Cadillac RanchApproaching Amarillo from the west on the 1-40 highway
visitors will come across one of America's most noted roadside
attractions, conceived and funded by an eccentric local man, helium
tycoon Stanley Marsh 3. The Cadillac Ranch consists of 10 finned
vintage Cadillac cars, buried nose first in a field about 12 miles
(19km) from the town. They have been buried, allegedly, at the same
angle as the angle of the sides of the Great Pyramid of Egypt.
Marsh doesn't seem to mind the ever-increasing amount of graffiti
that is spray painted onto the cars by visitors.Don Harrington Discovery CenterFocussing on physical, earth and life sciences the Don
Harrington Discovery Center is set in a 51-acre park with a lake
and picnic area. The centre boasts more than 100 hands-on
activities and a recently renovated Space Theater. There is also an
aquarium on site featuring both saltwater and freshwater tanks as
well as a botanical garden. Most popular sights here are a Foucault
Pendulum, rotating independently of the earth's gravitational pull,
a helium technology exhibit and a weather-watch section with a
tornado machine.Amarillo Museum of ArtThe Texas Panhandle's one and only accredited art
museum is the Amarillo Museum of Art. The museum has six galleries
housing a permanent collection that includes 17th through 19th
century European paintings, 20th century modernists, photography,
Asian art and Middle Eastern textiles. The museum also offers
frequently changing exhibits ranging from contemporary art to the
American and European masters.Palo Duro CanyonStarting about a million years ago a branch of the Red
River carved a massive canyon through the northern Texas plains.
The walls of the Palo Duro Canyon plunge down to 1,000ft (305m) at
points, exposing the multi-layered coloured rock strata. The
colours are particularly brightly picked out on the spires and
pinnacles that the forces of nature have carved out on the canyon
floor. The Palo Duro Canyon State Park is a few miles east of
Amarillo, reached via Texas 217 highway. The park offers picnic and
camping facilities, a visitor's centre with a shop, an amphitheatre
where shows are staged, and horseback riding trips. The park also
has a famous historic site where the last great battle between
troops and Indians took place in Texas. In 1874 Colonel Ranald
Mackenzie and his 4th Cavalry defeated a large band of Native
Americans camped in the canyon and transported them to reservations
in Oklahoma.
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