Things To Do in Lubbock
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Lubbock Attractions
A Different Kind of Texas Tea
The images of herds of longhorn, oil pumps on the horizon, and endless cotton fields might be the enduring images of the northwestern Texas plains, but if the area's burgeoning wine industry has anything to do with it, the vineyard may just become another regional icon. The climate is close to ideal for the cultivation of grapes, with its moderate elevation, warm days, and cool nights. Within a 15-minute drive of Lubbock, there are five wineries that open their doors to tours.
Emerging from a grape-growing experiment on a shady Lubbock patio in 1976, Llano Estacado Winery, located 5 miles southeast of Lubbock on FM 1585 between U.S. 84 and U.S. 87 (tel. 806/745-2258; www.llanowine.com), is now one of the largest and best wineries in Texas: Its wines have won more awards than any other winery in the state. The tasting room is open from 10am to 5pm Monday through Saturday and from noon to 5pm Sunday. Cap*Rock Winery, 5 miles south of Lubbock at U.S. 87 South and Woodrow Road (tel. 806/863-2704; www.caprockwinery.com), uses vinifera grapes to produce chardonnays, cabernet sauvignons, and other wines. Free tours and samples are available from 10am to 5pm Monday through Saturday. Pheasant Ridge Winery on Route 3, 12 miles northeast of Lubbock via I-27 (tel. 806/746-6033; www.pheasantridgewinery.com), is located on the site of one of Texas's oldest vineyards and offers tours and tastings Friday and Saturday from noon to 6pm and Sunday from 1 to 5pm. In the Depot Entertainment District, visit La Diosa Cellars, 901 17th St. (tel. 806/744-3600; www.ladiosacellars.com). Its tasting room is actually a fantastic wine bar (serving tapas and featuring live acoustic music), open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday. The winery sources its fruit from Texas and produces about 2,000 cases a year. McPherson Cellars Winery, 1615 Texas Ave. (tel. 806/687-9463; www.mcphersoncellars.com), is the newest of the bunch, open from 10am to 5pm Monday through Friday and noon to 5pm Sunday.
- Landmark
American Wind Power Center
Between 1850 and 1920, more than 700 American companies manufactured windmills, but today a mere two U.S. businesses make these iconic machines. Such statistics provided an impetus for this unique and worthwhile museum, which displays a collection of 200 water-pumping windmills.… - Landmark
Buddy Holly Statue and West Texas Walk of Fame
This shady urban isle just west of the Lubbock Civic Center pays tribute to Lubbock's most famous son, Buddy Holly, with an oversize statue of his likeness, guitar in hand. In 1979, Holly became the first inductee into the West Texas Walk of Fame that surrounds the statue. Other…
Lubbock Shopping
Lubbock is home to the region's largest mall, South Plains Mall, 6002 Slide Rd. at South Loop 289 (tel. 806/792-4653; www.southplainsmall.com), which houses more than 150 stores, including Gap, Abercrombie & Fitch, and many other department stores, specialty shops, and restaurants. The mall's hours are from 10am to 9pm Monday through Saturday and from noon to 6pm Sunday. The Antique Mall of Lubbock, 7907 W. 19th St. (tel. 806/796-2166; www.antqmall.com), offers West Texas's largest selection of antiques, open daily from 10am to 6pm.
Lubbock Nightlife
The Performing Arts
Built in 1938, the beautifully restored Cactus Theater, 1812 Buddy Holly Ave. (tel. 806/762-3233 for information; www.cactustheater.com), is now the centerpiece of Lubbock's performing arts scene. On Friday through Sunday, it features regular doo-wop and nostalgia shows, as well as other concerts and musicals. Popular productions include tributes to Buddy Holly and other music legends. Tickets run $15 to $40.
Lubbock Symphony Orchestra, 1313 Broadway, Ste. 2 (tel. 806/762-1688; www.lubbocksymphony.org), performs 10 classical concerts and one pops concert every year at the Lubbock Civic Center Theater (at 6th St. and Ave. O), often featuring guest conductors and musicians from around the world. Ticket prices range from $10 to $50.
Established in 1926, the Texas Tech University Theatre, on the Texas Tech campus on 18th Street between Boston and Flint avenues (tel. 806/742-3603; www.depts.ttu.edu/theatreanddance), has produced more than 1,000 plays in the time since. Recent productions include The Full Monty, Death of a Salesman, and A Streetcar Named Desire. The theater also hosts ballets, experimental plays, and one-act play festivals. Tickets are $12.
Nightclubs & Bars
Lubbock has a bustling nightlife, primarily due to the presence of 25,000 Texas Tech students. The vibrant Depot Entertainment District, located between Texas Avenue and I-27 around 19th Street, is where you'll find the highest concentration of clubs, including The Blue Light, 1806 Buddy Holly Ave. (tel. 806/762-1185), known for its live music and hip, young crowd. Also in the neighborhood, you can line dance and two-step to live country music at Wild West, 2216 I-27 (tel. 806/741-3031). Cricket's Grill and Draft House, 2412 Broadway (tel. 806/744-4677), is a rowdy Texas Tech hangout with nearly 100 beers on draft.
Many restaurants morph into bustling nightspots after sundown, including the Texas Cafe and Bar and Café J. Just north of the Texas Tech campus, Conference Cafe, 3216 4th St. (tel. 806/747-7766), is a rowdy college hangout. If you do imbibe in Lubbock, try the city's signature cocktail, the Chilton. Invented by a local doctor of the same name, the drink consists of vodka, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, and soda, in a salt-rimmed glass -- the result is tart but refreshing.
