Route 66 Texas Attractions
Amarillo is the largest city on the 178-mile portion of Route 66 that goes from Oklahoma to Texas and into New Mexico. Even though Amarillo takes the cake for being the largest city, there are things to see and do in both directions on the Mother Road. Now located along I-40 in Amarillo, Cadillac Ranch and the Big Texan Steak Ranch and Microbrewery are two famous Route 66 attractions that were uprooted from their original Route 66 locations in order to attract more visitors. Another notable Route 66 - related attraction that is in Amarillo but not on Route 66 is Bill's Backyard Classics. There you will find Bill Pratt's classic car collection of more than 100 cars and trucks of all of makes and models from 1920 to 2012. West of Amarillo, you will find the famous Midpoint Cafe - located at the midpoint of Route 66. East of Amarillo, you will find the iconic Tower Station and U-Drop Inn Cafe in Shamrock, TX. Built in 1936, the Tower Station and U-Drop Inn Cafe are now one of Route 66's most recognizable historic buildings.
World Famous For Steaks
In 1960, R. J. “Bob” Lee opened The Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo Texas on Route 66, the “Mother Road”. It’s distinctive architecture soon became recognized across the Mother Road as a good stopping place for great steaks grilled over an open flame. The Big Texan is famous for the FREE 72oz steak challenge, which includes eating a salad, baked potato, shrimp cocktail and 72 ounces of beef!
The world's only! Ten Cadillacs buried nose-down in a field at the same angle as the Pyramids of Giza Pyramid. It has been stopping visitors since 1974. Find it on the south access road of I-40 just east of the Arnot Rd. exit. It is open 24/7/365 and there is no admission. Please, help control litter by using the dumpsters along the access road. Spray Cans can be purchased on site or, like we did, we got ours from a supermarket in Vega.
The Midpoint of Route 66
U.S. Route 66 across Texas totaled 186 miles, and closely followed today's Interstate I-40.
The Mother Road crossed the Texas state line at Texola, OK, near Shamrock, and traveled west through McLean, Alanreed, Groom, Amarillo and into Adrian. From there, it continued on to Glenrio and into New Mexico.
Adrian is a popular stop for travelers, as it is located at the geo-mathematical midpoint of Route 66, positioned 1,139 miles (1,833 km) from both Chicago, Illinois, and Los Angeles, California. It is a small community, with only a couple of hundred residents.
The town's motto is "When you are here, you're halfway there."
Fran Houser, the owner of the Midpoint Café restaurant, antique and souvenir shop from 1990 until 2012, was the basis for the character of Flo of "Flo's V-8 Café" diner in the movie "Cars".
A family owned & operated business,started in 1997, and located in a quaint 1920's homeon ROUTE 66 in Amarillo Texas. We have a "houseful"of treasures to browse through. From antique glassware & dish sets, to Art Deco & Retro furniture and just about everything in between. We are West of the Rest & one the Best! We have a large selection of EAPC Glass, black Tiara glass, collector plates, blue glass, Spode, Japan, Occupied Japan, Franciscan, Anchor Hocking Ruby Red & pick up pieces for many other patterns. We have aprons & linens of all kinds, also vintage hats & gloves.
This Cowboy is made by Glenn Goode out of Gainesville. Until 2004 he stood in front of his sons store und Sanger, TX.
At first, he stood in front of the Country Barn BBQ & Steaks in Amarillo. He was damaged from shootings and neglected. He got the nickname: “2nd Amendment Cowboy”.
Mr. Goode himself repaired all the damage and restored him and by 2014, he was standing here at the corner of Hope Road and the I-40 service road, next to the Cadillac RV Park.
The Cowboy stands 22’ tall. He wears a beige Stetson hat and a yellow shirt with black lettering on both sides (“2nd Amendment Cowboy”.)
His pants are dark blue they’re held up by a black belt with a tarnished silver buckle with a longhorn on it. He’s wearing silver spurs on his black boots.
