Ready for an adventure that’s 135 years in the making? Hop aboard the Texas State Railroad for a Piney Woods adventure. This four-hour excursion offers riders relaxing views of the rolling landscape. The historic railroad was built in 1883 to serve the mining industry. As this waned, the line was repurposed for tourism. These days […]
Texas State Railroad – A Piney Woods Adventure Read More »
Planning a long road trip requires finding plenty of balance. The required driving time has to be offset with some enjoyable stops. I have found that the longer the drive, the bigger the reward should be at the end. Since this road trip was somewhat of a circular route, I had strategically placed a couple
Arches National Park – Hiking In Wonderland Read More »
Picture yourself cruising down the highway. A warm breeze blowing in the window as the miles of pavement roll by under your tires. Each new town and city brings another chance to explore the wonders of America. This is just the kind of experience you get when traveling along the path of the old Route
24 Hours in Weatherford, Oklahoma Read More »
For centuries people dreamed of taking flight. Watching the birds soaring through the air seemed to offer the freedom to explore life from a new perspective. While the invention of hot air balloons and gliders allowed glimpses into this new world, it was powered flight that would forever change the way that humans travel. During
6 Reasons To Visit The Stafford Air & Space Museum Read More »
Cruising along Route 66 will lead you to some unique destinations. While the names on the map roll by like tumbleweeds, the people found in the cities along the way will plant themselves in your memory for years to come. A prime example was our visit with Nedra, who was happy to share a slice
History In The Heartland of America Museum Read More »
The Central United States is filled with a mixture of amazing destinations, although there can often be miles between stops. For decades, travelers have cruised the back roads and highways that crisscross the country. One of the most iconic American highways was Route 66, which carried travelers from Chicago to Santa Monica. We love exploring
Calling All Route 66 Lovers – Lucille’s Roadhouse Read More »
Can you imagine visiting a new destination and not trying out some of the local eateries? We always try to uncover those places that draw in the city’s residents, since they usually have some of the best dishes. During our trip to Amarillo, we had plenty of opportunities to sample a wide range of restaurants.
Dining On The Panhandle – Amarillo Eats Read More »
When we are determining the first city to cover in a new state, we look for a place that offers something for all ages. After all, it’s not a family vacation destination, if it doesn’t appeal to everybody. Crystal and I have family in Texas but decided to start with a city far away from
Playing In The Panhandle – Amarillo Entertainment Read More »
When we plan out our trips, it seems that breakfast can be some of the most difficult stops to pick. While we enjoy a good down-home breakfast as much as the next person, those types of places don’t make for very interesting articles. Since we want to offer plenty of options, finding an eatery that
Going Green For Breakfast – Girasol Bakery Read More »
Baseball is often referred to as “America’s Favorite Pastime”. The crack of the bat, roar of the crowd, and feeling of camaraderie that come with a baseball game are hard to match. When we were offered an opportunity to attend a game during our visit to Amarillo, there was no way we were going to
The New Game In Town – Amarillo Sod Poodles Read More »
It seems that our fast-paced travel style can get us burning tons of calories, which is a good thing. Our desire to feature plenty of local dining options always has us on the lookout for unique stops. Amarillo, Texas was filled with choices galore, but we wanted to make sure that we took a little
Comfortable Elegance – Public House Amarillo Read More »
High in the Panhandle-Plains of Texas, people carve out a life from the rugged landscape. Driving across this flat terrain reminded us of traveling across the western half of our home state of Kansas. This perspective changed when we arrived at Palo Duro Canyon. Laid out before us we saw only glimpses of the 120-mile
Palo Duro Canyon – Millions Of Years In The Making Read More »
Everyone knows that they do things bigger in Texas. We discovered this also applies to their outdoor theater located in Palo Duro Canyon. After spending a day exploring the 2nd largest canyon in the United States, we made a visit to Texas Outdoor Musical. This long-running musical has played from June through August for over
Texas-sized Fun at Texas Outdoor Musical Read More »
For almost seven decades, Wonderland Park has been bringing fun to the Panhandle. In the early ’50s, Paul and Alethea Roads traveled to Amarillo to look over some potential property where they might develop an amusement park. While their first impression was less than impressive, a second viewing opened their eyes to the potential. That
Bringing Fun To The Panhandle – Wonderland Park Read More »
Over the course of our travels, we have learned the truth in the saying “Never judge a book by its cover”. This also stands true for many of the restaurants we have found. Sometimes the little hole-in-the-walls offer up some of the best eats around. It is a common practice for us to set our
Coyote Bluff Cafe – Cowboy Up For Lunch Read More »
When we really think about it, Oklahoma City and Kansas City have a lot in common. Both are located in the heart of the country and filled with welcoming residents. They are located on the I-35 corridor, which bisects our nation. They are both transportation hubs and share a history associated with the cattle industry.
