George Strait took us to “Amarillo by Morning” and was “buckin’ at the county fair.” But there’s lots more to do than rodeo in this high-plains Panhandle town.
In the Texas Panhandle, you find the city of Amarillo, the so-called Yellow City. The nickname is just a translation of amarillo, the Spanish word for yellow. Known for everything from Cadillac Ranch — an art installation of graffiti-covered Caddies half-buried in a field, fins up — to its Route 66 Historic District of art deco and Spanish revival buildings, Amarillo might also well be called American Quarter Horse City since it’s the home of the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum as well as the international headquarters of the American Quarter Horse Association.
PHOTOGRAPHY: Jackie Phommahaxay – Amarillo CVB
Both places are worth a visit. Visitors can stroll through the grounds and take photos of statues commissioned and donated by Quarter Horse admirers. Admission to the museum is free to AQHA members and a nominal cost for nonmembers. The museum welcomes people who have no horse background, says Chris Sitz, chief officer of the American Quarter Horse Foundation, which operates the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum.
Amarillo itself sits in the middle of the Texas Panhandle, where the native grasslands were a natural fit for cattle country. The discovery of oil brought wealth into what had been a sleepy cow town. Today, Amarillo stands with one jeans-clad leg each in its Western roots and its big-city ambitions.
Nearby Palo Duro Canyon is the second largest canyon in the United States, with impressive rock formations and trails that are accessible to horses, hikers, and bicyclists. Palo Duro Riding Stables, in business since 1962, will take you out year-round (weather permitting and by reservation) on rides to a part of the canyon has been family-owned for more than 50 years and is only accessible by horseback. Every summer, the outdoor musical drama Texas draws crowds for performances inside the canyon’s walls.
PHOTOGRAPHY: Lawrence Pereira
The Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association National Finals kicks off with a bang in October in Amarillo. Mounted shooting is one of the fastest growing Western disciplines in the United States. Shooters of all ages don Western attire and ride their horses through a balloon obstacle course. Admission to this spectacle, featuring the best shooters in the country, is free.
This town loves to rodeo. Cowboys have been gathering around the July Fourth holiday for more than 80 years for the Will Rogers Range Rider Rodeo, a PRCA rodeo that qualifies contestants for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.
During the first weekend in June, the local Coors Cowboy Club puts on a ranch rodeo at the Amarillo National Center. On a larger scale, ranches of all sizes across the United States compete in ranch rodeos in their areas during the summer. The best ranch teams qualify to be in Amarillo in November for the Working Ranch Cowboys Association World Championships Ranch Rodeo. Tickets for this four-day event sell out months in advance. Ranches bring their entire crews, and in the case of ranches situated near small towns, virtually the entire town goes to Amarillo for a week to watch as their hometowns teams compete in events such as wild-cow milking, cowboy bronc busting, and steer gathering. The event includes a burgeoning trade show plus youth cow horse competition, dances, and more.
In June of 2024, another Western event will join the equestrian doings as AQHA brings its Versatility Ranch Horse World Championships to Amarillo’s Tri-State Fairgrounds. Free to spectators, the event features AQHA members who enjoy ranch life competing in five events — ranch cutting, ranch trail, ranch pleasure, ranch conformation, and ranch cow work—with the all-around winner in each division crowned world champion.
Downtown Amarillo reflects the city’s modern impulses in a revitalization effort that puts fine dining, elegant hotels, and a modern baseball park within walking distance. The Barfield is Amarillo’s newest hotel, luxuriously renovated to include a speakeasy-style bar. Part of the Marriott Autograph Collection, the boutique property is housed in Amarillo’s historic Barfield building, close to everywhere you want to be with all of the amenities you could ever need. It’s less than a block from Crush, a contemporary wine bar; and Six Car Pub, a brewpub. Amarillo boasts two local coffee chains, Palace Coffee and Roasters, and one of Palace’s locations is downtown on Polk Street.
If you won’t go without good coffee, you certainly won’t go without good food here, either. On the casual side, Tyler’s Barbeque — one of Texas Monthly’s Top 50 BBQ Joints in a state that’s crazy with them — gets a special shoutout for its pork ribs; fans on TripAdvisor rave about the brisket in particular, along with the pulled pork and sausage. The Big Texan Steak Ranch gets lots of attention for its free 72-ounce steak challenge, and it’s been a staple since 1960, when R.J. “Bob” Lee opened it on Route 66. On Amarillo’s eastern edge, Coyote Bluff is one of those places that might be held together with baling wire, grease, and the license plates on the walls. The café serves insanely delicious steaks, hamburgers, and fries. As featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, a bathtub filled with ice and cold beer greets diners right inside the door.
PHOTOGRAPHY: Angela Guthrie - Madden Media
Live music thrives in Amarillo. During the summer, many Amarilloans pack picnic blankets, lawn chairs, and dancing shoes for the free outdoor Starlight Theater concert series under the star-filled Panhandle skies. In the spring, music lovers enjoy the free June Jazz series at Amarillo College, High Noon on the Square at the old Potter County Courthouse, and in the fall, there’s Jazztober at the historic Bivins Mansion downtown.
Whenever you come, make time for a trip to the nearby town of Canyon to visit the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum for its renowned art collection, Old West exhibits, and life-size Pioneer Town. The museum also pays tribute to the area’s oil roots with an extensive petroleum wing.
Check out the history of the American Quarter Horse.
Header Image Photography: Jackie Phommahaxay – Amarillo CVB
