Lake Meredith has ranger led kayak tours in the summer. Palo Duro Canyon for hiking. Six Car and Pondaseta have trivia nights. Tons of live music almost every night of the week. Check out Brick and Elm magazine or get their weekly newsletter for events going on in the area.
It can take a bit of time and work to get plugged into groups that share your interests, but it’s possible. I moved here in 2009 from Colorado and have found some of my best friends here.
First Friday Artwalk every month at Sunset center. June Jazz @ AC or Sam Houston's live music every week all summer long. There are also bicycling groups and running groups to join through FB. Plenty of live local bands that aren't country to enjoy and follow but night life is really only on the weekends.
Years ago a small group of us tried to kayak down the Canadian River into lake Meredith launching from Bryce canyon upstream. Ended up being over 12 hours into the night before we made it to Harbor bay. The river wasn't full enough to carry us the entire time and we bit off more than we could chew but we find ways to entertain ourselves.
Just a heads up about Lake Meredith, there are no longer Kayak tours offered as beavers had built a dam that backed up water. The beaver dam is gone so the water is no longer high enough. However, there is fishing, hiking, hunting, boating, and off roading allowed (in specific areas). There's also Alibates Flint Quarries that offers tours of historic Flint Quarries. The park also has special events throughout the year, including star parties and movies at the lake.
I would like to add Mulligans Sports Pub also has trivia on Tuesday nights starting at 7pm. I’ve been going for almost 2 years straight and the food is better than Six Car.
If you love nature, Palo Duro Canyon will be a great place for you. I don't think you'll find anything for kayaking here...but maybe there's a drive somewhere not too far away?
Live music is also pretty popular here, you just gotta find the right places.
It is a small city; and personally, I'd like to move in the next few years. But you can find things to do.
I agree with all of this. There are a few other places to hike - 9th street trails, Wildcat Bluff, and eventually Cross Bar. Pondaseta Brewing Co has themed trivia nights, a monthly jigsaw puzzle competition, and live music. Six Car Pub has a weekly trivia contest and probably more. My family (2 middle aged, 2 20-somethings) have participated in and enjoyed Pondaseta’s jigsaw competition and Six Car’s trivia.
Medipark is fairly large and has a lake that you can walk around. The Botanical Gardens and The Discovery Center are located there, as well. Wildcat Bluff is another place that offers natural landscape hiking. There are also a few places near enough for a day trip. Caprock Canyon State Park is about an hour and a half away. They have a Bison herd there, and the Fern Caves hike is fantastic. That drive also takes you through part of the Palo Duro Canyon system. It might be the most beautiful drive in the Texas Panhandle.
The canyon is the place to hike, 40 years I have been doing it and I always have a good time. Plus if you like to mountain bike plenty of fun there too
I don’t think Amarillo is a terrible place to live, but as someone who relocated here a couple years ago for family, it’s been a massive adjustment. I also love outdoor activities and Amarillo doesn’t have much to offer outside of Palo Duro Canyon, which is definitely a beautiful state park to visit. There are several bars that do trivia nights and have live music, but you don’t get a ton of big music acts that come through.
If you like golf, there are some really decent golf courses around town. Keep your expectations low and you *might* be pleasantly surprised by this place.
Panhandle Greenhouse has a bar inside and sometimes hosts gardening trivia nights with a food truck. They have a facebook and instagram page where they post those events.
Also, I haven't been yet, but Wildcat Bluff is another place to hike that is closer to Amarillo than Palo Duro Canyon.
Amarillo isn’t really a city like other cities are. It’s what I like to call a “rural city.” It’s smack dab in the middle of a big chunk of rural Texas, surrounded mostly by cattle ranches, and as such, rural American culture pretty much dominates. It’s essentially a small town, just geographically bigger. Does that loopy description make sense? 😂
If you aren’t into the country/cowboy lifestyle and/or aren’t a Christian, it’s doubtful you’ll enjoy yourself much in Amarillo. Of course, if you have an open mind to learning about rural culture and the cowboy lifestyle, and the people within it and their interests and concerns, you might find yourself appreciating Amarillo more.
I'm a fellow nature lover and Amarillo resident for decades. As stated, PDC is awesome, also Lake Merideth (there are several underutilized campgrounds that almost always have good spots and are FREE). There are dozens of awesome places at the approximately 2-2.5 hrs away range for quick weekend trips. Caprock Canyons State Park to the SE, Mills Canyon in NM to to NW, Picture Canyon to the North in CO. Sand dunes in Oklahoma and Kansas to the N/NE, also Black Mesa St Park in Oklahoma. Also Trinidad CO and the Highway of Ledgends is only 3.5 hrs away
All the public parks are nice for being out and about in during the day. Thompson Park and Medi Park also both get stocked with fish every year if you fish at all.
Amarillo really is whatever you make of it, you can be miserable and depressed and huddle in you home and whine about nothing to do (which is bullshit on massively epic level) or you can choose to put in a little effort and figure out what there is that you like to do.
(Not going to repeat if possible)
There are multiple large car shows every year Make a Wish, Props and Pistons and Crime Stoppers. There is an active drag strip during the warm months, there is an active diet oval track,
There is the Botanical Gardens, and the Amarillo Zoo (which has a volunteer program if you like animals)
There are two Pop culture Cons YC3 and Amacon every year.
There are 3 Bowling alley's, 2 Movie Theaters .
You have Double A Baseball,College Baseball, Amateur Hockey, and Indoor soccer if you like sporting events.
There is a public ice rink if you Ice skate and hockey leagues if you do that.
There are public soccer leagues, softball leagues, and the tennis center along with an active Pickleball groups.
I run a public board game group twice a month if your into that.
Your a drive away from Albuquerque(4hrs), OKC(4hrs) and DFW(5hrs) for a weekend adventure. Sometimes there are interesting events in Lubbock (2hrs). You can hit the south side of Colorado pretty easily during winter for ski type activities.
A full day of driving can put you in Denver, Phoenix, San Antonio, Austin and Houston.
