The Finest Issues to Do and See When Driving to the Panhandle

Since we dwell in a metropolis that’s an hour away from itself, the Panhandle might as properly be a unique state so far as Houstonians are involved. An equally flat, albeit considerably drier, state. Is Amarillo its capital? Lubbock? Is the roadrunner the state fowl? How do they like their brisket? They do eat brisket, proper?

For the sake of interstate…err…intrastate relations, I drove from Houston to the Panhandle and again to chronicle the very best stops alongside the way in which. It’ll take a couple of days, certain, but it surely’s properly value it so as to add a stamp to your passport (proper?) and take in some north Texas tradition.

Day 1

On my manner as much as Dallas for the primary chunk of this legendary highway journey, I ended by my previous school stomping grounds—and the ultimate resting place of Houston’s namesake statesman—situated about 70 miles north of the town.

A enjoyable reality about Huntsville is that there’s extra to the city than the jail and the eerie 67-foot-tall statue of Sam Houston looming over I-45. Café Texan purports to be the oldest café within the state, having opened in 1936. No matter whether or not that’s true, it does serve spectacular hen and dumplings and pulls double obligation as a free historical past museum. The eclectic assortment consists of letters by US presidents, Egyptian canopic jars, samurai swords, and World Struggle I–period glass eyes. Because it’s all housed in a single room, you’ll be able to see every thing fairly rapidly earlier than scooting subsequent door for dessert at Louise & Oleta’s Tea Home and Café. If the Soiled Physician—made with Dr Pepper, coconut, and cherry foam—occurs to be on the menu that day, you’d do your self an awesome disservice to not order it. The chai is great, too, if that’s extra your factor. There’s additionally a seasonal collection of Pop-Tart-style pastries (which might be higher than Pop-Tarts) and low desserts.

Huntsville additionally holds the excellence of being the resting place of Tripod, a stray canine who walked on his three good legs and was beloved by Sam Houston State college students earlier than he handed in 1962. For road-trippers who need to make a cease and pay their respects to an excellent boy, he’s buried underneath a well-tended marker on the college’s Previous Primary hill.

Simply up the freeway, Madisonville has a Buc-ee’s for refueling and utilizing the lavatory. It’s just about a normal Buc-ee’s, besides with extra painted wine glasses than any of us have ever seen in our lives.

Fruitcake ceaselessly finds itself a punch line round Christmastime, with jokes mocking its density and taste. Anybody who has ever stopped at Corsicana’s Collin Avenue Bakery on the way in which into Dallas is aware of that these jokes are as airless as a popped balloon. The bakery has perfected the artwork of the fruitcake with a recipe that dates to 1896, in addition to succulent variants like apricot and chocolate-covered cherries that can silence the naysayers at first chew.

By the point I hit Dallas correct, I used to be experiencing the start levels of a sugar crash and wanted to sleep it off. Confusingly, there are two Bishop Arts Lodges close to the Bishop Arts District. The one I stayed in is at 975 N Zang Blvd (rooms begin round $130). Every room is themed after a unique world metropolis. Having by no means been to Mumbai, I can’t state whether or not I felt “transported” to India, however the room was comfy and clear to the purpose I nearly didn’t need to go away it. Nonetheless, meals was required, and I made a decision to proceed the pattern of stuffing myself foolish with sugar, so I walked to the indulgent Emporium Pies. The Bishop Arts location is open till 11pm on Friday and Saturday; pies rotate seasonally, with only some year-round objects. (See extra suggestions in our Dallas information, p. 99.)

Day 2

I remorse to tell you that I didn’t, in truth, arrive in Amarillo by morning. An try was not made, as a result of it wasn’t protected for the dinky little Hyundai I drive to interrupt the sound barrier. I’m not sorry.

I’m additionally not sorry for breakfast on the Wild Detectives, inside strolling
distance of my lodge. This hybrid espresso store/bar/bookstore/document retailer serves scrumptious chai, lattes, and empanadas along with seasonal alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks. Heads up: The store doesn’t have Wi-Fi on weekends, but it surely does have a particular the place you get a drink at no cost for those who purchase a e book.

I hit the highway once more till I arrived at Hibiscus Café in Wichita Falls. Ask for the off-menu spetzofai, a Greek sausage specialty made with purple wine and bell peppers. It’s unimaginable stuff, and excellent gasoline to see you thru to Chillicothe for a mandatory pit cease at Valley Pecans. These are highway journey snacking necessities: baggage of shelled pecans served plain or coated in candy or spicy mixes, and fudge so wealthy and dense it’ll most likely find yourself in Congress.

