Search the travel guide:  | Login For travel professionals | Content Licensing    

Guide

• Amarillo Travel Guide
• The Basics
• Contacts
• Attractions
• Excursions
• Transport
• Climate
• Photos
• Hotels in Amarillo

Maps

• 

Directory

• Car Hire
• Travel Insurance
• Hostels
• Tour Operators
• Accommodation
• Cheap Airfares

Time

Why?  The friendly city of Amarillo offers the 'best of the west', both old and new: a fun hang-out for modern Texan cowboys. Clean air, excellent accommodation, the country's second largest canyon, and a western heritage make a holiday in Amarillo a memorable experience.

When?  The 'High Plains' climate makes a holiday in Amarillo a hit and miss affair weather-wise. Severe weather is common, from drought to flooding. Summer weather is unbearably hot, and winters freezing cold. Snow is common between October and April. The Tri-State Fair and Rodeo in mid-September and the Cowboy Round-up USA in early June are great events to aim for.

Who for?  Anyone who is a cowboy or cowgirl at heart should travel to Amarillo. An Amarillo holiday is also perfect for carnivores who can consume the biggest steaks in Texas here. Surprisingly the city also caters for ballet and opera buffs, with a renowned cultural community.

More Info:  Our Amarillo travel guide will point the way to this fun destination in the Texas Panhandle, containing all the up-to-date detailed information necessary to travel to Amarillo.

Overview

The city of Amarillo, about 330 miles (531km) northwest of Dallas-Fort Worth, is where the old West lives on in the commercial centre of the Texas panhandle.

Amarillo started out in 1887 as a 'buffalo-hide tent camp' for railroad construction workers. Today, the town named for a nearby stream, the Arroya Amarillo, boasts a convention centre, symphony, ballet, theatre, opera and two higher education facilities, Amarillo College and Texas State Technical College.

Amarillo's fortunes have long rested on the horns of cattle ranching, but it has also become a popular stopover for tourists keen to play cowboy or cowgirl, with numerous motels and restaurants having opened up in recent years. The town is located on the major Route 1-40 east-west highway, making it easily accessible for visitors and those who come for the famed frenetic Amarillo Livestock Auctions.

At first glance Amarillo may seem unprepossessing and have little to offer apart from cowboys and cattle, but it is worth digging below the dust of the high plains to discover its attractions.