Things to do in Amarillo
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Amarillo
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best hiking and canyon weather, wildflowers and baseball, but severe storms, hail and the strongest wind.
TEXAS musical, festivals and Wonderland season, with dangerous canyon floor heat. Hike at dawn only.
The connoisseur season, cooler air, golden canyon light, Tri-State Fair in September and Jazztober in October.
Cold, dry and windy, with blue northers, the lowest hotel rates and an empty, beautiful canyon on calm days.
What's on
- Texas Route 66 Festival 4-13 June
Ten days of car shows, tours, music and a finale in the Sixth Street Historic District.
- Coors Cowboy Club Ranch Rodeo early June
Ranch rodeo at the Tri-State Fairgrounds with a longhorn cattle drive parade through downtown.
- TEXAS Outdoor Musical June to mid August
The official play of Texas at the Pioneer Amphitheatre in Palo Duro Canyon, opening in mid June.
- Tri-State Fair & Rodeo 18-27 September
Ten days of fair, livestock and PRCA rodeo on the second weekend, the city's biggest annual party.
- Jazztober Tuesdays in October
Outdoor jazz evenings at the Historic Bivins Mansion as the light fails.
Best things to do in Amarillo
Cadillac Ranch
Ten Cadillacs buried nose down in a field, covered in spray paint you are invited to add to for free.
Route 66 Historic District
Thirteen blocks of historic Route 66 with over 100 buildings, antique shops, galleries, bars and neon.
TEXAS Outdoor Musical
The official play of Texas in a canyon amphitheatre, with a flag carrying horseman on a 600 foot cliff.
Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum
Texas's largest history museum, two million artefacts from dinosaurs to a life size pioneer town.
American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum
The story of the horse that built the cattle West, told with art, bronzes and interactive exhibits.
The RV Museum & Storage
A vintage RV collection from the 1930s onward that tells the history of the American road trip.
Amarillo Botanical Gardens
Four acres of themed gardens and a tropical conservatory, the greenest pause on the High Plains.
Amarillo Museum of Art
A calm small city art museum with modernist, Southwestern, photography and Asian collections.
Where to stay in Amarillo
Downtown
couples, baseball and nightlife
The Barfield, Embassy Suites and Courtyard sit within a few blocks of Hodgetown and the Polk Street bars.
West Amarillo
families, value and Palo Duro days
The I-40 corridor from Georgia to Soncy is the chain corridor locals direct friends to, close to Sixth Street.
East Amarillo
one novelty night and the airport
Visit by day for the museums and Big Texan; if you stay, pick a well reviewed, busy property.
Think twice about
- Amarillo Boulevard and east I-40 motel rows
Locals describe higher crime, seedy motels, poor lighting and run-down lots. Look hard at any property before booking.
- Downtown away from Polk and Buchanan at night
Locals say downtown can get rough at night away from the lit Polk Street entertainment blocks and the ballpark. Walk back with the crowd.
Best restaurants in Amarillo
O.H.M.S. Cafe & Bar
Amarillo's serious bistro, elk tenderloin, crab wontons and cocktails in a small downtown room.
Toscana Italian Steakhouse
Italian steakhouse inside the Barfield where Tuscan cooking meets cattle country cuts.
Embers Steak House
The locals' steakhouse for prime rib and a serious bourbon list, brilliant on its best nights.
Tyler's Barbeque
Central Texas style brisket and ribs with jalapeno cream corn, the Panhandle's best barbecue.
Yellow City Street Food
Chef owned global street food with the city's first vegan menu, fish tacos and smash burgers.
The Big Texan Steak Ranch & Brewery
Home of the free 72 ounce steak challenge since 1960, a loud roadhouse worth one knowing visit.
Blue Sky
Never frozen chuck burgers, hand cut fries and Blue Bell shakes, voted best burger since 2003.
Coyote Bluff Cafe
A tiny burger dive with a bathtub of beer and the fiery half pound Burger From Hell.
Outdoor things to do in Amarillo
Lighthouse Trail
A 6.1 mile hike to the 300 foot Lighthouse hoodoo, the signature walk in Palo Duro Canyon.
Rock Garden Trail
A climbing, scrambling trail from the canyon floor to the rim and the widest views in the park.
Palo Duro Riding Stables
A third generation family stable matching gentle horses to riders for guided canyon rides.
Cowgirls and Cowboys in the West
Small group ranch rides to the canyon rim with working cowgirls and cowboys, the premium ride here.
Caprock Canyons State Park & Trailway
Red canyons, a prairie dog town and the free roaming official Texas State Bison Herd on a day trip.
Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument
Ranger led hikes among 700 quarry pits where people mined rainbow flint for over 13,000 years.
Tascosa Golf Club
Amarillo's premier private club, with links style La Paloma and parkland Tascosa championship courses.
Ross Rogers Golf Course
A 36 hole city golf complex from 1940, renovated in 2011, and the best value round in town.
Best hotels in Amarillo
The Barfield, Autograph Collection
A 1926 tower turned 112 room boutique hotel with a steakhouse, speakeasy and rooftop patio.
Embassy Suites by Hilton Amarillo Downtown
Two room suites by the ballpark with cooked to order breakfast and an evening reception included.
Courtyard by Marriott Amarillo Downtown
A reliable Marriott in the historic Fisk Building, a short walk to baseball and Polk Street.
Drury Inn & Suites Amarillo
The west side value champion, with free hot breakfast and an evening Kickback that can serve as dinner.
The Big Texan Motel
Fifty western themed motel rooms by the famous steakhouse, a Route 66 novelty stay at motel prices.
Is Amarillo expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | $65 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | $140 a person |
| Splurge | $300 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- TEXAS Outdoor Musical: weeks ahead
- Hodgetown Stadium: a few days ahead
- Lighthouse Trail: a few days ahead
- Rock Garden Trail: a few days ahead
- Palo Duro Riding Stables: weeks ahead
- Cowgirls and Cowboys in the West: weeks ahead
- Caprock Canyons State Park & Trailway: a few days ahead
- Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument: a few days ahead
- Book TEXAS musical premium seats and the chuckwagon dinner for summer weekends, and both riding operations well ahead.
- Book OHMS and Toscana for dinner, the Barfield for festival weekends, and Palo Duro day use or cabins in busy periods.
- Check the Panhandle-Plains museum renovation status and Palo Duro trail closures before finalising an itinerary.
Is Amarillo safe?
- Do not base on Amarillo Boulevard or east I-40 without checking recent reviews of the specific property, and never leave valuables visible in a hotel car park.
- Carry far more water than feels reasonable in Palo Duro, start at dawn in summer, and obey closed trails and heat closures.
- Give Caprock bison the road and the trail, stay in your vehicle near the herd, and never approach for a photograph.
Amarillo travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- The Big Texan challenge is a trap worth falling for once, knowingly. Do not let it be your only Amarillo meal.
- Buy spray paint in town before Cadillac Ranch instead of paying the trailer markup, and never pay for a guided visit to a free field.
- Palo Duro at midday in summer is the real trap. Hike at dawn and spend midday in a museum, a long lunch or a pool.
Getting around Amarillo: public transport and more
- You need a car. Downtown to Palo Duro Canyon is roughly 25 to 35 minutes, and Caprock Canyons is a full day trip.
- Parking is free and plentiful almost everywhere except Hodgetown game nights and Sixth Street festival weekends.
- Do not build a canyon day on rideshares. Coverage in the canyon is patchy and services thin out on the plains.
Who Amarillo suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Amarillo your trip
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