OKC Streetcar – Coloring A New Downtown Read More »
Who remembers those summer camping trips from your youth? Those are memories that had been stored in a dusty file in the back of my brain. When we were in the planning stages of our Amarillo trip, we were looking for some unusual stops to add to the itinerary. Braley Hand, our contact at the
Jack Sisemore Traveland RV Museum – Revisiting Our Childhoods Read More »
By now, we are sure that you all know we love barbecue. Being from the Midwest, we have sauce coursing through our veins. Traveling across the continent has given us opportunities to sample this smoky cuisine in some unexpected locations. A visit to Oklahoma City would not be considered an unusual destination for ‘Cue. When
7 Reasons To Chow Down At Bedlam Bar-B-Q Read More »
Everyone knows that the Grand Canyon is the largest in the United States, but you do you where the second largest is at? You can imagine our surprise, when we discovered that it lies just south of Amarillo, Texas. Yes, the panhandle plains are home to Palo Duro Canyon, which is HUGE! While our visit
Take A Wild Ride At Palo Duro Creek Ranch Read More »
The idea of containing all of the history of a state in one location would be futile. Each one would be overflowing with a wealth of artifacts and information, that just couldn’t be gathered in one place. Of course, many of the state museums do a fantastic job at detailing a wide variety of the
Touching The Past – Oklahoma History Center Read More »
Longevity is one of the main goals in the restaurant business. Many struggle to make it through the first couple of years, as they fight to build a consistent following. If they make it to five years, then they face the next issue, which is to prevent their menu from becoming stale to their regular
35 Years of Panhandle Pride – Calico County Read More »
You may have noticed that we have a thing for downtown areas of destinations we visit. Over the past few years, we are seeing more and more cities experiencing a revitalization of their urban regions. This return to the core has sparked the opening of some unique attractions, shops, and lodging options. Of course, when
Bringing Brunch To Downtown Oklahoma City – Kitchen 324 Read More »
This was our first visit to the southern High Plains region of Texas. With three days to explore, we planned on learning about the history of the region. The huge mesa that encompasses this portion of the high plains is actually named Llano Estacado. It is often translated as the Staked Plains. Using Amarillo as
Life In The Staked Plains – Panhandle Plains Historical Museum Read More »
While the banjo did not get its start in America, it has certainly found a way into the culture of American music. I have had a fascination with this unique sounding instrument for many years. When our travels brought us back to Oklahoma City, it offered an opportunity I would not pass up a second
Picking And Grinning At The American Banjo Museum Read More »
Some like it hot, but we prefer it to be flavor-packed. Amarillo, Texas is chocked full of intriguing dining options, so we knew our trip would be delicious. One of the reasons we chose Amarillo as our first Texas blogging city, was that it lies smack dab on Route 66. There is a section of
Tex-Mex Fix On Route 66 – Braceros Mexican Grill & Cantina Read More »
It’s hard to beat a good burger for lunch. Wherever we travel, we always look to add at least one good burger joint to our itinerary. It never ceases to amaze us with the unique ways that eateries find to dress up this handheld staple. During a return visit to Oklahoma City, we had a
Rocking The Classics At S&B’s Burger Joint Read More »
Traveling through the Texas Panhandle can bring with it some unusual sights. One of the most popular paths is to follow along the old Route 66, which passes through Amarillo. Just west of the city, we happened upon the Cadillac Ranch. This quirky art installation is visited by thousands of budding artists annually. The open
Ever Changing Landscape – Cadillac Ranch Read More »
How many of you find yourself moving at a faster pace during your vacations? It seems that we feel the clock ticking on our time away, and we want to pack it full of leisurely activities. By the time we return home, we feel like we need a vacation from our vacation. We have found
Peace In The Panhandle – Amarillo Botanical Gardens Read More »
Don’t you like it when you find a hometown connection when visiting a new destination? This is exactly what happened to us, during our stay in Amarillo, Texas, but we will talk about that in a minute. Part of our focus, on this trip, was finding stops that are perfect for Route 66 travelers. (Here’s
Cowboy Spirit At The Big Texan Read More »
When we planned our visit to Amarillo, there was an unusual stop that we wanted to catch, which lies north of the city. The Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument is the only park in Texas dedicated to preserving the quarries of the native peoples. The admission to the park is FREE and includes the beautiful
Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument – Digging The Past Read More »
