AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) – With the onset of summer vacation for many families also comes the opportunity to explore the Texas Panhandle and High Plains. Keeping travel costs and the average mileage of a tank of gas in mind – a 250-mile round trip – MyHighPlains.com compiled a list of places in the region that can offer anyone a one-tank day trip.
Community pools
Several communities on the High Plains, including Amarillo and Canyon, have community pools and aquatic centers open to the public for the summer season. The Canyon Aqua Park opened for its eighth operating season over Memorial Day weekend and the City of Amarillo public pools will host their operating season through Aug. 4.
Amarillo also recently released its 2024 Summer Park Guide, including maps and recreational details for the available parks and recreational services around the city as well as splash pad locations.
Lakes, parks and regional monuments
Within the city limits of Amarillo, community members with fishing licenses can visit Medi Park Lake to spend the day angling for its regularly refreshed catfish stock as a member of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department’s Neighborhood Fishin’ Lake program.
Around 35 miles north of Amarillo, Fritch is the home of both the Lake Meredith National Recreation Area and the Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument. The area provides the lake and associated hiking and biking trails, camping sites, fishing and hunting opportunities as well as other water-based recreation.
Meanwhile, 30 miles south of Amarillo is Palo Duro Canyon State Park, which hosts hiking, biking and equestrian trails, campsites, and theTEXAS Outdoor Musical.
Further southwest, 100 miles away from Amarillo is Caprock Canyons State Park & Trailway, which offers trails and campsites while also acting as home to the Texas State Bison Herd – the last remaining examples of the Southern Plains buffalo. The park also offers swimming and fishing at its on-site Lake Theo.
Things to do around Amarillo and Canyon
The Amarillo metropolitan area, including Canyon, offers a wide range of attractions and experiences for both locals and visitors alike, including:
Attractions and Landmarks
- 2nd Amendment Cowboy
- The Big Texan Steak Ranch
- Cadillac Ranch
- Ozymandias on the Plains
- Palo Duro Canyon
- The Helium Monument
- The Floating Mesa
- Wonderland Amusem*nt Park
Areas and Experiences
- The 6th Street Historic District on Route 66
- ‘Collect’ a Herd of High Plains Horses
- Downtown Amarillo
- The Harrington House
Museums and Educational Entertainment
- Amarillo Botanical Gardens
- Amarillo Museum of Art
- Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument
- Amarillo Railroad Museum
- American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum
- The Amarillo Zoo
- Bill’s Backyard Classics
- The Don Harrington Discovery Center
- Jack Sisemore RV Museum
- Kwahadi Museum of the American Indian
- Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum
- Texas Air & Space Museum
- Texas Panhandle War Memorial
- Wildcat Bluff Nature Center
Traveling Historic Route 66
Amarillo is the center-most population center along Historic Route 66, which has been offering kicks to travelers the world over for nearly 100 years. As Amarillo and the High Plains region celebrate the Texas Route 66 Festival in June, there are still opportunities all year round for locals and visitors to follow the route around the Texas Panhandle.
Major stops along the Texas Panhandle stretch of Route 66 are all historic locations worthy of a trip and well within 100 miles of Amarillo, including:
- Shamrock
- McLean
- Groom
- Amarillo
- The Big Texan Steak Ranch
- Historic Route 66 District
- Bill’s Backyard Classics
- Jack Sisemore RV Museum
- Cadillac Ranch
- Vega
- Adrian
- Glenrio
Those listed attractions have been operating and accepting visitors since the heyday of Historic Route 66 through the Texas Panhandle.
Other cities and destinations
Elsewhere around the Texas Panhandle and High Plains region, numerous other cities and destinations stand ready for visitors within 125 miles of Amarillo and Canyon.
Texas Panhandle
- Pampa – 53 miles
- Woody Guthrie Folk Music Center
- Freedom Museum USA
- Plainview – 72 miles
- Dalhart – 85 miles
- Spearman – 87 miles
- Lubbock – 124 miles
New Mexico
- Clovis, NM – 96 miles
- Portales NM – 123 miles
Oklahoma
- Boise City OK – 118 miles
- Guymon OK – 121 miles
For the latest Amarillo news and regional updates, check with MyHighPlains.com and tune in to KAMR Local 4 News at 5:00, 6:00, and 10:00 p.m. and Fox 14 News at 9:00 p.m. CST.
