Carole Terwilliger Meyers's Blog, page 16

Sights to See: Amarillo, Texas, Coors Cowboy Club Ranch Rodeo and Polk Street Cattle Drive

The traditional Polk Street Cattle Drive and Parade begins annually at 10th and Polk streets, kicking things off for the June Coors Cowboy Club Ranch Rodeo.  More than 60 longhorns mosey along downtown Amarillo’s main thoroughfare, encouraged by cowboys and evoking the idea of an old-time cattle drive.  The steers don’t come near stampeding, though their horns do sometimes scratch parked cars that didn’t vacate in time.




Coors Cowboy Club Ranch Rodeo   1st weekend in June.  At Tri-State Fairgrounds.  $17, 7-12 $7.  This rodeo is different from some in that it features only cowpokes from local ranches.  They ride bucking broncos and herd groups of longhorn steers.  The kids competition involves riding sheep.  It’s BIG time Texas fun for everyone.  The local aspect was driven home for me when I sat up at the top of the arena next to a couple who seemed to know everyone.  It was non-stop chatter throughout, in a good way.  Informal stalls selling things like saddles and boots set up around the area walkway at the top, allowing you to do a little shopping for some cowboy goods.


















More things to do in Amarillo.

More things to do in Texas.

Great ideas for travel adventures in California and the U.S. and around the world.

videos ©2018 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

Sights to See: Palo Duro Canyon State Park, Amarillo, Texas

Palo Duro Canyon State Park   11450 Park Road 5, 25 mi. SE of Amarillo, in Canyon, (806) 488-2227.  Daily 7am-10pm.  $5, under 13 free.  Camping:  (512) 389-8900.

overlook at Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Canyon, Texas

Located just 30 minutes from town, this “Grand Canyon of Texas” is the second largest canyon (based on length) in the country.  The canyon is 120 miles long and 600 to 800 feet deep, and 10% of it is state park land.  The park features red sandstone soil, features a 300-foot-tall “hoodoo” rock formation that resembles a lighthouse, and is covered with mesquite and cottonwoods.  Visitors can explore the more than 16 miles of paved roadway and 30 miles of hiking trails by foot, horse, car, or mountain bike, and campsites are available.  Because it gets so hot here in summer--over 100 degrees--each trail has a thermometer at the trailhead along with warnings to carry plenty of water.  A small Visitor Center on the canyon rim contains educational exhibits, and The Trading Post on the canyon floor has a cafe with a good burger.

overlook at Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Canyon, Texas

visitor center at Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Canyon, Texas

The Big Cave at Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Canyon, Texas

bark house at Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Canyon, Texas

trail thermometer registers 110 at Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Canyon, Texas

● Texas--The Musical   (806) 655-2181.  Tu-Sun, early June-mid-August. $16.95 to $30.95.

entrance to Texas--The Musical at Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Canyon, Texas

This show has been running for 53 years!  Viewing a performance of the extravaganza in the canyon’s outdoor amphitheater as dusk falls and the canyon cools off is a lot of fun.  With young performers--they are mostly college kids--enthusiastically strutting and swinging colorful skirts, the storyline manages to cover a long past that includes the area’s early settlers, cowboys, and Native Americans.  It is over the top, with real horses and a fireworks show at the end.  An optional pre-show barbecue dinner is available.

before performance actors on horses at Texas--The Musical at Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Canyon, Texas

open-air stage at Texas--The Musical at Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Canyon, Texas

More things to do in Amarillo.

More things to do in Texas.

Great ideas for travel adventures in California and the U.S. and around the world.

images ©2018 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

Sights to See: Amarillo, Texas, Palo Duro Canyon State Park

Palo Duro Canyon State Park   11450 Park Road 5, 25 mi. SE of Amarillo, in Canyon, (806) 488-2227.  Daily 7am-10pm.  $5, under 13 free.  Camping:  (512) 389-8900.

overlook at Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Canyon, Texas

Located just 30 minutes from town, this “Grand Canyon of Texas” is the second largest canyon (based on length) in the country.  The canyon is 120 miles long and 600 to 800 feet deep, and 10% of it is state park land.  The park features red sandstone soil, features a 300-foot-tall “hoodoo” rock formation that resembles a lighthouse, and is covered with mesquite and cottonwoods.  Visitors can explore the more than 16 miles of paved roadway and 30 miles of hiking trails by foot, horse, car, or mountain bike, and campsites are available.  Because it gets so hot here in summer--over 100 degrees--each trail has a thermometer at the trailhead along with warnings to carry plenty of water.  A small Visitor Center on the canyon rim contains educational exhibits, and The Trading Post on the canyon floor has a cafe with a good burger.