Oklahoma City holds so many great opportunities for couples and families. With tons of attractions, hundreds of dining options, and welcoming residents, this city is just begging for a visit. On this trip, we only had 24 hours in OKC, so we needed to stay close to the action. The Colcord Hotel OKC was the
An OKC First – Colcord Hotel OKC Read More »
Tulsa, Oklahoma is a city of many stories. From the forced move of the five civilized tribes to the oil booms of the early 1900’s, many events helped shape the past of this Midwestern city. What began as a frontier town, blossomed into a boomtown complete with art deco skyscrapers. Our itinerary was designed to
15 Reasons to Visit Tulsa, Oklahoma Read More »
When we are in the planning phase of a trip, I like to leave a little room in the schedule for unexpected destinations. It never fails that many of the locals will point out some of their top spots, and when one gets mentioned multiple times, we try to squeeze in a visit. In Tulsa,
Caz’s Chowhouse Delivers Down Home Eats Read More »
We always make an itinerary for our research trips, since it helps keep us on track. While many of the attractions are the base for our visit, we try to be a little more fluid with our restaurant plans. While I will certainly select a few “must try” locations, some of the others are open
Tacos Don Francisco – Hole In The Wall Dining In Tulsa Read More »
We are baby boomers, and when we launched this blog, we expected that people our own age would be the only ones to read it. We couldn’t have been more off base. The analytics show that our largest age group of readers are actually in the 25 to 35 age span. We hope this is
Tulsa Children’s Museum Offers Entertaining Education Read More »
Have you ever eaten at a restaurant that sources it’s ingredients locally? Did you notice how much more flavor the dishes have? We had that opportunity during a visit to Dilly Diner, in Tulsa, as we checked out their breakfast menu. We were happy to find out the restaurant was within walking distance of our hotel. A scenic
Taste The Freshness At Dilly Diner Read More »
Did you know that Tulsa, Oklahoma is home to the largest collection of art and artifacts of the American West? The Gilcrease Museum holds this vast array of objects, as well as a significant amount of Native American material. Located on the northwest corner of the city, it fit in perfectly after a morning visit
The Largest Collection Of American West Art – Gilcrease Museum Read More »
For those that follow our travels, and especially the eateries we frequent, it is probably obvious we are huge pizza fans. When visiting a new city, we always try to scope out a possible candidate for a meal. In Tulsa, we found Bohemian Pizzeria, in the East Village area near downtown. During research prior to our
Squeezing In To Bohemian Pizzeria Read More »
Visiting an aquarium in the middle of the United States may seem odd to some, but we were looking forward to this unique experience. The Oklahoma Aquarium is a great place for a family destination, and offers a nice selection of activities, along with some beautiful exhibits. We dropped by on a Saturday morning, and while we
Oklahoma Aquarium Brings Sea Life To The Southwest Read More »
Whenever we travel we like to enjoy a few guilty pleasures. Eating dessert is not an everyday experience for us, so when the opportunity arises, we like to go bold. Antoinette Baking Company offered us a chance to do just that. This place was not on our radar, as I had not seen anything about
Tremendous Treats At Antoinette Baking Co. Read More »
When visiting a new city, there are always a few iconic stops that just have to be experienced. In Tulsa, one of them is Tally’s Good Food Cafe on the old Route 66. The restaurant opened on Friday the 13th in November of 1987. Open 7 days a week, Tally’s serves breakfast (all day), lunch, and
Take The Mother Road To Tally’s Cafe Read More »
Some people avoid outdoor activities during the summer months, but we love to get a daily dose of Vitamin D. For our stop at the Tulsa Zoo, we knew it would be best to start early to see the most activity. We arrived at opening time, and met up with Ellen Averill for a quick golf
Here’s Looking At Zoo! The Tulsa Zoo Read More »
During our cruise in the Caribbean, we discovered that their cuisine celebrates life with plenty of flavor. (You can read about it here.>) Our arrival in Tulsa was celebrated with a visit to Sisserou’s Caribbean Restaurant. We parked in the Brady Arts District, and made our way to lunch. This area of the city is filled with
Taste The Islands at Sisserou’s in Tulsa Read More »
Whenever I am creating an itinerary for a new city to visit, I like to find a couple of sweet options. In Tulsa, it was obvious that a stop at Glacier Confection would be a requirement. We find chocolatiers to be a set of unique individuals, with the patience for incredible attention to detail. Each place
All Wrapped Up In Chocolate Bliss At Glacier Confection Read More »
A visit to Tulsa, Oklahoma offers a chance to immerse yourself in the culture of a Midwest city. At the Woody Guthrie Center you can learn about one of America’s greatest folksingers. Our visit occurred on a warm day in August. Of course, most days in August are going to be warm, since we are in
Exploring The Woody Guthrie Center Read More »
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