If you’re traveling Route 66 west through Texas, Amarillo offers roadtrippers five must-see stops promising a fun experience. Amarillo, located on Highway 40 alongside the historic Mother Road, is a gem in the Texas Panhandle.
Amarillo, Texas: Roadside Stops Worth Checking Out on Route 66
The Big Texan Steak Ranch & Brewery
One of the most well-known destinations in Amarillo is The Big Texan Steak Ranch & Brewery (7701 I-40 Highway) for its larger-then-life steak dinner challenge and wide variety of craft beer on tap.
The restaurant is famous for their steaks including the 72-ounce steak dinner challenge dating back to 1960. If you eat the entire meal (pictured above), it’s free and you’ll become one of small percentage of participants that are successful.
We chose instead to enjoy two cold beers at the Big Texan Brewery, a saloon-themed bar with first come first serve seating. They have nearly a dozen of their own handcrafted beers on tap or you can order from the cocktail menu.
Before you leave, I recommend walking the restaurants open areas to take see photo-worthy areas, including giant chairs, taxidermy, and retail merchandise. Remember, everything is bigger in Texas, so expect to have a larger-than-life good time.
Downtown Mural Tour
Amarillo’s vibrant murals are installed throughout the downtown area like little colorful jewels. The city puts a priority on promoting public art. Use the Mural Scavenger Hunt Map to find them all.
The mural pictured above, Daydreaming, was designed and painted by artist It’s A Living aka Ricardo Gonzalez. Emphasizing typography, It spans 78 feet by 24 feet.
Pescaraz Italian Restaurant
How did we select a restaurant for dinner when Amarillo’s dining scene has so many options? Eating Italian food may not seem like an obvious choice in Texas cattle country, but Pescaraz Italian Restaurant’s (3415 S. Bell Street) stellar online reviews convinced us.
The dining room was filled with locals even during the early dinner hour, but we were sat quickly without a reservation. Specializing in hearty pasta dishes and salads, we choose the Eggplant Parmigiana prepared with white sauce and a helping of seafood pasta. Each entree was covered with copious amounts of cheese. Bring your appetite.
Cadillac Ranch
You can’t drive to Amarillo without stopping to view Cadillac Ranch (I-40 Frontage Road), a public art installation located along Route 66 west of the city. It’s a bit of a tourist trap since 1974, it’s well worth stopping for 15-30 minutes to view it.
Visitors bring spray paint to deface the half-buried cars making the roadside attraction a fun, immersive experience. If you forget to bring paint, you can purchase a can from the retail store trailer nearby.
A nice lady was finished with her spray paint and offered it to us. A few half-emptied cans rested on the ground around the cars.
Other visitors choose to bring engraved padlocks to attach to the fenced entrance to confirm their visit.
PRO TIP: It was quite windy and cold the afternoon of our May visit, making spray painting the cars a bit challenging but possible. Dress appropriately for the weather.
Second Amendment Cowboy
The appeal of traveling Route 66 is spotting larger-than-life Muffler Men. The giant statues were a way of attracting road-trippers to frequent businesses. Second Amendment Cowboy (2601 Hope Road) sits in front of a RV Park entrance.
It’s located a short distance from Cadillac Ranch, making pulling over for photo opps at each one a no-brainer. The statue, promoting the right to bear arms, includes two pistol-shaped barbecue smokers at its base.
Road trips are more fun when you build in time to pull over for new-to-you discoveries, whether its quirky public art or to eat where the locals dine. The nostalgia of cruising Route 66 remains. Add these five stops in Amarillo to your cross-country itinerary.
It’s a National Park (the smallest!) with 91 acres completed in 1965, which Thomas Jefferson envisioned as the Gateway to the West.
Q39 arrived on the Kansas City barbecue scene in 2014 and changed the game.
Consider registering for a low-cost 
The 40-foot slide in the Monogram Lounge is the only one like it in the world located in a distillery.
Don’t miss your chance to take a photo with the World’s Largest Spool of Thread in front on the museum. Bring thread to add to it.
Located on 
J.C. Penney was born and raised on a nearby farm. After touring the museum’s exhibits, be sure to view his childhood home located downtown.
Walk across the creaky wood floors and imagine a teenage Twain looking out the window and daydreaming about his future. It was there that he fell in love with writing.
President Woodrow Wilson selected Pershing to command the American Expeditionary Forces during WWI.
Look for signatures by the cave’s most famous explorers, and don’t miss the Jesse James Hideout.