overlook at Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Canyon, Texas

visitor center at Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Canyon, Texas

The Big Cave at Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Canyon, Texas

bark house at Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Canyon, Texas

trail thermometer registers 110 at Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Canyon, Texas

● Texas--The Musical   (806) 655-2181.  Tu-Sun, early June-mid-August. $16.95 to $30.95.

entrance to Texas--The Musical at Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Canyon, Texas

This show has been running for 53 years!  Viewing a performance of the extravaganza in the canyon’s outdoor amphitheater as dusk falls and the canyon cools off is a lot of fun.  With young performers--they are mostly college kids--enthusiastically strutting and swinging colorful skirts, the storyline manages to cover a long past that includes the area’s early settlers, cowboys, and Native Americans.  It is over the top, with real horses and a fireworks show at the end.  An optional pre-show barbecue dinner is available.

before performance actors on horses at Texas--The Musical at Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Canyon, Texas

open-air stage at Texas--The Musical at Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Canyon, Texas

More things to do in Amarillo.

More things to do in Texas.

Great ideas for travel adventures in California and the U.S. and around the world.

images ©2018 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

Things to Do: Amarillo, Texas, Palo Duro Canyon State Park

Palo Duro Canyon State Park   11450 Park Road 5, 25 mi. SE of Amarillo, in Canyon, (806) 488-2227.  Daily 7am-10pm.  $5, under 13 free.  Camping:  (512) 389-8900. 

overlook at Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Canyon, Texas

Located just 30 minutes from town, this “Grand Canyon of Texas” is the second largest canyon (based on length) in the country.  The canyon is 120 miles long and 600 to 800 feet deep, and 10% of it is state park land.  The park features red sandstone soil, features a 300-foot-tall “hoodoo” rock formation that resembles a lighthouse, and is covered with mesquite and cottonwoods.  Visitors can explore the more than 16 miles of paved roadway and 30 miles of hiking trails by foot, horse, car, or mountain bike, and campsites are available.  Because it gets so hot here in summer--over 100 degrees--each trail has a thermometer at the trailhead along with warnings to carry plenty of water.  A small Visitor Center on the canyon rim contains educational exhibits, and The Trading Post on the canyon floor has a cafe with a good burger. 

overlook at Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Canyon, Texas

visitor center at Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Canyon, Texas

The Big Cave at Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Canyon, Texas

bark house at Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Canyon, Texas

trail thermometer registers 110 at Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Canyon, Texas

● Texas--The Musical   (806) 655-2181.  Tu-Sun, early June-mid-August. $16.95 to $30.95. 

entrance to Texas--The Musical at Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Canyon, Texas

This show has been running for 53 years!  Viewing a performance of the extravaganza in the canyon’s outdoor amphitheater as dusk falls and the canyon cools off is a lot of fun.  With young performers--they are mostly college kids--enthusiastically strutting and swinging colorful skirts, the storyline manages to cover a long past that includes the area’s early settlers, cowboys, and Native Americans.  It is over the top, with real horses and a fireworks show at the end.  An optional pre-show barbecue dinner is available.

before performance actors on horses at Texas--The Musical at Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Canyon, Texas

open-air stage at Texas--The Musical at Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Canyon, Texas

More things to do in Amarillo.

More things to do in Texas.

Great ideas for travel adventures in California and the U.S. and around the world.

images ©2018 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

Things to Do: Nash Farm, Grapevine, Texas

Nash Farm   626 Ball St., (817) 410-3185.  Daily 9am-5pm.

exterior of farmhouse at Nash Farm in Grapevine, Texas

Thomas Jefferson Nash purchased 110 acres of farmland in Grapevine in 1859.  His family raised an assortment of livestock and crops here. Today, 5.2 acres of the original Nash Farm--including the farmhouse built by Thomas, the barn, and the family cemetery--remain.  The house retains much of its original structure, but was restored in 2008.  The Grapevine Heritage Foundation’s mission for Nash Farm is to preserve, protect, and visually reflect the significance of Grapevine’s farming and agricultural heritage so that future generations may appreciate and experience a way of life lived by settlers of the Grape Vine Prairie.  Nash Farm schedules many special events (think Ice Cream Social, Kite Making, or an 1860s Baseball Game) and interpretive programs, as well as educational tours.  Every event here is a living history experience, with workers dressed for the era.  And crafts are done with authentic era tools.  “You’ll never see plastic,” say tour guide Cody Jolliff.