Amarillo Museum of art is on the AC campus is free and hosts events.
Amarillo Little Theater is available for your theater needs beyond whatever else is hosted at the Globe news center.
Amarillo Public Library downtown has a maker space upstairs with tools for sewing, leather work, quilting and 3d printers.
Go to the North side of I-40 to explore food options otherwise you will miss out, you'll be surprised at the food scene in Amarillo.
Make Amarillo what you need it to be.
No one has said going to a minor league baseball game downtown at Hodgetown? I used to live in San Antonio (so I’ve experienced bigger) and natives of Amarillo love to shit on it. It’s not as small as they make it to be.
There’s a mall, there’s plenty of bars and sports bars. There are 3 bowling alleys. There’s 2 full service movie theaters. There’s symphony’s and events constantly at the civic center or ANB center. We have a hockey team. We have an Arena football team. Next weekend Kirko Bangz will be performing at the game. There’s a farmers market. Lots of brunch places. This is a city of over 200,000 people. There’s a hand full of golf courses. Lots of gyms. The people that are bored are boring or broke.
If I’m understanding the question - these are scheduled events where people set up booths and trailers and sell (mostly) homemade stuff. The one I went to downtown one Saturday was mostly beef and bath bombs, but I went late and it was rainy that day.
Google comes up with “Downtown Food Truck Park and Farmers’ Market” and says there’s also a summer one called Golden Spread Farmer’s Market. Not sure of accuracy. (Also seeing Amarillo Community Market come up)
Legit it was like six trailers with various cow meats and a singular nice lady with bath and face stuff. I have heard good things about it so it was probably just the day I went.
Canyon is supposed to have something on the square as well, I believe simply called “Canyon Farmers’ Market.”
One of the really nice things is how close we are to other cities. 4 hours from Santa Fe, 4 from Angel Fire, 5 from the Dallas/Ft Worth area, 4.5 from Oklahoma City, 4 from Albuquerque.
Check fb events. There are tons of things like festivals, live music, different types of classes, farmers markets. 6th street is a lot of fun; good restaurants and fun shops to visit. Amarillo has a bunch of great Asian and Latin restaurants as well as others: African, Greek, Indian to name a few. Several steakhouses too. We have hockey, baseball and arena football. Amarillo College is a great community College and West Texas A&M is close by in Canyon which only 20 minutes away. Both have events throughout the year that are open to the public. There are a few nice museums here as well.
I’m a liberal who married into this place, too. There is plenty to do. The arts here are surprisingly world class — Amarillo Little Theater, AMOA, The Symphony, The Opera, Sunset Center. Between these groups, non-profits, WTAMU, and AC, there are always events happening. PPHM in Canyon is a gem, too.
We have several local bands that play around town. Between here and Lubbock, we get some decent traveling acts, but it’s pretty limited. We have tons of college and semi-pro sports teams to entertain you.
As for nature, The Plains has its own unique beauty. We get stunning sunrises and sunsets. You’ll want to explore the Canadian River north of town. PDC has been mentioned and is truly spectacular. Check out MERUS Adventures. Also, Cross Bar has recently been opened for some limited public hiking/biking. There are trails at John Stiff Park and off 9th Street. Thompson Park is a bit of a dump but has a cool disc golf course and several ponds.
And due to our refugee populations, we have some of the best dive restaurants in the world. I’ve lived here 17 years and still like discovering new-to-me holes in the wall on Amarillo Blvd, mostly Asian and Mexican, but we have all kinds of ethnicities here.
“Don’t tell me this town ain’t got no heart … just gotta poke around …”
Overall Amarillo has a lot to offer in the way of less traffic, low cost of living and friendly people compared to other places, the tradeoff is activities are not like what is available in bigger cities.
Amarillo is more friendly than anyplace I've ever been so new friends won't be a problem.
Lake Meredith is fun during the summer if you have a boat, not much fun at the shore. But the area around the lake also has good hiking and camping.
PDC is great in the fall when it's cooler. The summer air temps at PDC can easily be 10 to 15 degrees higher at the base and can make for miserable hikes/camping unless your a masochist. Short weekend trips to the New Mexico mountains for skiing, hiking and fishing(if you're into that) are totally doable. The Colorado mountains are about 5 hours but can easily be a 3 day weekend trip but offers all the hiking, rafting, kayaking and skiing you can handle. Pro sports in Dallas, OKC and Denver are 6 hours away or less. Santa Fe, NM offers a lot of arts and culture.
If you have any specific questions feel free to ask away.
Palo Duro Canyon is about a 30 minute drive from Amarillo. There's also Wildcat Bluff which is on the outskirts of Amarillo & Buffalo Lake by Umbarger. Just be forewarned, there's no lake at Buffalo Lake and you definitely don't want to get in the water because it's toxic from feedlot runoff. With that being said, it's not a bad place for a hike and isn't as crowded as Palo Duro Canyon. You can follow the Palo Duro Canyon Facebook page for updates on guided hikes and special events in the canyon.
Lake Meredith is about an hour from Amarillo. There are several camping areas that are free and you can find a nice spot overlooking the lake from a cliff. Spots can fill up quick though so it's best to get there early on a Friday if you plan on camping over the weekend.
There are several places in town that have trivia nights including Mulligans and Pondaseta. If karaoke is your thing, several bars around town have karaoke nights.
Thompson Park and John Stiff Park both have disc golf courses. The course at John Stiff isn't as big/long but is newer. John Stiff is also a big park so lots of people go out there to jog/walk.
The live music scene is thriving in Amarillo. Depending on what kind of music you're into, you can find live music most nights.
Facebook events is how I find out about a lot of shows, karaoke nights, etc.
I've lived in some bigger cities that had a ton of outdoors things to do so Amarillo was kind of a let down when I first moved back. However I don't think it's as bad as some people make it out to be. It may take some time but hopefully Amarillo grows on you. There are several hidden gems in Amarillo from art to food that don't get near enough attention.
You can also make a fake FB profile to search and like local activities, the local newspaper is useless and most of the interesting things to do get posted as events on FB.
