads "Strong drink." "What is a village without village idiots?" asks another. "'Either the well is very deep,' thought Alice, 'or I'm falling very slowly,'" reads yet another. While the signs are spread out around Amarillo and the surrounding towns, Old San Jacinto is the neighborhood where you'll see them in the highest concentration. The ever-enigmatic Marsh explained the signs, saying, "They are to be looked at. The signs are just there, like the Rock of Gibraltar or the Statue of Liberty. They are a system of unanticipated rewards."
Beyond Cadillac Ranch and the signs, Marsh's eccentric public art vision extends to the southern fringes of Lubbock, to the rural junction of I-27 and Sundown Lane, where a sculpture of a pair of disembodied legs greets passerby. (An absurd plaque explains that they are all that remains of a great statue of Ozymandias, "damaged by students from Lubbock after losing to Amarillo in a competition.") There's also "Floating Mesa," hundreds of sheets of plywood painted the color of a blue sky on the side of a mountain. Unless it is overcast, the resulting impression is that the summit is floating. It is located about 8 miles northwest of Amarillo on the west side of Tascosa Road.
While many are amused by the creations of Stanley Marsh 3, not every Amarillo resident finds them in good taste. Those disgusted by their presence have decried them as eyesores with little or no artistic value. In response, Marsh was once quoted as saying, "Art is a legalized form of insanity, and I do it very well."
- Park/Garden
Amarillo Botanical Gardens
Dedicated to the art, science, and enjoyment of horticulture, these outdoor gardens feature displays on flora indigenous to the high plains region and offer a pleasant spot to take a 30-minute break from the road. Of special note is a "scent garden" designed for patrons with sight… - Zoo/Aquarium
Amarillo Zoo
This small accredited zoo excels at preserving and displaying the High Plains' indigenous animals, termed "Texotic." The highlight is a 20-acre range populated by grazing bison; the mustang, the feral horse of the American West, is also in the collection, as are mountain lions, Texas… - Landmark
Cadillac Ranch
One of the more recognizable and bizarre roadside attractions in the country, Cadillac Ranch consists of 10 vintage Cadillacs (dating 1949-64) buried up to their back seats in a wheat field west of Amarillo, rising out of the earth at the same angle as Cheops Pyramid in Egypt.… - Neighborhood
Route 66 Historic District
This colorful area west of downtown Amarillo preserves about a mile of old Route 66, aka the "Mother Road." Once a suburb accessible by trolley car, the district has evolved into a hub for the city's nightlife and shopping. Buildings that once housed drugstores and theaters are now… - Theme Park
Wonderland Amusement Park
An Amarillo landmark since the glory days of Route 66, Wonderland is the Panhandle's top amusement park, featuring more than 25 different nostalgic rides on a 15-acre chunk of Thompson Park. The amusements include three roller coasters, six water rides, a carousel, and several kiddie…
Amarillo Shopping
Amarillo's biggest enclosed shopping center is the Westgate Shopping Mall, 7701 I-40 W., between the Coulter Drive and Soncy Road exits (tel. 806/358-7221; www.westgatemalltx.com). The mall's stores include Dillard's, Gap, and Sears, as well as a movie theater and several restaurants. Westgate is open Monday through Saturday from 10am to 9pm, and Sunday from noon to 6pm. The Historic Route 66 District is an antiques buff's dream, with more than 100 stores on West 6th Avenue between Georgia and Western streets. New upscale retailers have staked a claim to South Soncy Road. Western wear is also big in Amarillo; head to Cavender's Boot City, 7920 I-40 W. at Coulter Drive (tel. 806/358-1400), for a huge selection of boots, along with hats, belt buckles, jeans, jewelry, and practically every other Western wearable on the market.
Amarillo Nightlife
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.