upstairs bedroom in farmhouse at Nash Farm in Grapevine, Texas

By all means sign up for the package that includes a farm-to-fork farmhand breakfast of biscuits with homemade butter and jams, salt pork (fried ham), hard-boiled eggs fresh from the farm’s henhouse, pickled vegetables, trappers fruit, and a variety of beverages (each guest gets to take home their logo Nash Farm coffee cup as a souvenir).  I had to good fortune to experience this delicious breakfast in the dining room and kitchen that were built separate from the house to keep down the heat from the wood-burning stove, and part of the deal was assisting with the morning farm chores, including feeding and collecting eggs from the heritage breed chickens, turkeys, and Gulf Coast Sheep as well as picking ripe little peaches right from the tree.  This early morning exercise helped me and my compatriots work up a good appetite.

Gulf Coast Sheep at Nash Farm in Grapevine, Texas




eggs ready for collecting from nest at Nash Farm in Grapevine, Texas





ripe peaches in a basket at Nash Farm in Grapevine, Texas

breakfast table at Nash Farm in Grapevine, Texas

pouring coffee at Nash Farm in Grapevine, Texas

breakfast plate at Nash Farm in Grapevine, Texas

More things to do in Grapevine, Texas

More things to do in Texas.

Great ideas for travel adventures in California and the U.S. and around the world.

images and videos ©2018 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Things to Do: Grapevine, Texas, Nash Farm

Nash Farm   626 Ball St., (817) 410-3185.  Daily 9am-5pm.

exterior of farmhouse at Nash Farm in Grapevine, Texas

Thomas Jefferson Nash purchased 110 acres of farmland in Grapevine in 1859.  His family raised an assortment of livestock and crops here. Today, 5.2 acres of the original Nash Farm--including the farmhouse built by Thomas, the barn, and the family cemetery--remain.  The house retains much of its original structure, but was restored in 2008.  The Grapevine Heritage Foundation’s mission for Nash Farm is to preserve, protect, and visually reflect the significance of Grapevine’s farming and agricultural heritage so that future generations may appreciate and experience a way of life lived by settlers of the Grape Vine Prairie.  Nash Farm schedules many special events (think Ice Cream Social, Kite Making, or an 1860s Baseball Game) and interpretive programs, as well as educational tours.  Every event here is a living history experience, with workers dressed for the era.  And crafts are done with authentic era tools.  “You’ll never see plastic,” say tour guide Cody Jolliff.

upstairs bedroom in farmhouse at Nash Farm in Grapevine, Texas

By all means sign up for the package that includes a farm-to-fork farmhand breakfast of biscuits with homemade butter and jams, salt pork (fried ham), hard-boiled eggs fresh from the farm’s henhouse, pickled vegetables, trappers fruit, and a variety of beverages (each guest gets to take home their logo Nash Farm coffee cup as a souvenir).  I had to good fortune to experience this delicious breakfast in the dining room and kitchen that were built separate from the house to keep down the heat from the wood-burning stove, and part of the deal was assisting with the morning farm chores, including feeding and collecting eggs from the heritage breed chickens, turkeys, and Gulf Coast Sheep as well as picking ripe little peaches right from the tree.  This early morning exercise helped me and my compatriots work up a good appetite.

Gulf Coast Sheep at Nash Farm in Grapevine, Texas




eggs ready for collecting from nest at Nash Farm in Grapevine, Texas





ripe peaches in a basket at Nash Farm in Grapevine, Texas

breakfast table at Nash Farm in Grapevine, Texas

pouring coffee at Nash Farm in Grapevine, Texas

breakfast plate at Nash Farm in Grapevine, Texas

More things to do in Grapevine, Texas

More things to do in Texas.

Great ideas for travel adventures in California and the U.S. and around the world.

images and videos ©2018 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Things to Do: 10 fun things to do downtown on Main Street, Grapevine, Texas

10 fun things to do downtown on Main Street in Grapevine, Texasplus an extraordinary place to stay nearby
If you have a 4-plus-hour stopover at the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, consider shuttling in to stroll Main Street in Grapevine’s Historic Downtown.  Or extend your stay for 24 hours and spend the night at an extraordinary mega resort.  All of these places except the resort are within easy walking distance of each other.