I briefly pulled off 287 to take a look at Medication Mound, a ghost city in Hardeman County. Solely two dilapidated buildings and a rusty playground stay after the city merged into close by Quanah in 1955. The wind roars alongside such flat land, however the impact is extra calming than it’s eerie. Regardless of its ghost city standing, Medication Mound presents a quiet, reflective respite from the highway fairly than a horror story.

The overrated Leaning Tower of Texas and alleged Greatest Cross in Texas, each situated in Groom, sign that my final vacation spot is lower than 50 superflat miles away: the fantastic Large Texan Steak Ranch and its accompanying motel.

“Wonderful” is an understatement. Large Texan is a multistory spectacle full with an arcade, reward store, fudge counter, brewery, and doubtless an entire bunch of different wonderful perks I didn’t get an opportunity to see as a result of I used to be actually hungry. Large Texan’s declare to fame facilities on its 72-ounce Steak Dinner Problem, whereby members should end the eponymous meat, together with a shrimp cocktail, baked potato, roll with butter, and salad—all inside one hour. Your meal is free for those who obtain this.

You most likely need to know if I did the 72-ounce steak problem. I didn’t. That stated, I did spring for a way more inexpensive lower in a measurement I might truly end, and got here to the conclusion that it was most likely among the finest steaks I’d ever eaten. I additionally drank a number of the greatest beers in Texas, most notably the just about chocolaty Whiskey Barrel Stout, a calmly candy Pecan Porter, and the refreshing Mexican-style lager Tres Hombres (strive it with the Rocky Mountain oysters, in any other case referred to as bull testicles…no, critically).

The meal made for an ideal prelude to having fun with the motel. True to the Large Texan title, my room sported a campy, cartoony Previous West aesthetic, together with old-timey saloon doorways main into the kitchenette and loo space. Rooms begin at round $100.

Day 3

After you’ve slept off your steak, you’ll be able to get pleasure from Amarillo’s different claims to fame. Cadillac Ranch, an artwork set up by the collective Ant Farm, includes 10 graffitied Cadillacs buried front-first in a pasture. It’s my humble opinion that, whereas Cadillac Ranch deserves commendation for its affect and standing, Slug Bug Ranch is much more enjoyable. Because the title signifies, in lieu of Cadillacs, the featured automobiles have been initially Volkswagen Beetles. These days it resembles a playground with a mess of various automotive varieties and placements to stretch out your legs earlier than consuming breakfast and heading out for an additional thrilling day of road-tripping. Strive Ye Olde Pancake Station, an enthralling traditional diner. Savor the espresso. Skip the Dutch child.

After miles upon miles of land flatter than an armadillo on 287, Palo Duro Canyon’s breathtaking cliffside views come as a shock—one of the vital dramatic and tear-inducing examples of pure magnificence in Texas. Regardless of your time or capability constraints, there’s going to be not less than one path appropriate for you right here. Although not listed on the map or web site, the one-mile out-and-back Cave Path continues to be open to the general public and is greatest for intermediate hikers, though two of its three caves have been closed off on account of rockslides. That provides to the entire expertise, as a result of the cave-ins nonetheless look unimaginable and supply a singular view on how landscapes can change even with out human intervention.

In the event you’re slightly extra pressed for time, or don’t really feel like hopping round and up difficult terrain, the Pioneer Nature Path solely takes a few half hour and, as a quarter-mile loop, makes for a lot smoother strolling. Maintain your eyes peeled for roadrunners.

Dipping again south 100 miles or so exterior the park, Lubbock’s museums supply totally different instructional probabilities to chill down after a trek by means of the desert. I’m particularly keen on the Silent Wings Museum ($10 admission), a have a look at a little-known slice of World Struggle II historical past: the Allies’ glider program. Pilots used to coach proper in Lubbock, and their accomplishments kicking Nazi butt at the moment are commemorated in an previous airport tower, together with a number of the gliders themselves.

Holly’s Drive-In in Put up makes for a enjoyable pit cease the place you’ll be able to seize a hell of a cheeseburger from the consolation of your individual automotive, or take a second to play a couple of arcade video games inside to flee the warmth and stretch your legs.

Whereas on the highway, maintain a watch out for the “Welcome to Sweetwater” signal, seen from I-20 east about 43 miles from Abilene. It’s a inventive piece of public artwork, repurposing an previous wind turbine blade into an emblem of the city.

From nature to human achievement and again to nature. Abilene State Park presents $50-per-night yurts ($75 when you’ve got a celebration over 5 individuals) so you’ll be able to go to sleep underneath the celebrities glowing by means of the skylight, serenaded by the delicate hoots of close by owls. (Aspect notice: Carry your individual linens, because the park doesn’t provide any.) Swing by H-E-B and seize some sizzling canine, charcoal, and fixins beforehand. There are grills, which I like to recommend lighting up solely after you’ve had an opportunity to cease by the fowl blind to verify and see if any little lads are flying about.