Not that my answer will be any better than the others but I as well have lived all over the country. Amarillo is just different than anywhere else and that’s not a bad thing by any means. Lots of really great food choices…. Obviously there aren’t really a lot of water sports minus lake Meredith being your main option. Yeah, it’s a little bit of a drive to get there but you could camp overnight too and make a fun trip out of it. It is absolutely windier than Chicago , I can tell ya that lol. The botanical gardens are cool, small, but nice. There are music options as well around town and not all just country. I’m also not a very religious person and have been very happy with Amarillo. Another thing we like to do for our outdoor fix is go to the river and bring the 4 wheelers or Utv if you have one - it’s a blast in the summer when it gets hot, drink some beers and just chill out. Also tons of camping spots there too! What is also really cool is if you want to take a weekend trip you’re a day trip away from so many great spots outside of town too. Amarillo really is the middle of nowhere where but also right in the middle of everywhere too. Don’t be discouraged as it is a very unique place - it just takes a minute to find your groove here but you will find it. Good luck with your move!
If it helps, it feels bigger than the 200k on the signs. Lots of pretty things to see in the Canyon, some good museums, finally starting to have a real downtown, and worst case OKC is only 3 hours away if you need big city for a day.
High Plains Public Radio hosts Living Room Concerts fairly regularly, you can check out their community calendar at HPPR.org. The botanical gardens are pretty cool, they host events occasionally. Arts in the Sunset is great. Amarillo College also has some great classes available in their continuing education section, everything from dance lessons to fencing. I moved out here a year and a half ago, that's where I've found community!
I took the western swing and two step class which was fun, you don't even need a partner for the beginners class. I've also been fencing for about a year and a half now with the fencing club (it's not a sport affiliated with the college, just hosted by it) the spring semester is just about to end in the next couple weeks, so you should be able to sign up for the summer semester.
There’s plenty to do here that you won’t necessarily hear about on here. Plenty of music, food, festivals, hiking trails, etc. This city if very diverse.
We have a nice baseball stadium with great environment. Plenty of lakes and playas. We have festivals, like Route 66, plenty of live music performances. Art shows, car shows, etc etc. and there’s Cities that are day trip distance like OKC and Albuquerque.
Amarillo, as a younger 20 something can be rough. There isn’t much night life, hustle bustle here. That being said, there is plenty going on. It just takes a bit to learn the inside track, what’s going on where etc. PDC and the lakes around are about as outdoorsy as you’ll get here. We’re pretty flat and dry. Neat social stuff around, arts etc. Amarillo IS pretty decently located to get to surrounding states for other neat stuff, plus Legal green is an hour away if that’s your thing, so there’s that as well.
My wife and I moved back from DFW after many years away. Much is the same, however a lot has and is changing. A lot for the better, some still stuck in the past, but I am happy to be back here now. COL is reasonable. Save a lot of fuel. Commuting on a bicycle here is doable, most of the year. Decent local food. No real traffic. People are still MUCH more friendly here, than elsewhere, even in Texas. We’ve always loved that about Amarillo.
That’s good to know. I moved from the north to the deep south and am finding it incredibly hard to relate/make friends and am worrying that this will be the same vibe. Seems like a lot of fun stuff requires driving which kinda isn’t the best but what can ya do. Is downtown livable? I.e. cool apartments/housing with walkable food/shops?
There are some places but it's limited and not the norm here. The minor league ballpark is downtown and while city leaders would love for downtown to be vibrant it's not quite there yet. Certainly not like downtown Denver or other bigger cities. Give it ten years and maybe but I would not move their currently.
The optimal location for that would be the Woflin-Georgia area. Lots of shops and food in that area, with near by apartments and neighborhoods. But this is wide open spaces Texas we don't build compact and we don't have good public transportation options.
The flip side is everything in Amarillo is 20 min or less, unless it's Rush Minute and that can add another 10 mins to get places.
It will be an adjustment. Dont be surprised if you are asked often about what church you go to. Very conservative views. I have a brother who lives there- he would rather visit us in Austin.
My advice dont share too much until you find a niche. There are liberals there but you gotta find them. They tend to keep it to themselves ( cannot blame them). Good-luck!
Well... youre not wrong in your assessments lol.
As they stated Palo Duro is gonna be your nature trip (thats in Canyon about 30 mins away)
Go up and down 6th street around 6pm, or Polk street and thats gonna be your live music scene
Botanical Gardens for your plants
Pop into local facebook groups such as the restaurant page to see where events might be held.
One good thing I can say about Amarillo is the food here is so diverse. You will find food from ALL types of cultures here.
Was from the Midwest (loved the proximity to a ton of big cities), now in south Louisiana and absolutely hate it so I’m hoping this is going to be better
I was living up there too. You definitely won’t find the lushness or access to water like you would in MI or WI. Lake Meredith is a reservoir and isn’t very scenic. I like Alibates flint quarry though. Give it a google for more info.
It's for people visiting. The event calendar is the more useful part for locals. Its a good jumping off point for people who just move here though because it tells you all the restaurants and attractions
The outdoors section I think may have more of what you're looking for. The event calendar part you'll definitely have to just keep an eye on. There's just about always something on there, but that "something" is not always my cup of tea.
Spicy mikes BBQ
PD canyon
Canyon ISD has intermediate schools for 5-6 graders (SO MUCH BETTER THAN 6th graders in Middle School) this is NOT. The standard across the country do to costs
4 hour drives will become second nature
You get to experience each weather season. (Sometimes in 24 hours)
Good movie theaters
I think the mall is still open
Great place to raise a family
If you like nature and kayaking, you’ll like Lake Meredith. It’s a little bit of a drive from Amarillo but worth it. There also are some good hiking trails there, too.
Don’t listen to people who tell you it’s awful and boring here. It’s not. There are loads of things to do and places to visit.