Main Street in Grapevine, Texas

1.  eat a deep-fried stuffed avocado.  Well known and long-loved Esparza’s Restaurante Mexicano occupies a renovated late 1800s house and is famous for its margaritas and Tex Mex dishes.

stuffed avocado at Esparza's Restaurante Mexicano in Grapevine, Texas

2.  have a down-home experience at an old-time farm.  A visit to Nash Farm takes you back to 1859.  You’ll see heritage breed farm animals and docents dressed in era clothing.  More.

picking peaches at Nash Farm in Grapevine, Texas

3.  visit a complex of historical museums.  The Settlement to City Museums operate within old town buildings here that include a replica ice house, a house museum, a schoolhouse, and a cotton ginner’s museum.  Each holds specific collections.

Settlement to City Museums in Grapevine, Texas

4.  witness an Old West shoot-out between Glockenspiel characters in a clock tower.  The 127-foot-high Clock Tower atop the Grapevine Visitors Information Center is home to two 9-foot tall characters--would-be train robbers Nat Barrett and Willy Majors.  They emerge for a 5-minute scheduled show most days, but unfortunately, when I visited, they were no-shows.

exterior of Grapevine Visitors Information Center in Grapevine, Texas

5.  taste quality dark chocolate in a shop operated by an M.D.  Operating within a cool little shop, Dr. Sue dispenses “chocolate you’ll feel good about eating.”  Dr. Sue’s Chocolates aims to promote a healthier lifestyle and uses no artificial ingredients or “GMO anything.”  Everything is also gluten free.  I adore the cherry-pecan chocolates.

cherry-pecan chocolates at Dr. Sue's Chocolates in Grapevine, Texas

6.  take a ride on a vintage railroad.  Climb aboard the Grapevine Vintage Railroad for a ride in old-time 1920s rail cars along the historic Cotton Belt Route to the Fort Worth Stockyards.  The engine is sometimes Puffy, an 1896 steam locomotive, and sometimes Vinny, a 1953 GP-7 diesel locomotive.

Grapevine Vintage Railroad ticket office in Grapevine, Texas

7.  view a gigantic miniature railroad layout.  Back at the stellar Grapevine Visitors Information Center you can enjoy a massive 1,000-square-foot interactive model train layout and a kid’s train yard-themed play area.




lobby of Grapevine Visitors Information Center in Grapevine, Texas

8.  go wine tasting.  Though it is a surprise to many people to discover there are no vineyards in Grapevine, there are seven winery tasting rooms located along Main Street.  My favorite was Messina Hof Winery Grapevine, which is located in the replica 1920s Wallis Hotel.  I especially liked the GSM (Grenache/Syrah/Mavedre) and the Italian Sagrantino--both are dry, delish, and drinkable.

wine tasting at Messina Hof Winery Grapevine in Grapevine, Texas

9.  make your own blown-glass ornament.  The state-of-the-art facility that is the Vetro Glassblowing Studio & Gallery is the perfect place to try glass-blowing or to just see how it’s done.

working on ornament at Vetro Glassblowing Studio & Gallery in Grapevine, Texas

10.  get in the Christmas spirit.  Visit the official Christmas Capitol of Texas in December.  That’s when more than 1,400 events are scheduled over 40+ days.

          And while you’re here, spend the night in the mega Gaylord Texan Resort.  With 1,814 rooms spread though 9 floors, this extravaganza has 4.5 acres of lush indoor gardens and a seasonal water park with indoor and outdoor pools.  Christmas here is a sight to behold--you’ll see more than 2 million twinkling lights, 15,000 ornaments, and a 54-foot-tall Christmas tree--even snow tubing and a carved ICE! exhibit held inside a 9-degree ice tent!



More things to do in Texas.

Great ideas for travel adventures in California and the U.S. and around the world.

images and video ©2018 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

Things to Do: Grapevine, Texas, 10 fun things to do downtown on Main Street

10 fun things to do downtown on Main Street in Grapevine, Texasplus an extraordinary place to stay nearby
If you have a 4-plus-hour stopover at the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, consider shuttling in to stroll Main Street in Grapevine’s Historic Downtown.  Or extend your stay for 24 hours and spend the night at an extraordinary mega resort.  All of these places except the resort are within easy walking distance of each other.