Retrace their journey by taking a self-guided tour of dioramas and exhibits that showcase natural artifacts. The most fascinating artifacts on view were the geological samples (Missouri geodes) and replica journal entries.
We took the downtown shuttle from Union Station and discovered the ice cream shop by chance. The line moved quickly, and before I knew it, I was staring down a menu with flavors like Lavender Honey and Chocolate Brownie.
If you’re a foodie, enjoy a meal with a breathtaking view, an experience you’ll never forget.
Eat a tasty pimento cheese and bacon sandwich at
The show, displayed around the 65-foot ceiling, runs on the hour from 5:00 pm – 10:00pm daily.
The two-story arcade has over 50 games from the 80s and 90s, including all your favorites like Pac-Man, Iron, and Galaga, plus rows of pinball machines and carnival-like games. You’ll feel like a kid with a new Nintendo® again.
The sounds of falling water and birds are the only sounds you hear, and the setting’s tranquility envelopes you.
A number of the permanent collection pieces include sculptures, paintings, and photography ranging in styles from minimalism to avante-garde. Although smaller than the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the artwork is equally awe-inspiring.
As the sun sets, the musician took requests to play cover songs, and diners indulged in brownie desserts. For me, the best part of the river cruise was enjoying the natural scenery and taking photos of the sunset from the boat’s bow.
I recommend experiencing the interactive train raid that departs every 15 minutes. The virtual experience is like taking a Union Station train under the sea.
Purchase feed at the Ozark Fence Giraffe Outpost ($4 for 4 tokens) daily March through October from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm.
The restaurant doesn’t take reservations, but we didn’t wait at all for a table. The diner has entertained guests for nearly three decades.
I’ve never tasted a better homemade cookie. In fact, I saved one of my chocolate chip cookies for the drive home eventually eating it bite-by-bite over the next several days to savor it.
To walk inside the Springfield Bass Pro Shop is to be enveloped by nature. Taxidermy, aquariums, retail shelves, boats, hunting and fishing equipment, ATVs, and more surround you.
In early April, residents celebrate
St. Charles was a center for trade, so the town’s center wanted it to become a capital city. Governor McNair signed a bill confirming its status in 1820, and legislators met there the following year to debate states’ and enslaved people’s rights.
Established in 1974, the campus museum continues to wow each time I visit. After perusing its second-floor galleries, I highly recommend taking a walk on campus to discover 86 permanent works displayed in the Martin H. Bush Sculpture Collection.
PRO TIP: Cut costs by ordering the sandwich only with curly fries for $4.49.
Today, 
PRO TIP: Stop to appreciate one of several Keepers on Parade, small scale versions of the city’s iconic sculpture, Keeper of the Plains. In the Historic Delano District, Credit Union of America and Hutton Construction display a Keeper on Parade.
PRO TIP: Find choice parking at
Each meal is prepared to order using fresh ingredients, and if you ask me, they serve the creamiest, most delicious hummus in town. It’s consistent food quality and service is why I also included it in a blog post about the city’s thriving 
Bonus Date Ideas: Other romance-inducing adventures include 
Visitors of all ages will appreciate the on-site activities, including the Magical Forest Ice Skating Trail and Glacier Slides Snow Tubing. You don’t have to be athletic to participate in either one. Schedule your arrival time, sign the waivers, and give it a go.
Although I’m not much of an ice skater, it was fun to try it. Finding a pair of skates that fit me was a bit of a challenge, but it was worth the experience once we snapped photos as the sun set and the holiday lights became aglow.
We watched families defy gravity at Glacier Slides Snow Tubing, which offers two options for ascending to the bottom: a kid-friendly “bunny hill” and a 30-foot-tall slide.
Participants screamed with glee as they slid downhill, and kids often begged their parents for a second run. Chris loved the speed and thrill of the descent.
Afterward, we listened to a pianist play and sing holiday tunes inside the Bah Humbug Sing-A-Long Piano Bar. I sipped spiked cider and, yes, found myself singing popular jingles. I felt the Christmas spirit.
We perused vendor booths before entering the second floor’s Tipsy Tree Lounge; we enjoyed another cup of holiday cheer while watching families explore the park below.
The festive experience concluded after selecting an ornament for our tree from the gift shop, a memento of our date night experience.
PRO TIP: Upgrading your tickets to include the VIP Pass is worth it, providing access to lounges, fast pass lanes, a welcome drink, a $10 gift certificate, and a to-go swag bag. 