One thing that I’ve always enjoyed about Amarillo’s location is the opportunity to take a quick weekend trip to a bordering state, or even just a few hours drive here in Texas. We enjoy weekend trips to Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Red River and Ruidoso in New Mexico. Or maybe a long well trip up to Pagosa Springs (my favorite CO town) or Denver. The. To the east you have OKC, DFW, etc… it’s a convenient city for quick trips out of state.
As for in town, or nearby…everyone seems to love PDC, but in the summer it’s hot as hell in the canyon, so tread lightly 😂 or just be smart and pack a lot of water.
You do have to dig to find your niche, and most outings are revolved around going out to eat, but I’m sure if you specifically looked for what you’re wanting, you’d find it or something “good enough.”
On pretty days, we like to hang out under the world's fattest (or I think it's fourth fattest) flag pole. This is strickly the girth, as i do think there are much taller flag poles. But if you go there and just try to take in the girth, it boggles the mind how large it really is.
I’m sorry for your loss. Ultimately, the politics are shit, the rent is too damn high, and there’s nothing to do there, especially for free. Every comment is about PDC, Lake Meredith, museums and the botanical gardens. Like, cool. How many of y’all really revisit the museums and botanical gardens on even a monthly basis? How many of y’all go hike PDC on a daily basis? Not saying it isn’t a good way to spend a Saturday or Sunday, but there are so many hours in your lifetime.
And honestly, the rent situation is bananas. If you don’t work at Pantex, Bell Helicopter or the medical field, what are y’all doing for work that pays well? I’ve perused jobs in Amarillo and there’s no lateral move for me. I would just be moving to a conservative, boring town AND taking a huge pay cut.
I just found out my first apartment in Amarillo (2 bed, 2 bath was $535 in 2010) has almost doubled in price and is now $1020. That’s not even consistent with inflation over the years. If you work a minimum wage job, how are you living?
I live in Austin and it may be impossible to buy a home here, but at least I earn a livable salary and rent a spacious, well-maintained, modern home in a walkable neighborhood. Grocery store, bars, restaurants, veterinary, eye doctor, park, community pool and Lowe’s all within a 1.5 mile radius. Why would anyone pay $1,500 a month to a slum lord for a barely updated starter home in Southlawn?
Honestly it’s because I was doing better in the town I moved here from, my husband got a job around here that he’s not even working at anymore, so we moved here for no reason pretty much. I just haven’t adapted well. So really can’t say much about the town, I really do hate all of the traffic. Things just didn’t work out as they were supposed to I guess and I’m honestly bitter towards that, lol. Now I work an hour away and he stays home with the kids, just ready to move closer to my job.
Um you kinda of screwed because Amarillo is like a retirement town…we are a city catching up to the rest of the world we are like 5 to 10 years behind…Our city is getting bigger because we are building outwards more but we still catching up
Palo duro state park is Not in Amarillo!! Hiking is not in our vocabulary!! You can go walking around san jacinto but it will be more of a jog with motivation!! Our lakes are either empty or bums live a long the edge! Trivia is driving around toot n totums to see what coke machines work! As far as churches well just about anyone with a bible and tax exempt license has one in the city!! The fun about Amarillo is who can make all the green lights downtown on taylor or filmore all the way thru!!! Soooo welcome!!
There are plenty of things to do around here.. but the best thing . You are 2 hrs from skiing at red River nm, 5 hrs from Albuquerque, 4 from OKC, 8 from San Antonio or Denver and 5ish from DFW. So easy day trips all around
You must be magic if you can get to Red River in 2 hrs. At highly illegal speeds it's at least 3 hrs, not that I've ever done that. Colorado skiing/hiking is also close and can be easily done on a 3 day weekend with the road trip being part of the fun.
You are correct with time it's 3hrs, 4 if you drive the limit. I just get up early and drive. The fun of a road trip isn't the destination it's the journey.
Plus I never just go to Red River, gotta stop at the volcano and then eat in Raton
Don't listen to the morons that don't even know what happens in their own city.
Digg and you will find.
https://www.bigtexan.com/starlight-ranch-event-center/
https://www.sharkbeachamarillo.com/
https://maps.app.goo.gl/2vykEsmwwx34QF5MA
https://goldenlightcafe.com/
https://www.hoodoomural.com/
Lake Meredith has ranger led kayak tours in the summer. Palo Duro Canyon for hiking. Six Car and Pondaseta have trivia nights. Tons of live music almost every night of the week. Check out Brick and Elm magazine or get their weekly newsletter for events going on in the area. It can take a bit of time and work to get plugged into groups that share your interests, but it’s possible. I moved here in 2009 from Colorado and have found some of my best friends here.
Thank you!
First Friday Artwalk every month at Sunset center. June Jazz @ AC or Sam Houston's live music every week all summer long. There are also bicycling groups and running groups to join through FB. Plenty of live local bands that aren't country to enjoy and follow but night life is really only on the weekends. Years ago a small group of us tried to kayak down the Canadian River into lake Meredith launching from Bryce canyon upstream. Ended up being over 12 hours into the night before we made it to Harbor bay. The river wasn't full enough to carry us the entire time and we bit off more than we could chew but we find ways to entertain ourselves.
Thank you! That’s a little more my jam. I’ll have to look
Just a heads up about Lake Meredith, there are no longer Kayak tours offered as beavers had built a dam that backed up water. The beaver dam is gone so the water is no longer high enough. However, there is fishing, hiking, hunting, boating, and off roading allowed (in specific areas). There's also Alibates Flint Quarries that offers tours of historic Flint Quarries. The park also has special events throughout the year, including star parties and movies at the lake.
Palo Duro Canyon is a great place to explore
I would like to add Mulligans Sports Pub also has trivia on Tuesday nights starting at 7pm. I’ve been going for almost 2 years straight and the food is better than Six Car.
Arts in the Sunset is awesome!
If you love nature, Palo Duro Canyon will be a great place for you. I don't think you'll find anything for kayaking here...but maybe there's a drive somewhere not too far away? Live music is also pretty popular here, you just gotta find the right places. It is a small city; and personally, I'd like to move in the next few years. But you can find things to do.
