Excellent historical museum and exhibit. If you loved the story of Lonesome Dove, you will love…read morelearning more about the life and contributions of the man who was the inspiration for Woodrow F. Call. Also, learn how Molly, his wife, saved the North American Bison from total extinction. Great staff and friendly, informative tour. Don't forget to stop by the cemetery across the highway to pay your respects at the gravesite of Charlie Goodnight. This is a Pure Texas destination!

This historical spot is so amazingly cool! The level of authenticity they have been able to…read moremaintain is nothing short of incredible. The guide is super friendly and just next door the Buffalo "Herd Wear" shop is chock full of one of a kind buffalo derived clothing, knives, moccasins, blankets, coats, vests etc. You name it and they probably have it. Using every bit of the animal, they really have found a way to meet every mountain man and fur lover's needs. Cecil and his wife make every visit a delight with their friendly service. Both of them go above and beyond for their customers and visitors. I was fitted for a buffalo hide coat and this is the result below! More than satisfied.

An absolutely beautiful old building!! It was built in the 30's and renovated completely in 2000…read more My niece had her Wedding Reception in the famous Auditorium on the 11th floor and it was wonderful! Many Kudos to Amarillo for preserving a part of their history instead of tearing it down!

The Amarillo Music Society holds concerts in the auditorium. The beautiful building is a wonderful…read morehistorical setting to hear classical music. I definitely think it enhanced the experience of a night out. I also though the acoustics of the room were great. I only wish more events were in the building so everyone could enjoy the preservation of something so lovely.

Stepping up to MadamQueen felt like meeting a queen in exile--towering, dignified, and still proud…read moredespite a few weathered edges. The steel-and-concrete engine looms large, and you can almost feel the echo of its whistle and the clatter of tracks beneath it. Reading the plaque, you learn this wasn't just any locomotive: she pulled essential cargo across the West, leaving an indelible mark on Amarillo's rail legacy. The best part? It's free, open day and night, and easy to reach. We lingered for about 15 minutes--enough time for photos, a glance at the plaque, and a quiet moment to imagine life in the steam age. That said, the chain‑link fence and lack of shelter made things feel a bit distant, physically and emotionally. A protective canopy and more interpretive signs would elevate the experience from a roadside curiosity to an immersive mini‑museum.

The Amarillo Railway Museum is worthy of a stop because of its unique equipment, some that probably…read morecannot be seen anywhere else. The "White Train" is a relic of the Cold War atomic age. It was used to transport nuclear weapons assembled at the nearby Pantex plant. The trains featured armored locomotives, guard cars and weapons cars. There is another piece of equipment unique to Amarillo- a helium transport car. Amarillo has historically been the "Helium Capital of the Nation." I stopped by on a day when the indoor museum was closed, but the outdoor exhibits are accessible to see. Walking ability required.Check out the Museum website for more fascinating details of the "White Train"

Approach the plaza under the towering stainless-steel beams, peer at the suspended atom model, and…read moreread the story of helium's journey from the sun's spectrum to Amarillo's star pipelines. The sundial's shadow may reveal the hour--on a sunny day, that is. Wander around the engraved capstones and imagine opening future capsules centuries from now. It's quick, free, and thought-provoking--ideal for a 10-15 minute stop.

Cool sculpture and park location! This timepiece built in 1968 is huge and great for photos!…read more Nice place for a walk, pics, watch the dicks, or some frisbee golf!

This is a beautiful old building built in 1910. The railroad went through Amarillo until 1979…read moreaccording to the guy I talk to at the Railroad Museum east of town. Actually the railroad still goes through because there was a train chugging past the train station as I was taking pictures, but the passenger service ended in 1979. Now all that is available are cargo trains going through. I would have loved to be able to get close to the building and see it, better yet to be able to go inside. I hope they turn this into a museum someday. It would be a shame for it to ever be torn down. How can we preserve our history and our heritage if we destroy it? I'm glad I heard that this building was still here so I could at least park in front and take pictures through the fence. If you like old trains there is a locomotive a couple blocks over called the Madame Queen, near the Civic Center. It is fenced-in also but still interesting to look at. And if you really want the scoop, go visit the Railroad Museum east of town, just off of Amarillo Boulevard. Those guys can tell you anything you want to know about the Amarillo railroad history. Be sure to check their hours before you drive out there. It's all volunteer so they are not open everyday.

Being a native Texan, I had heard of this place my entire life. This was even before social media,…read morewhen the stories traveled. Being a native Texan who moved to Colorado in '99, I had driven by this place for years, going from home to home for holidays and other occasions. Finally, I took the turnoff. I don't guess I really knew what to expect when I arrived. There were cars parked along the road, running up and down a field with a paved path leading to an open plot. And then, they were. 10 cars buried at a steep slope, dripping in puddles of color, stand stark in the West Texas flat, dry dirt. It's weird. It's hokey. It's one of the most Texas things to ever be in Texas; I love it! If you like roadside attractions, this is totally worth the turnoff. If you're driving to or from Texas to Colorado, just do it. It's a fun solo excursion. It's a fun family excursion. There's something about adding to the paint and joining the living history of paint upon paint, upon paint. Only in Texas...

Do NOT believe these fools giving this place 4 stars. We were driving from DFW to Colorado, so this…read moreplace was literally on the way ... and we were still irritated with the detour. All the pics that make Cadillac Ranch look 'cool' are super zoomed in close-ups. It's 10 car-like blobs buried half way into hard-pack dirt and windy AF. Do not make a special trip here *unless* you are already in Amarillo for some other reason. Seriously.

