Highlights

U S Tours Flexible Pricing:

• Customizable Comps
• Commissionable or Net Rates
• Luxury or First Class Hotels & Meals
• Motorcoach Transportation & Professional Tours Managers are available

Whatever you want, U S Tours will be happy to structure tour prices to match your needs.  Just let us know!

Itinerary

Day 1 – Amarillo, TX – Dinner at Big Texan Steak Ranch

Arrive today in Amarillo, TX, where iconic landscapes meet Western heritage.  Check into your Amarillo hotel for a two-night stay.  Tonight, enjoy dinner at the Big Texan Steak Ranch. Enjoy the atmosphere as well as the food in this unique restaurant located along iconic Route 66.  The Big Texan is famous for its 72 oz. steak dinner challenge. (D)

Day 2 – American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum – Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum – Palo Duro Canyon Tour – Chuckwagon Dinner – TEXAS Outdoor Musical & Backstage Tour

This morning, visit the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame and Museum.  It is a hidden gem of Western art in the Texas Panhandle. Visit the many interactive and educational exhibits showcasing the American Quarter Horse and the Western lifestyle.  The American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum celebrates and preserves the history of the world’s most versatile horse.

Next, head to the town of Canyon, TX, home of West Texas A&M University.  Here you visit the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum. From dinosaurs to conquistadors, you’ll find it all in Texas’ largest history museum. Relive the stories of courage and hardship, victory and defeat over the past 14,000 years. Step in and step back to the Old West in a life-size Pioneer Town, view one of the Southwest’s finest art collections, experience the exciting history of the petroleum industry, and more.

After a break for lunch on own, the afternoon features a guided tour of the Palo Duro Canyon, the second largest canyon in the U.S.  Experience the canyon’s rugged beauty and enjoy its colorful history. With a descent of some 800 feet to the canyon floor and more than 16 miles of paved road, Palo Duro Canyon State Park offers fantastic scenic views, historical sites and markers.

Following the Canyon tour, enjoy a backstage tour of the TEXAS Outdoor Drama.  Get ready for a behind the scenes look at how TEXAS is produced. Then enjoy an authentic Chuckwagon BBQ Dinner and enjoy your meal surrounded by the beautiful, Palo Duro Canyon beneath the blue Texas sky.

The TEXAS Outdoor Musical is available each summer (June-Aug | Tuesday-Sunday). This internationally-known outdoor musical drama has been performed since 1966 in majestic Palo Duro Canyon State Park at the open-air Pioneer Amphitheatre. Against a backdrop of canyon walls and the night sky, a talented cast reaches into the past to reveal the struggles, strengths, celebrations, burials and politics of the early settlers, cowboys and Native Americans.  Song and dance abound – and a generous helping of good ol’ Texas humor too – with spellbinding lighting and special effects. (Select July dates feature Shakespeare in the Canyon instead of the TEXAS Outdoor Musical)

Return to Amarillo following the show. (B,D)

Day 3 – Cadillac Ranch – Lubbock, TX – National Ranching Heritage Center – Wine Tasting – Evening Entertainment Option

After breakfast, stop at the Cadillac Ranch on Route 66. Here there are ten graffiti-covered cars half-buried, nose-down, facing west “at the same angle as the Cheops’ pyramids”. Invented and built by a group of art-hippies imported from San Francisco, their silent partner was Amarillo billionaire Stanley Marsh 3.  He wanted a piece of public art that would baffle the locals. So, ten Caddies were driven into one of Stanley Marsh 3’s fields, and half-buried, nose-down.

Following your visit, travel to Lubbock, TX where the afternoon features a guided tour of the National Ranching Heritage Center.  It is located on 27 acres at the north boundary of the Texas Tech University campus in Lubbock. The historic park features more than 50 authentic, furnished ranch buildings and structures that have been relocated from throughout the Southwest. These historic structures have been chronologically arranged to exhibit the evolution of ranch life from the late 1700s through the mid-1900s.  This historical park will take you to the days of the traditional cowboy.

Next, you will enjoy a wine tasting at one of the area wineries.  The Lubbock regions grows 90% of Texas wine grapes.  Enjoy a tasting at one of the area’s six award-winning wineries.

Then check into your Lubbock hotel for an overnight stay.  Dinner is included this evening at a local restaurant. There is the option to add evening entertainment as available at the Cactus Theatre or enjoy live entertainment on your own in the Depot Entertainment District. (B,D)

Day 4 – Buddy Holly Historic Tour – Depart for Home

After breakfast, meet your local guide for a Buddy Holly Historic Tour. Visit several significant Buddy Holly landmarks, including the Buddy Holly Center, which houses a permanent exhibition dedicated to Buddy’s life and music. While there, tour the childhood home of The Crickets drummer, J.I. Allison, where hits such as “That’ll Be The Day” were born. After touring the Center and Allison House, walk across the street to grab a photo with the larger-than-life statue of Buddy at the West Texas Walk of Fame.

Following the tour, depart for home. (B)

Tour Map