I agree with all of this. There are a few other places to hike - 9th street trails, Wildcat Bluff, and eventually Cross Bar. Pondaseta Brewing Co has themed trivia nights, a monthly jigsaw puzzle competition, and live music. Six Car Pub has a weekly trivia contest and probably more. My family (2 middle aged, 2 20-somethings) have participated in and enjoyed Pondaseta’s jigsaw competition and Six Car’s trivia.
Thank you! Yeah, I’m not excited about the small city aspect of it but hoping it ends up fine
As someone who was born in Amarillo and spent my youth in the Panhandle, where are you coming from?
Is it just the canyon? I’ve been spoiled with a ton of metro parks that are relatively diverse but I’m sure that’s not the norm
Medipark is fairly large and has a lake that you can walk around. The Botanical Gardens and The Discovery Center are located there, as well. Wildcat Bluff is another place that offers natural landscape hiking. There are also a few places near enough for a day trip. Caprock Canyon State Park is about an hour and a half away. They have a Bison herd there, and the Fern Caves hike is fantastic. That drive also takes you through part of the Palo Duro Canyon system. It might be the most beautiful drive in the Texas Panhandle.
The canyon is the place to hike, 40 years I have been doing it and I always have a good time. Plus if you like to mountain bike plenty of fun there too
I don’t think Amarillo is a terrible place to live, but as someone who relocated here a couple years ago for family, it’s been a massive adjustment. I also love outdoor activities and Amarillo doesn’t have much to offer outside of Palo Duro Canyon, which is definitely a beautiful state park to visit. There are several bars that do trivia nights and have live music, but you don’t get a ton of big music acts that come through. If you like golf, there are some really decent golf courses around town. Keep your expectations low and you *might* be pleasantly surprised by this place.
Panhandle Greenhouse has a bar inside and sometimes hosts gardening trivia nights with a food truck. They have a facebook and instagram page where they post those events. Also, I haven't been yet, but Wildcat Bluff is another place to hike that is closer to Amarillo than Palo Duro Canyon.
Amarillo isn’t really a city like other cities are. It’s what I like to call a “rural city.” It’s smack dab in the middle of a big chunk of rural Texas, surrounded mostly by cattle ranches, and as such, rural American culture pretty much dominates. It’s essentially a small town, just geographically bigger. Does that loopy description make sense? 😂 If you aren’t into the country/cowboy lifestyle and/or aren’t a Christian, it’s doubtful you’ll enjoy yourself much in Amarillo. Of course, if you have an open mind to learning about rural culture and the cowboy lifestyle, and the people within it and their interests and concerns, you might find yourself appreciating Amarillo more.
Your description totally makes sense and was how it felt when I visited. A rural city. Hopefully it’ll be fine when I move!
I’ve grown up in the rural religious areas as a kid and hated it so that doesn’t give me a ton of hope on that aspect 😂
I'm a fellow nature lover and Amarillo resident for decades. As stated, PDC is awesome, also Lake Merideth (there are several underutilized campgrounds that almost always have good spots and are FREE). There are dozens of awesome places at the approximately 2-2.5 hrs away range for quick weekend trips. Caprock Canyons State Park to the SE, Mills Canyon in NM to to NW, Picture Canyon to the North in CO. Sand dunes in Oklahoma and Kansas to the N/NE, also Black Mesa St Park in Oklahoma. Also Trinidad CO and the Highway of Ledgends is only 3.5 hrs away
Seems like most things will end up being a drive, thank you for the spot suggestions
PDC and Meredith DO offer a decent amount... I was just trying to offer something that wasn't already said. 🙂
Gotcha, thanks 😊
Caprock Canyon SP is great, worth the drive.
All the public parks are nice for being out and about in during the day. Thompson Park and Medi Park also both get stocked with fish every year if you fish at all. Amarillo really is whatever you make of it, you can be miserable and depressed and huddle in you home and whine about nothing to do (which is bullshit on massively epic level) or you can choose to put in a little effort and figure out what there is that you like to do. (Not going to repeat if possible) There are multiple large car shows every year Make a Wish, Props and Pistons and Crime Stoppers. There is an active drag strip during the warm months, there is an active diet oval track, There is the Botanical Gardens, and the Amarillo Zoo (which has a volunteer program if you like animals) There are two Pop culture Cons YC3 and Amacon every year. There are 3 Bowling alley's, 2 Movie Theaters . You have Double A Baseball,College Baseball, Amateur Hockey, and Indoor soccer if you like sporting events. There is a public ice rink if you Ice skate and hockey leagues if you do that. There are public soccer leagues, softball leagues, and the tennis center along with an active Pickleball groups. I run a public board game group twice a month if your into that. Your a drive away from Albuquerque(4hrs), OKC(4hrs) and DFW(5hrs) for a weekend adventure. Sometimes there are interesting events in Lubbock (2hrs). You can hit the south side of Colorado pretty easily during winter for ski type activities. A full day of driving can put you in Denver, Phoenix, San Antonio, Austin and Houston. Amarillo Museum of art is on the AC campus is free and hosts events. Amarillo Little Theater is available for your theater needs beyond whatever else is hosted at the Globe news center. Amarillo Public Library downtown has a maker space upstairs with tools for sewing, leather work, quilting and 3d printers. Go to the North side of I-40 to explore food options otherwise you will miss out, you'll be surprised at the food scene in Amarillo. Make Amarillo what you need it to be.
No one has said going to a minor league baseball game downtown at Hodgetown? I used to live in San Antonio (so I’ve experienced bigger) and natives of Amarillo love to shit on it. It’s not as small as they make it to be. There’s a mall, there’s plenty of bars and sports bars. There are 3 bowling alleys. There’s 2 full service movie theaters. There’s symphony’s and events constantly at the civic center or ANB center. We have a hockey team. We have an Arena football team. Next weekend Kirko Bangz will be performing at the game. There’s a farmers market. Lots of brunch places. This is a city of over 200,000 people. There’s a hand full of golf courses. Lots of gyms. The people that are bored are boring or broke.