Main Street in Grapevine, Texas

1.  eat a deep-fried stuffed avocado.  Well known and long-loved Esparza’s Restaurante Mexicano occupies a renovated late 1800s house and is famous for its margaritas and Tex Mex dishes.

stuffed avocado at Esparza's Restaurante Mexicano in Grapevine, Texas

2.  have a down-home experience at an old-time farm.  A visit to Nash Farm takes you back to 1859.  You’ll see heritage breed farm animals and docents dressed in era clothing.  More.

picking peaches at Nash Farm in Grapevine, Texas

3.  visit a complex of historical museums.  The Settlement to City Museums operate within old town buildings here that include a replica ice house, a house museum, a schoolhouse, and a cotton ginner’s museum.  Each holds specific collections.

Settlement to City Museums in Grapevine, Texas

4.  witness an Old West shoot-out between Glockenspiel characters in a clock tower.  The 127-foot-high Clock Tower atop the Grapevine Visitors Information Center is home to two 9-foot tall characters--would-be train robbers Nat Barrett and Willy Majors.  They emerge for a 5-minute scheduled show most days, but unfortunately, when I visited, they were no-shows.

exterior of Grapevine Visitors Information Center in Grapevine, Texas

5.  taste quality dark chocolate in a shop operated by an M.D.  Operating within a cool little shop, Dr. Sue dispenses “chocolate you’ll feel good about eating.”  Dr. Sue’s Chocolates aims to promote a healthier lifestyle and uses no artificial ingredients or “GMO anything.”  Everything is also gluten free.  I adore the cherry-pecan chocolates.

cherry-pecan chocolates at Dr. Sue's Chocolates in Grapevine, Texas

6.  take a ride on a vintage railroad.  Climb aboard the Grapevine Vintage Railroad for a ride in old-time 1920s rail cars along the historic Cotton Belt Route to the Fort Worth Stockyards.  The engine is sometimes Puffy, an 1896 steam locomotive, and sometimes Vinny, a 1953 GP-7 diesel locomotive.

Grapevine Vintage Railroad ticket office in Grapevine, Texas

7.  view a gigantic miniature railroad layout.  Back at the stellar Grapevine Visitors Information Center you can enjoy a massive 1,000-square-foot interactive model train layout and a kid’s train yard-themed play area.




lobby of Grapevine Visitors Information Center in Grapevine, Texas

8.  go wine tasting.  Though it is a surprise to many people to discover there are no vineyards in Grapevine, there are seven winery tasting rooms located along Main Street.  My favorite was Messina Hof Winery Grapevine, which is located in the replica 1920s Wallis Hotel.  I especially liked the GSM (Grenache/Syrah/Mavedre) and the Italian Sagrantino--both are dry, delish, and drinkable.

wine tasting at Messina Hof Winery Grapevine in Grapevine, Texas

9.  make your own blown-glass ornament.  The state-of-the-art facility that is the Vetro Glassblowing Studio & Gallery is the perfect place to try glass-blowing or to just see how it’s done.

working on ornament at Vetro Glassblowing Studio & Gallery in Grapevine, Texas

10.  get in the Christmas spirit.  Visit the official Christmas Capitol of Texas in December.  That’s when more than 1,400 events are scheduled over 40+ days.

          And while you’re here, spend the night in the mega Gaylord Texan Resort.  With 1,814 rooms spread though 9 floors, this extravaganza has 4.5 acres of lush indoor gardens and a seasonal water park with indoor and outdoor pools.  Christmas here is a sight to behold--you’ll see more than 2 million twinkling lights, 15,000 ornaments, and a 54-foot-tall Christmas tree--even snow tubing and a carved ICE! exhibit held inside a 9-degree ice tent!



More things to do in Texas.

Great ideas for travel adventures in California and the U.S. and around the world.

images and video ©2018 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

Good Eats: Big Texan Steak Ranch, Amarillo, Texas

Big Texan Steak Ranch   7701 E I-40, (806) 372-6000.  Daily 7am-10:30pm.

steaks just off the grill at Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo, Texas
Back in 1962, Big Texan Steak Ranch owner R.J. “Bob” Lee challenged a dining room full of cowboys to eat as many one-pound steaks as they could within one hour.  One cowboy ate 72 ounces of steak, a baked potato, a shrimp cocktail, a dinner roll, and a salad.  Lee proclaimed that thereafter anyone who could eat that same dinner in one hour would receive the meal for free.  It is now referred to as the 72-ounce Steak Challenge.  So far, almost 100,000 people have won the challenge--that averages out to two people per day.  Bobbie says a “128-pound housewife ate it all in 20 minutes.  She would have eaten my hand, too, if I hadn’t moved it!”  The day I dined here one guy almost did it and another very young fellow from Ohio most definitely did not.

