“Friday Night Lights” isn’t just a book, TV show, or movie in Amarillo. That high school football passion is alive and well, and Amarillo’s Tascosa High School actually shows up in the book as an opponent.
The locally made Tascosa hot sauce goes on everything. You hear that? Everything.
These are no fake cowboy hat and boot-wearing city folk. Amarilloans are proudly rugged, outdoorsy cattlemen and women with the rough hands to prove it.
This is cowboy country after all, so yes, kids will learn to ride a horse before they learn to drive a car.
Without fail, the local, legendary BBQ joint will sell out—and they’ll be sure to let you know with a cardboard sign. So, if Amarilloans want the best food in the state, they know they’ll have to rush.
Boring, plain chips and store-brand salsa isn’t going to cut it in Amarillo, because these locals know what good Tex-Mex is supposed to taste like from places like Torchy’s Tacos and Jorge’s Tacos Garcia. Oh, and tequila, too.
The afternoons and evenings don’t either really start without 806 coffee either, because this hot spot serves beer alongside their amazing coffee and are open whenever you need a fix.
Forget Chicago. Locals know that Amarillo really has the windiest weather in the county (and the Weather Channel agrees). Plus, with the added bonus of dust, it means Amarilloans are always shaking dust out of their hair.
Yes, despite the stereotypes, it does get cold in this part of Texas. In the winter, temperatures dip into the 30s and there’s even often light snowfall.
Whether it’s grasshoppers or rattlesnakes, Amarilloans are so used to seeing these things crawling around they’ll be calm and collected while outsiders are jumping for higher ground.
This is a fact: If you are doing the Texan Steak Ranch’s famous Texan King 72 ounce steak challenge, you’re a college student or you’re from out of town. Amarilloans love their steak, but they don’t mess around with that tourist stuff.
Everyone in Amarillo knows someone who works in the cattle industry because this city is proudly one of the biggest beef suppliers in the country. With all that expertise, can you blame them for being picky about their steak?
Whether it’s the completely unique Cadillac Ranch where spraypainted cars spring up from the grass, the painted horses around town, or the Dynamite Museum, Amarilloans appreciate art on their own terms.
It must be contagious because everyone flocks to the Amarillo Venom indoor football games, and their support must be working because the team has taken home back to back championships.
Amarillo plays host to the World Championship Ranch Rodeo, but it’s not like the best of the best have to travel there to show off because some of the best are from right there at home.
Say it with them: Amarillo is like Armadillo, and it’s no other way. Plus, they don’t have the accent, you do.
One look at the Amarillo skyline and you know this place is more than just farmland, and locals sometimes like to dust off their cowboy boots and get some upscale cocktails and food at places like OHMS Cafe and Bar or Sakura.
You think drag racing only happens in “Grease”? Then you haven’t been to the long-running and loved Amarillo Dragway where locals satisfy their need for speed.
Pantex, the only nuclear weapons assembly and disassembly facility in the country, is also a major employer. The location of this facility also gave rise to the nickname Bomb City.
All that dust floating around in the Panhandle actually serves a great purpose: helping make some of the most incredible sunsets your eyes will ever witness.
Could you mountain bike over extreme terrain for 24 hours? Amarilloans are up to the challenge when it comes to raising money for cancer survivors with the annual event 24 Hours in the Canyon.
Don’t say Texans don’t love hockey because the spirit is alive and well in Amarillo with the beloved Bulls.
Some of the best rides may cost extra dough, but with no ridiculous wait times like bigger parks it makes for a surefire good way to spend a day—or even a date night for a little excitement.
Everyone knows the hiking is incredible in Palo Duro Canyon, second only to the Grand Canyon, but the ziplining is mind blowing, too. And locals know to tell you to check out the only lighthouse that doesn’t sit on the water.
If you’re driving south on I-27 out of Amarillo, you’re bound to cross the legendary ruins with even more legendary vandalism. As the story goes, Mary and Percey Shelly came across ruins and named them Ozymandias after the Egyptian king. Then some jokester came across and painted socks on them. What do you have to explain to out-of-towners about Amarillo? Tell us in the comments below!