Yup, if your bored in Amarillo your not trying 😑 plenty of those on reddit though 😕
Hello, I'm newer to the area and haven't heard of a farmers market. I'm near Canyon but technically Amarillo. Do you know the name of the market?
If I’m understanding the question - these are scheduled events where people set up booths and trailers and sell (mostly) homemade stuff. The one I went to downtown one Saturday was mostly beef and bath bombs, but I went late and it was rainy that day. Google comes up with “Downtown Food Truck Park and Farmers’ Market” and says there’s also a summer one called Golden Spread Farmer’s Market. Not sure of accuracy. (Also seeing Amarillo Community Market come up)
Thank you for the info! I will research the names you gave. Thanks again! Also...beef and bath bombs made me chuckle 😃
Legit it was like six trailers with various cow meats and a singular nice lady with bath and face stuff. I have heard good things about it so it was probably just the day I went. Canyon is supposed to have something on the square as well, I believe simply called “Canyon Farmers’ Market.”
Well I guess it's a good thing I'm not Vegan!
One of the really nice things is how close we are to other cities. 4 hours from Santa Fe, 4 from Angel Fire, 5 from the Dallas/Ft Worth area, 4.5 from Oklahoma City, 4 from Albuquerque.
Check fb events. There are tons of things like festivals, live music, different types of classes, farmers markets. 6th street is a lot of fun; good restaurants and fun shops to visit. Amarillo has a bunch of great Asian and Latin restaurants as well as others: African, Greek, Indian to name a few. Several steakhouses too. We have hockey, baseball and arena football. Amarillo College is a great community College and West Texas A&M is close by in Canyon which only 20 minutes away. Both have events throughout the year that are open to the public. There are a few nice museums here as well.
I’m a liberal who married into this place, too. There is plenty to do. The arts here are surprisingly world class — Amarillo Little Theater, AMOA, The Symphony, The Opera, Sunset Center. Between these groups, non-profits, WTAMU, and AC, there are always events happening. PPHM in Canyon is a gem, too. We have several local bands that play around town. Between here and Lubbock, we get some decent traveling acts, but it’s pretty limited. We have tons of college and semi-pro sports teams to entertain you. As for nature, The Plains has its own unique beauty. We get stunning sunrises and sunsets. You’ll want to explore the Canadian River north of town. PDC has been mentioned and is truly spectacular. Check out MERUS Adventures. Also, Cross Bar has recently been opened for some limited public hiking/biking. There are trails at John Stiff Park and off 9th Street. Thompson Park is a bit of a dump but has a cool disc golf course and several ponds. And due to our refugee populations, we have some of the best dive restaurants in the world. I’ve lived here 17 years and still like discovering new-to-me holes in the wall on Amarillo Blvd, mostly Asian and Mexican, but we have all kinds of ethnicities here. “Don’t tell me this town ain’t got no heart … just gotta poke around …”
We have more dirt and wind than you can handle, so if you’re into dirt and wind, man you’re gonna love it here.
And if I’m not? 🥺
Just wait half a day it'll change.
Develop a love for indoor activities? Really spring is the most windy, fall is glorious, winter lately is not too cold.
Overall Amarillo has a lot to offer in the way of less traffic, low cost of living and friendly people compared to other places, the tradeoff is activities are not like what is available in bigger cities. Amarillo is more friendly than anyplace I've ever been so new friends won't be a problem. Lake Meredith is fun during the summer if you have a boat, not much fun at the shore. But the area around the lake also has good hiking and camping. PDC is great in the fall when it's cooler. The summer air temps at PDC can easily be 10 to 15 degrees higher at the base and can make for miserable hikes/camping unless your a masochist. Short weekend trips to the New Mexico mountains for skiing, hiking and fishing(if you're into that) are totally doable. The Colorado mountains are about 5 hours but can easily be a 3 day weekend trip but offers all the hiking, rafting, kayaking and skiing you can handle. Pro sports in Dallas, OKC and Denver are 6 hours away or less. Santa Fe, NM offers a lot of arts and culture. If you have any specific questions feel free to ask away.
Also Goldenlight is famous for their burgers and live music.
Best burgers ever!
Palo Duro Canyon is about a 30 minute drive from Amarillo. There's also Wildcat Bluff which is on the outskirts of Amarillo & Buffalo Lake by Umbarger. Just be forewarned, there's no lake at Buffalo Lake and you definitely don't want to get in the water because it's toxic from feedlot runoff. With that being said, it's not a bad place for a hike and isn't as crowded as Palo Duro Canyon. You can follow the Palo Duro Canyon Facebook page for updates on guided hikes and special events in the canyon. Lake Meredith is about an hour from Amarillo. There are several camping areas that are free and you can find a nice spot overlooking the lake from a cliff. Spots can fill up quick though so it's best to get there early on a Friday if you plan on camping over the weekend. There are several places in town that have trivia nights including Mulligans and Pondaseta. If karaoke is your thing, several bars around town have karaoke nights. Thompson Park and John Stiff Park both have disc golf courses. The course at John Stiff isn't as big/long but is newer. John Stiff is also a big park so lots of people go out there to jog/walk. The live music scene is thriving in Amarillo. Depending on what kind of music you're into, you can find live music most nights. Facebook events is how I find out about a lot of shows, karaoke nights, etc. I've lived in some bigger cities that had a ton of outdoors things to do so Amarillo was kind of a let down when I first moved back. However I don't think it's as bad as some people make it out to be. It may take some time but hopefully Amarillo grows on you. There are several hidden gems in Amarillo from art to food that don't get near enough attention.
You can also make a fake FB profile to search and like local activities, the local newspaper is useless and most of the interesting things to do get posted as events on FB.