We made a beeline for a tented room where Santa and Mrs. Claus welcome families. To my surprise, we had them to ourselves, so we chatted joyfully about their holiday duties before I requested a photo with them. A jolly time, indeed.
The Renaissance-themed holiday fun continues throughout the park as hobbyists perfect their craft.
Knights of Lights is designed to be a fantastical experience. 
You may love it so much that you’ll want to return when all vendors are available during the 
PRO TIP: Planning a date night? Purchase a 
A directory of apparel stores includes brands such as Kate Spade, J. Crew, Michael Kors Outlet, and dozens more. During a recent visit, we purchased three pairs of sneakers at Adidas for under $100.
Not only do many of the stores advertise low prices, but some offer additional coupons and clearance merchandise.
Specialty shops such as Gamestop, Claire’s, and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory make shopping for kids a breeze. I never miss a chance to shop for seasonal gifts at Home Goods.
And when you’ve worked up an appetite for holiday shopping, stop for a meal at one of over 20 
It’s our tradition to stop at the massive Christmas tree for a photo for our holiday card. Bringing kids? They can drop a letter to Santa in the mailbox at AMC Legends 14 Theater.
PRO TIP: Participate in the 
I recommend ordering two breakfast burritos per person, and the carne asada burritos are excellent. If you’re extra hungry, consider ordering the Torta Memo, a stuffed bread sandwich with peppers, grilled steak, and cheese.
PRO TIP: The green salsa is mild, and the orange salsa is extra spicy.
I recommend ordering the shareable Poke Nachos for an appetizer, which our server told us is the restaurant’s most popular request. Layers of marinated ahi tuna, peppers, truffle sauce, and Asian-inspired ingredients sit atop crispy wonton chips.
For lunch, I chose the Baja Shrimp Taco and Vampire Taco with a side house salad, a delicious balance of spicy seasoning and fresh ingredients. Our table also enjoyed a juicy Truffle Cheeseburger with truffle fries, a decadent combo.
Yard House is an excellent choice for dining, especially if you want to watch the game from a bar television.
For over 25 years, guests have ordered seafood stuffed po’boys, crawfish étouffée, and plates of pasta swimming in Creole-spiced cream sauce.
We sat at the bar to avoid a wait at the hostess desk, where two bartenders introduced themselves and told us about the three-piece live jazz band playing on the second floor. Expect live music every night of the week starting at 6:00 pm.
I ordered Shrimp & Scallops Pontchartrain, which was so rich in flavor and seasoning that I mopped up every bite of the tequila cream sauce with complimentary baguette bread. A bite of my boyfriend’s seafood fettuccini proved too spicy for my palette but so tasty.
PRO TIP: Although it’s not a sports bar, Jazz bartenders confess it’s a great place to enjoy a meal during a televised Kansas Chiefs football game because there is never a wait.
As an IHG Hotel Rewards member, I expect the hotel’s comfortable amenities, including a fitness center, indoor swimming pool, and high-speed free Wi-Fi.
PRO TIP: Pack earplugs and a sleep mask for a guaranteed night’s slumber.
I’m a big fan of the 
But there’s more! If you extend your holiday vacation in Kansas City, Kansas, consider reading my blog posts 
PRO TIP: Pack hiking shoes. If weather permits, take a nature walk along the Tallgrass Trail, a scenic 1.5-mile loop with views of a pond and natural prairie. Walkers gain access to an open-air pathway leading to learning stations.
PRO TIP: Bring binoculars if you plan on driving designated roads to view waterfowl on a good weather day in the Cheyenne Bottoms.
Koch Exhibit Hall includes 3,500 square feet of walk-thru displays with hands-on visual and auditory stations. Birdwatchers will appreciate the Bob Gress Wildlife Observatory for spotting native songbirds, deer, or turkey.
The collection includes birds, wild animals, and Kansas native species. His collection of owls is particularly amazing, especially when in contrasted with big cats in close proximity.
Fossils, rocks, minerals, dinosaur bones, and aquariums with snacks, frogs, and bugs make touring the museum an immersive experience for all ages. A native Kansan, I loved the artifacts found in the Sunflower State, including massive geodes and crystals.
PRO TIP: Animatronic dinosaurs and life-size taxidermy may frighten the museum’s youngest visitors, so prepare your self-guided tour accordingly.
Ignite your curiosity on a self-guided tour of mammal skulls and taxidermy ranging from Arctic animals and the Rocky Mountains to the rain forest and the Kansas prairie.
Open year-round, Kansas nature centers offer visitors an opportunity to learn about native plants and animal species.
