Things to do in Lubbock
Lubbock, Texas, the hub of the South Plains, is a place where cowboy culture meets highbrow culture
Discover a city that boasts rock 'n' roll history, a long agricultural heritage, fascinating museums, interesting art galleries, a thrilling amusement park and excellent restaurants. The rich natural resources of this region first attracted humans to settle here thousands of years ago—your family will be enthralled while learning about this ancient history. Today, Lubbock is simultaneously vibrant and slow-paced—enjoy the dichotomy while you explore this unique city at your own pace!
Texas Tech University
hosts some of the city’s top attractions, including one of the nation’s most important archaeological sites. On a self-guided tour of Lubbock Lake National Historic Landmark, you can walk in the 12,000-year-old footsteps of some of the first humans to have inhabited this area. During the summer months, you can watch active excavations at the research compound. At the university’s museum, you'll find unearthed ancient bison bones from the site and highlights of a 5-million item collection. If the history of humanity didn’t make you feel small enough, take in a star show at the Moody Planetarium, which is also located at the museum. Also on campus is the National Ranching Heritage Center, which has 48 structures dating from the 1700s to the early 1900s. You can imagine how life was for the ranchers and pioneers as you stand inside the one-room schoolhouse or inside a cabin constructed out of mud and cactus stalks.
In Downtown Lubbock
A giant pair of iconic, black-rimmed glasses marks the entrance to the Buddy Holly Center, an institution celebrating Lubbock’s most famous son and the city’s musical heritage. Housed in a historic former railway depot, the Center showcases such memorabilia as Holly’s Fender Stratocaster, his glasses, personal record collection and fan letters. You can learn about Lubbock’s heritage before the advent of rock 'n' roll at the Bayer Museum of Agriculture, where a replica of a 1920s blacksmith shop, historic tractors and cotton gins are all on display. In September, Lubbock hosts the National Cowboy Symposium and Celebration, which pays tribute to the cowboy culture through storytelling, musical acts, horse-handling demos and a chuck-wagon cook-off.
Out and About
Your whole family could spend a full day at Lubbock’s 248-acre Mackenzie Park and never get bored. Joyland Amusement Park has all the fun of an old-fashioned country fair along with modern-day thrills—the rides range from a turn-of-the-century carousel to a log flume to roller coasters. Mackenzie Park is also home to Prairie Dog Town, a protected natural habitat for a colony of adorable, playful prairie dogs. Lubbock also boasts the largest windmill collection in the world at the American Wind Power Center, which has more than 170 water-pumping windmills. When the heat and humidity of summer have you looking to cool off, you can take the family to Lubbock Water Rampage water park, where everybody can have a blast flying down the waterslides and splashing each other as they glide down the lazy river in their inner tubes.
West Texas Barbecue and More
With nearly 1,000 restaurants to choose from, Lubbock has options for every budget and appetite. Slow-cooked and smoky West Texas barbecue is well-represented and a winning choice for out-of-towners. Tom and Bingo’s BBQ (3006 34th St., Lubbock) is known as one of the top barbecue joints in the state. Since 1962, Pinkie’s (4704 4th St., Lubbock) has plied its barbecued meats by the pound, as well as chicken gizzards and livers by the bucket or barrel. If you’re downtown and craving American classics and homemade pie, dine at Cast Iron Grill (620 19th St., Lubbock).
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About Lubbock
The motto for Lubbock could be "come for the football, stay for the prairie dogs."
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