Today, September 12, 2024 is the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Buffalo Wallow…read more At this remote location way up in the Texas Panhandle, early on the morning of September 12, 1874, two US Army Scouts and four Enlisted Men were spotted and attacked by a group of about 125 Kiowa and Comanche Warriors. Caught out in the open, outnumbered 125 to 6, things looked grim for the Soldiers. In the first minutes of the battle all of the soldiers and both scouts had been wounded. The exchange of gunfire stampeded their horses. The loss of their horses left the men with no water and only the ammunition they had on their person. The lead Scout, Billy Dixon, spotted a buffalo wallow, a depression in the ground created by buffalos trying to cool themselves off by rolling around in the dirt. With the Warriors circling and shooting at them, Dixon eventually got all the badly wounded Soldiers to the wallow. With no water and running out of cartridges for their guns, the situation seemed hopeless for the soldiers. But late in the day the weather turned cold and it began to rain. The rain came down in torrents. It mixed with the Soldier's blood, gathering in pools in the wallow. It was enough to keep the Soldiers alive. The weather change prompted the Kiowa and Comanche Warriors to break off the attack and eventually withdraw. One of the soldiers, shot through the lungs, died during the night. The next day Billy Dixon decided to leave the others, setting out on foot to try to find help. Miraculously he spotted a Calvary column and signaled them. Ok, so at this point in the story you're thinking, here comes the Calvary to the rescue, right? But no. As it turned out, the Calvary officer in charge was a kind of a Dick. He sent a detail with his Surgeon to evaluate the situation. They concluded the men were too badly injured to ride horseback. They needed an ambulance, something the Calvary column didn't have. The Calvary left the wounded men some raw buffalo meat and resumed their original journey. The wounded men suffered, exposed to the elements until finally being rescued on September 18. For their bravery in battle the survivors were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest honor our country bestows on military personnel. A couple years after Billy Dixon died, Congress decided to revoke his Medal of Honor because Dixon wasn't actually in the military; he was just a Scout. Fortunately Dixon's widow told the Congress to go pound sand. She refused to give the Medal back. Today Billy Dixon's Medal of Honor is on display at the Panhandle Plains Museum in Canyon, Texas. To their credit, the US Congress eventually saw the stupidity of taking away Dixon's Medal and officially restored it to him in the 1960's. Last year I visited the Buffalo Wallow Battle site for the first time. I'm visiting again this Fall. This site is extremely remote. Way off the beaten track. Not at all easy to visit. Mikey C says: I don't care. I've got to be there. To me this place is hugely significant.

We checked out this 1910 single room jail on Route 66. Inside there's an iron barred window and…read moredisplays about notorious outlaws. Outside, there is a randomly placed tombstone-looking memorial for the graduating high school class of 1938. From I-40 take exit 1 and drive south one-half mile. Turn left onto Route 66. Drive two blocks and turn north (left) onto Main Ave.

"For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious…read morethan if it were made of gold and silver." -Martin Luther (1483-1546) Even at night, I'm still going to stop for a historical marker. This one was interesting. It is located about 5 miles west of Panhandle towards Amarillo. There is a sign about one mile ahead of it indicating that the marker is ahead and there is a small pullout area so that you can be off the roadway. The main central marker reads, "Thomas Cree Homsite. After serving as a teamster in the Civil War (1861-65), Thadium (Thomas) B. Cree worked for the Union Pacific Railroad. In 1888 he and his wife came to the High Plains. They acquired this land and, with no trees for lumber, they built a dugout home. Cree traveled 35 miles at his wife's request to find a sapling and planted it here. He watered it from a nearby lake that he dug from a buffalo wallow. The tree never grew but lived many years despite blizzard, heat, and drought. Gov. John Connally dedicated an historical marker in 1963 to the first tree in the Panhandle." The second marker reads, "The 33rd Anniversary National Convention, Men's Garden Clubs of America, meeting at Amarillo, June 14-17, 1965, formally recognized and paid tribute to the significance of Thomas Cree's Little Tee and to the memory of this heroic early gardenere of these high plains." The third marker reads, "First Tree Texas High Plains. Set front dugout home by Thomas Cree,, 1888. Good luck symbol of settlers through drought, blizzard and heat." Beneath that, a fourth marker, "Cree's Bois D'Arc tree died in the 1970's. County residents planted a new tree here in 1990 as a memorial to the area's early pioneers." [Review 16197 overall - 373 in Texas - 1703 of 2021.]

Friendly welcoming staff. Very cool historic building. Will be stopping again when next on Route 66…read more Delicious coffee too.

I spent an extra day in Shamrock to recharge the batteries during a three week road trip that had…read moretaken me to Big Bend, Abilene, and Caprock Canyon. I'm glad I did because somehow I was unaware of the fact that I landed on Route 66 and at the best cafe anywhere between Amarillo and Tulsa. Riley and Leanne, the owner, spent considerable talking w me about all kinds of things and it was simply wonderful to connect w them on a human level. Which was really what my trip was about. Additionally, the banana bread pudding, which I started with, was just outstanding. Make sure you get the roasted almonds as well. Later I figured I had to try a sandwich so I got the BBQ Brisket sandwich which did not disappoint. And of course the classic landmark and trappings of the place made one feel they were actually plying the old route back in the day. A place not to be missed!