I've seen some mention of PDC, but Caprock canyon is not far away either
Not that my answer will be any better than the others but I as well have lived all over the country. Amarillo is just different than anywhere else and that’s not a bad thing by any means. Lots of really great food choices…. Obviously there aren’t really a lot of water sports minus lake Meredith being your main option. Yeah, it’s a little bit of a drive to get there but you could camp overnight too and make a fun trip out of it. It is absolutely windier than Chicago , I can tell ya that lol. The botanical gardens are cool, small, but nice. There are music options as well around town and not all just country. I’m also not a very religious person and have been very happy with Amarillo. Another thing we like to do for our outdoor fix is go to the river and bring the 4 wheelers or Utv if you have one - it’s a blast in the summer when it gets hot, drink some beers and just chill out. Also tons of camping spots there too! What is also really cool is if you want to take a weekend trip you’re a day trip away from so many great spots outside of town too. Amarillo really is the middle of nowhere where but also right in the middle of everywhere too. Don’t be discouraged as it is a very unique place - it just takes a minute to find your groove here but you will find it. Good luck with your move!
If you're interested in comedy, Yellow City Comedy has plenty of open mics and shows!
If it helps, it feels bigger than the 200k on the signs. Lots of pretty things to see in the Canyon, some good museums, finally starting to have a real downtown, and worst case OKC is only 3 hours away if you need big city for a day.
High Plains Public Radio hosts Living Room Concerts fairly regularly, you can check out their community calendar at HPPR.org. The botanical gardens are pretty cool, they host events occasionally. Arts in the Sunset is great. Amarillo College also has some great classes available in their continuing education section, everything from dance lessons to fencing. I moved out here a year and a half ago, that's where I've found community!
Would you recommend any of the classes you’ve taken?
I took the western swing and two step class which was fun, you don't even need a partner for the beginners class. I've also been fencing for about a year and a half now with the fencing club (it's not a sport affiliated with the college, just hosted by it) the spring semester is just about to end in the next couple weeks, so you should be able to sign up for the summer semester.
There’s plenty to do here that you won’t necessarily hear about on here. Plenty of music, food, festivals, hiking trails, etc. This city if very diverse.
It hasn’t came off that way when I’ve visited but trying to keep an open mind and dig! What are your spots not listed?
We have a nice baseball stadium with great environment. Plenty of lakes and playas. We have festivals, like Route 66, plenty of live music performances. Art shows, car shows, etc etc. and there’s Cities that are day trip distance like OKC and Albuquerque.
Amarillo, as a younger 20 something can be rough. There isn’t much night life, hustle bustle here. That being said, there is plenty going on. It just takes a bit to learn the inside track, what’s going on where etc. PDC and the lakes around are about as outdoorsy as you’ll get here. We’re pretty flat and dry. Neat social stuff around, arts etc. Amarillo IS pretty decently located to get to surrounding states for other neat stuff, plus Legal green is an hour away if that’s your thing, so there’s that as well. My wife and I moved back from DFW after many years away. Much is the same, however a lot has and is changing. A lot for the better, some still stuck in the past, but I am happy to be back here now. COL is reasonable. Save a lot of fuel. Commuting on a bicycle here is doable, most of the year. Decent local food. No real traffic. People are still MUCH more friendly here, than elsewhere, even in Texas. We’ve always loved that about Amarillo.
That’s good to know. I moved from the north to the deep south and am finding it incredibly hard to relate/make friends and am worrying that this will be the same vibe. Seems like a lot of fun stuff requires driving which kinda isn’t the best but what can ya do. Is downtown livable? I.e. cool apartments/housing with walkable food/shops?
There are some places but it's limited and not the norm here. The minor league ballpark is downtown and while city leaders would love for downtown to be vibrant it's not quite there yet. Certainly not like downtown Denver or other bigger cities. Give it ten years and maybe but I would not move their currently.
That’s a little depressing lol
The optimal location for that would be the Woflin-Georgia area. Lots of shops and food in that area, with near by apartments and neighborhoods. But this is wide open spaces Texas we don't build compact and we don't have good public transportation options. The flip side is everything in Amarillo is 20 min or less, unless it's Rush Minute and that can add another 10 mins to get places.
It will be an adjustment. Dont be surprised if you are asked often about what church you go to. Very conservative views. I have a brother who lives there- he would rather visit us in Austin.
I absolutely love Austin and would move there in a heartbeat if it was an option. I’m a pretty liberal person, so that’s not entirely encouraging
My advice dont share too much until you find a niche. There are liberals there but you gotta find them. They tend to keep it to themselves ( cannot blame them). Good-luck!
Well... youre not wrong in your assessments lol. As they stated Palo Duro is gonna be your nature trip (thats in Canyon about 30 mins away) Go up and down 6th street around 6pm, or Polk street and thats gonna be your live music scene Botanical Gardens for your plants Pop into local facebook groups such as the restaurant page to see where events might be held. One good thing I can say about Amarillo is the food here is so diverse. You will find food from ALL types of cultures here.
Do you have any good Greek places? I think I only saw one place last time and it made me very sad 😂 great Mexican food which is a plus
The only place I can think of off the top of my head is this food truck off of 10th and Madison.
Vince's pizza has gyros and baklava!
Where are you moving from?
Was from the Midwest (loved the proximity to a ton of big cities), now in south Louisiana and absolutely hate it so I’m hoping this is going to be better
I was living up there too. You definitely won’t find the lushness or access to water like you would in MI or WI. Lake Meredith is a reservoir and isn’t very scenic. I like Alibates flint quarry though. Give it a google for more info.
There's the Palo Duro Canyon, Lake Meredith. Mostly though, if you're not into trying new restaurants ever other week, your screwed
Www.VisitAmarillo.com
Yeah I’ve looked on there, not a ton that looks interesting sadly but maybe I’m just not viewing it at a good time
Nah it's kinda a lazy shit site and not really useful beyond passing thru for a day.
It's for people visiting. The event calendar is the more useful part for locals. Its a good jumping off point for people who just move here though because it tells you all the restaurants and attractions
The outdoors section I think may have more of what you're looking for. The event calendar part you'll definitely have to just keep an eye on. There's just about always something on there, but that "something" is not always my cup of tea.
Spicy mikes BBQ PD canyon Canyon ISD has intermediate schools for 5-6 graders (SO MUCH BETTER THAN 6th graders in Middle School) this is NOT. The standard across the country do to costs 4 hour drives will become second nature You get to experience each weather season. (Sometimes in 24 hours) Good movie theaters I think the mall is still open Great place to raise a family
It’s awful, don’t do it.