the 72-ounce Steak Challenge at Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo, Texas
Happy diners who squeeze into the humongous dining room (it holds around 300 people) can watch this show unfold on a small stage in front of them while wandering cowboys serenade.  But mostly they will be enjoying eating their own well-priced, delicious steak.  I devoured most of my spectacularly tasty 16-ounce bone-in Duke’s Cut ribeye ($23) and sent the rest home for a dining companion’s dog.  Rocky Mountain oysters (aka bull balls) that reputedly taste like chicken hearts are another popular menu item.  Kids meals are served in a cowboy hat they can take home.  And I grew very fond of the “laughing margarita,” which did indeed get me laughing.  My sister suggests, “Sit upstairs near the edge.  It’s really, really fun.”  But I found a prime spot by the kitchen and got to watch the grilling action as well.  Bobbie and Danny, sons of the owner, didn’t want to take over the business, but here they are.  They now also make their own beer and have also opened the Starlight Ranch down the road.  And they want you to come on down--they’ll even send a free limo with Texas longhorns attached to the hood to pick you up and return you to your hotel or campground.

exterior sign at Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo, Texas

limo with longhorns attached at Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo, Texas

dining room at Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo, Texas

laughing margaritas at Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo, Texas

salad at Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo, Texas

16-ounce bone-in Duke’s Cut ribeye at Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo, Texas

carrot cake at Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo, Texas

owners Bobbie and Danny at Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo, Texas
[image error]


More things to do in Amarillo.

More things to do in Texas.

Great ideas for travel adventures in California and the U.S. and around the world.

images ©2018 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Good Eats: Amarillo, Texas, Big Texan Steak Ranch

Big Texan Steak Ranch   7701 E I-40, (806) 372-6000.  Daily 7am-10:30pm.

steaks just off the grill at Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo, Texas
Back in 1962, Big Texan Steak Ranch owner R.J. “Bob” Lee challenged a dining room full of cowboys to eat as many one-pound steaks as they could within one hour.  One cowboy ate 72 ounces of steak, a baked potato, a shrimp cocktail, a dinner roll, and a salad.  Lee proclaimed that thereafter anyone who could eat that same dinner in one hour would receive the meal for free.  It is now referred to as the 72-ounce Steak Challenge.  So far, almost 100,000 people have won the challenge--that averages out to two people per day.  Bobbie says a “128-pound housewife ate it all in 20 minutes.  She would have eaten my hand, too, if I hadn’t moved it!”  The day I dined here one guy almost did it and another very young fellow from Ohio most definitely did not.

the 72-ounce Steak Challenge at Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo, Texas
Happy diners who squeeze into the humongous dining room (it holds around 300 people) can watch this show unfold on a small stage in front of them while wandering cowboys serenade.  But mostly they will be enjoying eating their own well-priced, delicious steak.  I devoured most of my spectacularly tasty 16-ounce bone-in Duke’s Cut ribeye ($23) and sent the rest home for a dining companion’s dog.  Rocky Mountain oysters (aka bull balls) that reputedly taste like chicken hearts are another popular menu item.  Kids meals are served in a cowboy hat they can take home.  And I grew very fond of the “laughing margarita,” which did indeed get me laughing.  My sister suggests, “Sit upstairs near the edge.  It’s really, really fun.”  But I found a prime spot by the kitchen and got to watch the grilling action as well.  Bobbie and Danny, sons of the owner, didn’t want to take over the business, but here they are.  They now also make their own beer and have also opened the Starlight Ranch down the road.  And they want you to come on down--they’ll even send a free limo with Texas longhorns attached to the hood to pick you up and return you to your hotel or campground.

exterior sign at Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo, Texas

limo with longhorns attached at Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo, Texas

dining room at Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo, Texas

laughing margaritas at Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo, Texas

salad at Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo, Texas

16-ounce bone-in Duke’s Cut ribeye at Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo, Texas

carrot cake at Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo, Texas

owners Bobbie and Danny at Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo, Texas
[image error]


More things to do in Amarillo.

More things to do in Texas.

Great ideas for travel adventures in California and the U.S. and around the world.

images ©2018 Carole Terwilliger Meyers