“Amarillo by Mornin’, Up from…..Houston?” Ha!! If you can’t name that song and/or know which word does not belong, then you need a major Texas crash course, but for now, I’m just going to give you the rundown on Amarillo. For those that don’t know, Amarillo is at the very top of Texas, in the panhandle. It is also a very rural city, with not many things to do. So you might be thinking….”then why are you writing a travel blog post about it?” Well, while Amarillo was not one of the top places I would have wanted to visit in Texas, I really enjoyed visiting and sightseeing while we were there & want to share it with you!
The day after Christmas 2017, we hopped on a plane from Houston to Amarillo. It was a very last minute decision on my father’s part. He needed to get in a few extra airline points before the year was over so he could still be a “VIP”…or something like that? So, after opening all of my presents on Christmas morning, I found myself packing my bag for a place I had never been. Now that I think about it, I had never been anywhere in Texas north of Dallas or West of San Antonio-especially in the winter! When it comes to packing for a trip, my sister and I are either way over packed, or we do not pack enough. On this trip to Amarillo, the day after Christmas, in 19°-33° (which neither of us had ever experienced) , I am embarrassed to report that we in fact did not pack enough. Living in Houston, Texas, where we may or may not get below freezing during a winter season, I do not own a heavy coat. I am also a very cold natured person and get the chills easily. I stepped off of the plane that day while it was 25° wearing thin leggings, and a light Columbia jacket (that I thought would keep me warm enough the entire trip) while my sister was sporting her fresh pedicure she had done the night before for our Christmas Eve service while wearing FLIP. FLOPS. To say we got some stares, as we walked out to get in our rental car with snow flurries floating around us, would be an understatement. While my sister did pack some tennis shoes to wear the remainder of the trip, I was still left with only a light jacket and I thought I was going to die from frost bite!
So….with that long back story to why we went, our first adventure in Amarillo was to Target to find an appropriate coat and some gloves for me to wear. I also bought a super cute (see picture below-it really is so cute) fuzzy headband, that kept my ears incredibly warm, that looks just like a hat that Kate Middleton has seen sporting during winter in London!! After we, or I, got all bundled up, we went out on our first real adventure. As we were driving down the road my sister and I noticed that there was nothing to see for miles because it is such a rural town. Our first stop that we were going to explore was the famous Cadillac Ranch that everyone talks about. It is a collection of 3 or 4 old timey Cadillacs that are put in the ground, sticking straight up, in the middle of a big field. Apparently, over time people have brought spray paint and spray painted their names on the Cadillacs. We were very unprepared to visit the site and did not have spray paint, or enough layers of clothes on. See, since the Cadillacs are out in an open field, the cold 19° wind cuts straight through you! Us Houstonians could only handle the cold long enough to run out to them, take a few pictures, and run back to our warm & heavily heated car. I am sure that when it is not winter time, they are so much “cooler” to look at up close and personal.
Our next quest was to drive on Route 66! There is a small portion of Route 66 that runs through the outskirt of Amarillo and it was kind of tricky to find, but we eventually got there, drove on it, took a picture, and got a t-shirt. It looked just like in the Cars movie when they’re driving on Route 66. Surprisingly, that was all that we did our first day in Amarillo, but the next day was even more adventurous for us city folk. We drove for what seemed like hours (and we were still in Amarillo) past what seemed like 400 farms, to reach Palo Duro Canyon State Park, which is the second largest canyon in the United States. I have to admit that even I, a big time city girl, thought that the view from this canyon was breathtaking. We drove all through the canyon, and the deeper we got, the warmer it got, which was my favorite part. The view is just something that is so indescribable and is a place you have to experience yourself to understand the magnitude of its beauty!! The park rangers told us that the park starts to get dark around 5:30, and there is wildlife that roams the grounds, so we definitely had to make sure to start heading back up to the top with enough time to spare before the sun started to set. Of course, with our luck, we got lost down there and there is no cell service. Luckily, we had my mom with us, who is our walking compass. We finally did arrive back at the top of the canyon before the sun completely set, and before a bear ate us!! For what my sister and I thought was going to be a complete boring stop, being in nature and not having any cell service, it was my favorite place we visited and I wish we could have stayed there longer.
As our extremely short trip to Amarillo wrapped up, we spent our last night at the biggest restaurant in the city…A place called “The Big Texan”, which just by the name, we knew was going to be good. They have one of the contest things that you see on a food network show, where if you eat the entire plate of a 72oz. steak, you are put on their hall of fame list and receive a free Big Texan t-shirt! Just that can show you that this place is a lot of fun. When you come to visit and you want to stop here, make sure you haven’t eaten all day because the portions are HUGE and you won’t want to leave anything on your plate because it is also delicious!
Below I have links and pictures of all the stops that I have mentioned above and I highly recommend having Amarillo on you bucket list for a fun Texan weekend getaway!! It may be a little more fun if you aren’t freezing your behind off, so if you come in the winter, pack lotsss of layers, or you can just play it safe and skip winter Amarillo all together! Either way, it is a Texas must!
XOXO,
AK♥
City of Amarillo Travel Site
https://www.visitamarillo.com/
Cadillac Ranch
https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2220
Route 66 in Amarillo
https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/route66/6th_street_historic_district_amarillo.html
Palo Duro Canyon State Park
https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/palo-duro-canyon/fees-facilities/cabins
The Big Texan Restaurant
via: http://vyasahouston.org/2016/06/27/houston-yoga-event-celebrated-at-nasa-space-center/
via: http://www.dallasarboretum.org/visit/seasonal-festivals-events
via: https://www.tourtexas.com/destinations/San-Antonio-attractions
via: https://www.tourtexas.com/destinations/San-Antonio-attractions
via: www.moodygardens.com/.
Texas Treasures 