The Yellow Rose of Texas

Quick Tips:

Stop by the Big Texan. Often referred to as "the biggest tourist trap" even the locals are attracted to this place. It's famous for its free 72-ounce streak (it comes with the catch that you have to eat and the side dishes that come with it and include shrimp cocktail, a baked potato, salad, and, a roll. Oh, and all of this all has to be eaten in under and hour). To date only 15% of the 29,000 people who have attempted this have finished. In the morning they serve the Big Oprey Breakfast. This is an all you can eat buffet the is served with all the grease that you ever want to eat.
Even if you don't eat there it's worth the stop to take a few pictures, and eat a buffalo burger. They are similar to a hamburger, but there is a noticeable difference in taste. Stop at least one of the Indian shops on the side of the road. They are a fun way to find quirky gifts; however don't stop at them all because it is the same thing everywhere.
The Amarillo Museum of Art located on the Amarillo College campus (2200 S. Van Buren St). They maintain a permanent collection of O’Keeffe’s, de Kooning’s, and Kline’s in three buildings. They rotate exhibits as well. Check before you go because the exhibit I saw wasn’t worth the price of gas to get there. There are also sculptures located around the campus. The exhibit is free and parking is horrible especially when class is in session. They are open Tuesday-Friday from 10am-5pm and on Saturday and Sunday from 1pm-5pm. They also have special extended hours on Wednesday from 7pm-9: 30pm.

The Cadillac Ranch located five miles west of Amarillo on I-40 is a must see. The cars are 1949-1963 models and were buried in 1974. Every so often the cars are repainted to be used in a movie or a music video, but most of the time the are covered in graffiti by tourists traveling thought. Surprisingly enough this is encouraged. So bring a marker, pen, or spray paint and add your initials.

Best Way To Get Around:

The outside of the hotel is brightly painted to look like a frontier town. There is a huge, neon cowboy sign outside that makes The Big Texan visible from the road. The rooms are very fun, but a little run down. The calls are concrete blocks painted yellow and there is a fly swatter in every room. The rooms are a decent size. I ended up with a double since a single wasn’t available. The beds were decent and had cow print blankets, and the bedside lamps were cattle horns with lampshades on them. The entrance into the bathroom was a saloon door, and the shower curtain was a giant flag of Texas.

My biggest complaint about the place was that there weren’t curtains on the window. Instead there were wood doors that you would shut. The best part was the pool; it was shaped like Texas.

Behind the pool is a horse hotel, so if you are traveling with your horse here is a place for it to stay. The hotel has a free limo service that will pick you up at the airport and drop you off. The limo comes equip with cattle horns on the front.

If you go I highly suggest that you take spray paint or some kind of permanent marker so that you can add your own graffiti to the cars. Don’t worry about getting in trouble it is encouraged. Every so often the cars are repainted by rock stars that want to use the cars as a backdrop for their music video or by a charity.