Just sharing this review so no one makes the same mistake I did. The entire meteor crater area is surrounded in a big fence and the road is closed off with a gate when the visitor center is closed. I knew we wouldn't be able to go into the visitor center but I thought we'd be able to walk around and just check out the crater to start day 2 of our road trip and was very disappointed that an outdoor thing like this was blocked off from the public. So if you want to see it, make sure you only go when they're open or you will waste a drive to see nothing at all. read more

Meteor Crater - Museums Near Me - Odessa, Texas

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Not much to do in the area do might as well check out the supposed second largest meteor strike in the USA. Don't expect anything special or to be wowed but if you enjoy this type of thing worth checking out. read more

Meteor Crater - Entrance - Museums Near Me - Odessa, Texas

We came here on 04.28.24 to stretch our legs while on an El Paso-Dallas interstate highway beatdown. This crater is the second largest in the United States, and this site does an excellent job in providing the history of the meteor crater along with some very interesting information about our solar system. There is also a museum onsite (which we didn't enter) that has fragments of the meteor for viewing as well as more exhibits. On the way out there are markers to show your drive as it is proportional to the distance between the planets in our solar system. For example, the sign for the Sun is in the parking lot, then you quickly see the signs for the first three planets before hitting Mars and, gradually, the rest - Neptune is almost all the way back to the highway. This is a very cool spot to visit that isn't that far off your interstate drive. read more

Meteor Crater - 04.28.24 - Museums Near Me - Odessa, Texas

The Meteor Crater in Odessa, TX is said to be the "second largest crater recognized in the United States." I've been to the largest one in Arizona several times, and we live so close to this one that I thought it would be a good learning trip for my 9 and 10-year-old children. Even though this one's size pales in comparison to the Arizona Crater, I was right. My kids had so many questions during our walk-through and afterwards. So cool! It's located with an a short drive from Interstate 20. It was designated as a national natural landmark on behalf of the National Park Service of the United States Department of the Interior in 1965. Parking was free. Admission into the small museum was free. Donations accepted. Walking on the caliche pathway through the depressions was free. I'm sure the lone staff member that said just a simple "hi" to us was a volunteer University of Texas student or something. On March 29, 2024 when we visited it was already very warm outside at 82°F. Bring walking shoes & water. There are two gazebos with picnic tables and barbecue pits available if you'd like to have a meal break. We were there for just under an hour. Cleanish women's restroom. TIPS - Closed Monday. - The penny smashing machine was out of order when we visited. Happy Easter, everyone! read more

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there are limited shaded areas. the museum worker did not say a word. there is a small walking path around the way and some signs read more

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Was pretty kool There is a small museum with different craters from around the world Many of them are not in glass There is also a collection of gemstones on display The walk to see the crater and digging holes is pretty short Was a nice stop on our trip read more

the museum was nice and there was a little shop (only cash or check). being from Arizona and having seen the meteor crater there it was a little underwhelming but there's a nice trail with signs through the crater that you can walk through. with some development this could be a nice place! read more

Meteor Crater - museum exhibit - Museums Near Me - Odessa, Texas

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This place is cool, but you are going to need to be ready to use your brain a little to enjoy it. It's a giant dip in the ground with a small building next to it. However, if you take a moment to think about what it means for a meteor to strike the earth uncontrollably and with enough force to make this much of an impact, your mind starts to wonder. Could this meteor be the reason there is so much oil around there? Did it instantaneously kill everything around it for miles and miles? Did it cause a massive fire? The list can literally go on. Walk down to the middle of it and stop to think about what happened. You might enjoy it more. Also, you are in Odessa, there's not a lot of things to do in this town if you are a tourist. read more

The museum is very cool. Lots of neat artifacts and one of the largest meteor collections in the world. The museum gets the 3 stars. The hole in the ground gets zero stars. What a let down. I could dig a more impressive hole in my back yard with a nail file. The museum and the very nice and knowledgable volunteer working there made the stop worth it. read more

Ok, so it's not THE meteor crater in Arizona. However,It is the second largest meteor crater in the U.S., an open crater hole 550 feet wide and 100 feet deep formed when a thousand-ton mass of space-iron slammed into the earth. There are only 3 impact craters in Texas, and this is one of them. It is estimated at 63,500 years old. Sadly the West Texas wind has blown, sand, dust and dirt into the crater for all those years and has filled most if that 100 feet. The Handbook of Texas Online describes the Odessa meteor crater as the largest of several smaller craters in the immediate area that were formed by the impact of thousands of octahedrites (an iron metallic type) that fell in prehistoric times. the site offers an excellent opportunity to view a relatively uncommon impact feature close to a major transportation artery near a major city. It has a handy walking trail lined with signs that explain its history and caution against removing rocks or irritating the local snakes. The crater is free to explore (from the trail), and the adjacent museum provides more information and sells fragments of the meteor based on weight. A nearby Texas historical plaque claims that the bulk of the space rock is still buried 170 feet below the surface, ...perhaps waiting patiently for the mother ship to arrive and take it back home. Maybe some day some one will dig it out, and visitors will finally have a big crater-like hole in the ground to look at. read more

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Wow--LOT OF CRATER-HATERS HERE. I am so sorry that a place where a meteor from outer-effing-space hit the ground isn't exciting enough for you. I get it that you had expectations, but not everything that is important in the world has a stripper pole and fireworks. The museum is great, especially for free. There is a film, a great collection of meteors ie rocks from outer space, and information. The walk around the crater is nice as well. And no, it's not a giant hole, but when that meteor hit ground I bet there were plenty of fireworks! LOVE YOU Meteor Crater. read more

How often do you get to see a hole that was gouged out way before your time. It has been weathered and isn't huge but it sure beats your back yard that has NO METEOR CRATERS in it. Pretty cool. read more

Sure, it ain't much. But compared to everything else in the area, this is the Grand Canyon with the Rockettes dancing on the rim.

Seems like it would be a really neat and interesting place to see, then you get there and are totally disappointed. The older lady that runs it has a piss poor attitude from the get go. I mean, I get that your "crater" looks like a pot hole compared to the one in northern Arizona, but it doesn't mean you have to be disrespectful towards people that actually want to waste their time and drive out of their way to come see your "crater". Then when you get out their to actually check this thing out, you're shocked at the fact that the "meteor crater" that you came to see looks nothing like that at all but instead just a slight shift in the earths surface. Needless to say, if you can't already tell, it was extremely disappointing... read more

Just cool to stop by and see. Learn a little. See meteorites from all over the world. Mars and Venus globes. Walk the crater. Donations only. No fee. Movie and more. read more

A cool place to see. The day I went the museum wasn't open, but I was able to walk on the trail around the crater. They have picnic tables and signs outside for you to read about the crater. The actual crater wasn't much to see, just some bumps/holes in the earth, but the history about it is the reason to go. I would recommend going to check it out. I spent about 30 minutes walking on the trail and reading the signs. read more

It's no Barringer Crater so don't expect to see this ginormous hole, but it is something to do for free in Odessa. The museum has a lot of samples from around the world so that's interesting. read more