Day 4

White-tailed deer grazed exterior my yurt within the morning. It made me not need to go away, however the Dr Pepper Museum’s name should be heeded.

Entrance Porch Espresso Co. and Bakery is value backtracking into Abilene correct for breakfast, particularly with the expanse between there and Waco providing little (however not nothing!) in the way in which of leisure. Within the shadow of an previous silo, the restaurant doesn’t skimp on the avocado portion of its avocado toast, and the kitchen makes a mighty good breakfast sandwich, too.

Cease by Meridian for a have a look at the Bosque County Courthouse, which was inbuilt 1886 and should very properly be the gothiest constructing in Texas after Numbers. After lastly arriving in Waco, I instantly swarmed Hecho En Waco, which has some wonderful lunch specials, like a large bowl of pozole verde or a taco salad bowl for $10.

Only a block away, the Dr Pepper Museum is like Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Manufacturing facility, solely with out all of the OSHA violations and youngster endangerment. It’s a whimsical have a look at the historical past and making of the beloved, Texas-born beverage. Probably the most smile-inducing components of the entire expertise is watching movies of Dr Pepper’s invention carried out by two actors who’re clearly having a blast with this gig. One other spotlight is the unique properly the place the soda slingers pulled their water. For an additional $20, you are able to do the Make-A-Soda workshop—I’m fairly happy with the sugar-free chocolate-cherry-vanilla concoction I got here up with. I didn’t replenish on my handcrafted soda too a lot, for the reason that $12 admission into the museum features a free drink. (I opted for a caramel crème Dr Pepper.)

Ensure that to cease by Fabled Bookshop and Cafe. This magical, mystical wonderland—lookup and also you’ll catch a glimpse of a dragon—hosts a well-curated collection of books, together with thrilling LGBTQ+ titles, new releases from native writers, and nice Texas historical past and journey reads. You may spend hours cozied up on a luxurious sofa or chair with a e book and a cup of tea.

You are able to do the very same factor on the Bluebonnet Path, a trip rental complicated made out of previous transport containers (rooms begin at about $113). They’re homey and clear, and on a transparent night time you’ll be able to take the steps as much as the roof and maintain studying books and consuming tea till you resolve it’s time to curve up within the massive, delicate mattress and drift off into desires of books and tea.

Day 5

In the event you resolve to not head again as much as the roof and indulge as soon as extra in books and tea for breakfast, make brunch reservations at Magnolia Desk for a few of Waco’s greatest eggs Benedict. Joanna Gaines’s biscuit recipe ought to be preserved within the Library of Congress. When you have room, order the seasonally flavored doughnut holes, too.

Stroll off the wealthy meal on the Silos, one other Gaines challenge, and store for quite a lot of cute house items, play soccer or cornhole on the inexperienced, tour a cute previous church, or eat from one of many many meals vehicles if, for causes unknown, you’re nonetheless hungry.

Waco can be house to a whimsical piece of public artwork referred to as the Tincinerator, a nutcracker painted on an deserted incinerator. He’s stood 80 ft tall and proud in a parking zone since 2014, and you may wave to him from the freeway for those who’re in an excessive amount of of a rush to cease and take a photograph.

Different noteworthy residents of the town embody the Pleistocene fossils residing on the Waco Mammoth Nationwide Monument. Residence to the stays of a number of Columbian mammoths, a turtle, a saber-toothed cat, and some extra critters nonetheless needing identification, the park is an lively archaeological web site the place you’ll be able to find out about what Texas appeared like 1000’s, and even hundreds of thousands, of years in the past. The $6 tour by means of the positioning and accompanying pathways takes round an hour, however you’re welcome to remain and stroll round for so long as you want. In the event you’re additionally a rock and gem fanatic, make sure that to browse the reward store’s improbable collection of semiprecious stones.

On the way in which house, Buc-ee’s has a location in Waller, simply exterior of Houston, so you should utilize the clear restrooms and gasoline up your automotive (perhaps seize a brisket sandwich) earlier than heading to paradise.

Not Houston, as a lot as we need to consider it. Blue Heron Farm, an lively dairy farm in Waller, permits you to drink beer, eat cheese, and pet goats. Or simply eat cheese and pet goats, for those who don’t have a delegated driver readily available. Settle in for a little bit of pastoral relaxation and rest after being on the highway for a number of days. There’s additionally cornhole and Jeremy, a sulcata tortoise with a penchant for escapism, accessible in your leisure. I can consider no excellent capper to a circuit round east and north Texas than contemporary air, contemporary cheese, and a number of the sassiest barnyard animals within the tricounty space.