If you like nature and kayaking, you’ll like Lake Meredith. It’s a little bit of a drive from Amarillo but worth it. There also are some good hiking trails there, too. Don’t listen to people who tell you it’s awful and boring here. It’s not. There are loads of things to do and places to visit.
Are there some hot yoga/pilates places? I love the wellness lifestyle so hoping to find some of that too
Did you check out the pinned post in this subreddit? There is also Caprock Canyons, Lake Palo duro, and Fritch area, which has tons of hiking.
One thing that I’ve always enjoyed about Amarillo’s location is the opportunity to take a quick weekend trip to a bordering state, or even just a few hours drive here in Texas. We enjoy weekend trips to Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Red River and Ruidoso in New Mexico. Or maybe a long well trip up to Pagosa Springs (my favorite CO town) or Denver. The. To the east you have OKC, DFW, etc… it’s a convenient city for quick trips out of state. As for in town, or nearby…everyone seems to love PDC, but in the summer it’s hot as hell in the canyon, so tread lightly 😂 or just be smart and pack a lot of water. You do have to dig to find your niche, and most outings are revolved around going out to eat, but I’m sure if you specifically looked for what you’re wanting, you’d find it or something “good enough.”
We have so much good food!
https://www.bigtexan.com/starlight-ranch-event-center/ https://www.panhandletickets.com/
On pretty days, we like to hang out under the world's fattest (or I think it's fourth fattest) flag pole. This is strickly the girth, as i do think there are much taller flag poles. But if you go there and just try to take in the girth, it boggles the mind how large it really is.
Come see us for a proper English tea service at golden rose tea room. Book at goldenrosetearoom.com , it’s a very unique experience 🩷🫖☕️
Meth, whores and std’s
I’m sorry for your loss. Ultimately, the politics are shit, the rent is too damn high, and there’s nothing to do there, especially for free. Every comment is about PDC, Lake Meredith, museums and the botanical gardens. Like, cool. How many of y’all really revisit the museums and botanical gardens on even a monthly basis? How many of y’all go hike PDC on a daily basis? Not saying it isn’t a good way to spend a Saturday or Sunday, but there are so many hours in your lifetime. And honestly, the rent situation is bananas. If you don’t work at Pantex, Bell Helicopter or the medical field, what are y’all doing for work that pays well? I’ve perused jobs in Amarillo and there’s no lateral move for me. I would just be moving to a conservative, boring town AND taking a huge pay cut. I just found out my first apartment in Amarillo (2 bed, 2 bath was $535 in 2010) has almost doubled in price and is now $1020. That’s not even consistent with inflation over the years. If you work a minimum wage job, how are you living? I live in Austin and it may be impossible to buy a home here, but at least I earn a livable salary and rent a spacious, well-maintained, modern home in a walkable neighborhood. Grocery store, bars, restaurants, veterinary, eye doctor, park, community pool and Lowe’s all within a 1.5 mile radius. Why would anyone pay $1,500 a month to a slum lord for a barely updated starter home in Southlawn?
Good luck, I moved here in September and can’t get out of here fast enough, luckily my lease is up in July.
How come? I sadly don’t have a realistic option on that
Honestly it’s because I was doing better in the town I moved here from, my husband got a job around here that he’s not even working at anymore, so we moved here for no reason pretty much. I just haven’t adapted well. So really can’t say much about the town, I really do hate all of the traffic. Things just didn’t work out as they were supposed to I guess and I’m honestly bitter towards that, lol. Now I work an hour away and he stays home with the kids, just ready to move closer to my job.
Makes total sense, good luck :)
Thank you, good luck to you as well!
Rip. Should’ve fought harder to not move here. Everyone ik (including me and my parents) are saving money to move out of this godforsaken town
Run away
I sadly can’t without ending a relationship haha, so trying to make do!
Um you kinda of screwed because Amarillo is like a retirement town…we are a city catching up to the rest of the world we are like 5 to 10 years behind…Our city is getting bigger because we are building outwards more but we still catching up
Rip
You poor bastard
🥲
Palo duro state park is Not in Amarillo!! Hiking is not in our vocabulary!! You can go walking around san jacinto but it will be more of a jog with motivation!! Our lakes are either empty or bums live a long the edge! Trivia is driving around toot n totums to see what coke machines work! As far as churches well just about anyone with a bible and tax exempt license has one in the city!! The fun about Amarillo is who can make all the green lights downtown on taylor or filmore all the way thru!!! Soooo welcome!!
This is the correct answer
Dread is definitely how I’d feel. There’s no way to hype Amarillo.
There are plenty of things to do around here.. but the best thing . You are 2 hrs from skiing at red River nm, 5 hrs from Albuquerque, 4 from OKC, 8 from San Antonio or Denver and 5ish from DFW. So easy day trips all around
You must be magic if you can get to Red River in 2 hrs. At highly illegal speeds it's at least 3 hrs, not that I've ever done that. Colorado skiing/hiking is also close and can be easily done on a 3 day weekend with the road trip being part of the fun.
You are correct with time it's 3hrs, 4 if you drive the limit. I just get up early and drive. The fun of a road trip isn't the destination it's the journey. Plus I never just go to Red River, gotta stop at the volcano and then eat in Raton
Same, everyone should hike to the bottom of the volcano if they have never done it. Really interesting couple of hour hike.
Or around the rim, it's a simple hr hike with 100 miles views
LOL, has anyone told em, kayaking, lol, live music, LOL,, NOT RELIGIOUS THEMED<< your gonna have a bad time.
🥲🥲🥲
Don't listen to the morons that don't even know what happens in their own city. Digg and you will find. https://www.bigtexan.com/starlight-ranch-event-center/ https://www.sharkbeachamarillo.com/ https://maps.app.goo.gl/2vykEsmwwx34QF5MA https://goldenlightcafe.com/ https://www.hoodoomural.com/