The whimsical Slug Bug Ranch near Conway, Texas, will pick up and move to a new location shortly after New Year’s Day, its owner said in a phone interview.
Slug Bug Ranch, which was inspired by the internationally famous Cadillac Ranch 35 miles to the west in Amarillo, is a site where five vintage Volkswagen Beetles are planted nose-down into the Texas soil just off Route 66.
Slug Bug Ranch owner Steve Clegg said he’s in the process of moving about a mile due south of the current location. He said he’ll have signs on Route 66 and directions on the website directing travelers to it.
NEW LOCATION TO FOLLOW
Vega is a small rural town in Texas, located on the original alignment of Route 66.
It is known as "Crossroads of the Nation" due to its significance on U.S. Highway 66, and "The Solar Capital of Texas"
(because it is one of the top seven sunniest places in the U.S.).
Vega is located in the south of Oldham County, and is the County seat. It is set in the western region of the Texas Panhandle on the water divide between the Canadian River to the north and the Palo Duro Creek to the south.
The Devils Rope Barbed Wire Museum is a museum located in McLean, Texas, United States. The museum was officially opened in 1991 and focuses on barbed wire and its history. The museum is thought to have the largest collection
of published material concerning
barbed wire
BUILT IN 1936, THE U-DROP Inn in Shamrock, Texas, was kind of a big deal. With its prime location on iconic Route 66, the café with its connected Tower Station was one of the first commercial businesses along the route. The road itself was a fairly new addition to the country’s landscape, with the roadway being designated Route 66 just ten years earlier.
This Art Deco building included the Tower Conoco Station, so named for the metal tulip-topped tower attached to the building; a café, which was given the name U-Drop Inn by a local student who won a building naming contest (and five dollars); and a space that was to hold retail. At one time, the U-Drop Inn was called “the swankiest of swank eating places” and “the most up-to-date edifice of its kind on U.S. Highway 66 between Oklahoma City and Amarillo.” The café was the only the one around in a 100 mile radius, so it wasn’t just swanky, it was crowded. The space that was to be used as retail was converted to additional café seating and a ballroom the next year.
This water tower lies right alongside the former path of Route 66, which has since been paved over to create US Interstate 40. During the early and mid 20th century, passersby on the Mother Road were intrigued by the severe tilt of the tower, asking themselves what on Earth could have caused it. A crashing plane? An earthquake? A giant tornado?
In reality, it was the work of a heavy-duty vehicle and a bulldozer. Ralph Britten, a man who wanted to start up a truck stop and restaurant off Route 66 in Groom, bought the water tower from the town of Lefors as an ingenious marketing technique to attract new visitors. He towed the enormous thing 34 miles to Groom, wrote “Britten USA” on top, and then, using a bulldozer, elevated two of its legs off the ground, dangling them in midair without support, so that the water tower made an 80 degree angle with the ground.
This helped his business immeasurably. It would catch the eye of every passing motorist on the route for years, many of them becoming terrified that the tower was in the process of collapsing. This played right into Britten’s hand. Worried route-takers often swerved off the road and into his truck stop, shouting “watch out! That tower’s about to fall!” Britten responded that it had been like that for years, and then asked them to sit down and buy food and a drink.
The Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ, in Groom, Texas is a modern roadside attraction built in 1995 and located just off I-40. (If you’re traveling Route 66 across the country, you will toggle back and forth a lot between the old road that’s been preserved and newer versions of I-40.) You can’t miss this free-standing giant cross. It can been seen for 20 miles in all directions and stands
190 feet tall (19 stories).
They sure grow ‘em BIG out here in Texas!
A meticulously restored historic Route 66 gas station has three well-preserved gravity feed gas pumps. Like many gas stations and businesses along Route 66 Magnolia Gas Station became obsolete when Interstate 40 was opened. It's right next to the Pioneer West Museum. The gas station is viewable any time but the museum is open Monday through Friday, 9 to 5
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