Lubbock, TX Road Trips

The city is home to approximately 259,000 residents and students (2019). Lubbock is the seat of Lubbock County, the site of state and national parks, two major medical systems, three universities, and is unique among other growing Texas cities in that its sustained economic development and growth are not supported by heavy industry. Lubbock has experienced steady growth for several decades and today occupies approximately 125 mi² (324 km²). Lubbock County was founded in 1876 and named after Thomas S. Lubbock, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and subsequent Confederate officer. Mr. Lubbock didn't have any particular ties to the area; but the area bore his name because a state administrator penciled in names of counties on a crude map of the Panhandle - at random. The modern town of Lubbock was not established until 1890 when old-Lubbock and the smaller town of Monterey struck an unusual alliance and merged the two communities, a deal most likely initiated by rival town promoters hired by area ranchers and merchants to lobby Ft. Worth & Denver for a rail depot. The site of Monterey was chosen in lieu of the new township's name, Lubbock. Old-Lubbock's residents relocated to Monterey just south of the Yellowhouse Canyon, dragging the Nicollete Hotel with them on rollers. Lubbock became the county seat in 1891 and incorporated as a city in 1909. In 1923 Texas Technological College, now known as Texas Tech University, was founded after a contentious bid war among several area cities including Amarillo and Plainview.

Lubbock is one of those rare cities where history permeates everything, and as a result most locals know at least something about the city's history. Most are content with knowing the area, and specifically the city, are of some historical import. There are plenty of folks who are willing to share a few details about their home without repeating the "Buddy Holly is from here" bit. 1 Bayer Museum of Agriculture, 1121 Canyon Lake Dr, ☏ +1 806-744-3786, toll-free: +1-877 789-8335, fax: +1 806-744-1734. Tu - Sa 10am to 5pm. Founded in 2001 as a cooperative by local agricultural leaders to preserve the area's history. Also the permanent home of the Lubbock County Historical Collection. The collection ranges from household trinkets to farm equipment and implements. $5. (updated Jun 2020) 2 American Windmill Museum, 1701 Canyon Lake Dr., ☏ +1 806 747-8734. Tu-Sat 10AM-5PM. Offers a unique experience into the history of wind power from the Old West to today. The center has restored 120 windmills which survived the scrap drives during WWII. Most are scattered along the 28-acre (11 ha) grounds shared by the American Museum of Agriculture. The center operates the city's first wind-turbine which powers the center, the neighboring museum, and 40 homes adjacent to the grounds. $7.50 Adults, $6 Seniors/Veterans, $5 Children (5-12). (updated Jun 2020) 3 Buddy Holly Center, 1801 Crickets Avenue, ☏ +1 806 775-3560. Tu-Sa 10AM-5PM, Su 1-5PM. The Buddy Holly Center occupies the renovated Ft. Worth & Denver South Plains Railroad Depot.

Texans love a good party, and Lubbockites are no exception. Lubbock plays host to some of the most-attended outdoor events in the country. Most of these events are not well-known outside the area, and are blessedly free of tourists. Lubbock Arts Festival. April, 2nd or 3rd weekend. The largest arts festival in the region combining fine arts, arts & crafts, food and music. The festival traditionally features an exhibit of Texan studio art. Sponsored by the Lubbock Arts Alliance and local businesses. The event grows in popularity each year with 20 to 30,000 attending. $15. 4th on Broadway. Independence Day. The largest free festival in Texas! Every year over 100,000 people will walk along the 1/2-mile (800-m) portion of Broadway blocked off for the street fair. At dusk the festival moves into the canyon for concert and fireworks. The Lubbock Youth Symphony Orchestra is featured during the fireworks. Space and parking are at a premium, especially in the evening. Free. National Cowboy Symposium. September, 1st weekend. A modest gathering of 20,000 to 50,000 enthusiasts celebrating the prototypical cowboy. Features music, lecture series, cook-offs and horse show. $15. Fiestas del Llano. September, 2nd or 3rd weekend. Cultural festival which focuses on Hispanic history and traditions. Between 10 and 20,000 attend this festival each year. The folk-dance and conjunto banda competitions are very popular. $5. (updated Jun 2020) 1 Panhandle-South Plains Fair. September, Last Week. The nine-day festival is one of the largest regional fairs in the nation.

Jumbo Joe's. Various locations. Pretty good hamburgers. While there are many locations in town, the one at 1520 Avenue Q definitely has great burgers and usually runs a $1.99 burger and fries special. 1 Spanky's, 811 University. The best burgers in town, and most known for their famous "fried cheese". Spanky's has two levels to handle the fairly busy lunch hour. Even when busy, the service is quick and friendly. 2 La Malinche, 1105 2nd Pl. Open for breakfast and lunch on Wednesday-Monday. This Mexican Restaurant is the definition of "hole in the wall," but the food is delicious, cheap, and the locals love it (especially the homemade tortilla chips). Rosa's Cafe. Various locations. A good place to go if you are in a hurry. Rosa's is a fast food/sit down Mexican food restaurant that is a favorite and frequented by many locals. 3 Cotton Patch Cafe, 6810 Slide Rd. This joint has a hometown feel with some Texas cooking. Orlando's, 6951 Indiana Ave and 2402 Avenue Q. Everything at Orlando's is unique and exciting. Their minestrone soup is out of this world, as well as so many more of their fantastic dishes. 4 Abuelo's, 4401 82nd St. The original location of a hugely successful restaurant that serves delicious Tex-Mex. Expect a wait for tables on most nights. Great standard fare of enchiladas, tamales, tacos - but also some interesting and delicious gourmet specialties such as grilled shrimp wrapped in bacon, etc. Also, highly recommended sangria swirl margaritas! 5 Ruby Tequila's, 8601 University Ave. Some of the best Tex-Mex in town.

The Depot District, surrounding the Buddy Holly Center, is the main place to go out for a night on the town. This collection of clubs, coffee houses and live music venues along Buddy Holly Avenue pay homage to Lubbock's most famous son, and the area's rich musical heritage. 1 Bash Riprock's, 2419 Main St, ☏ +1 806 762-2274. This Main St. club, a longtime Texas Tech favorite, hosts live music on the weekends and boasts an extremely wide variety of domestic and import beers on tap. (updated Apr 2016) 2 Chimy's, 2417 Broadway, ☏ +1 806 763-7369. A local favorite for margaritas located on Broadway close to Tech. (updated Apr 2016) 3 Cricket's Grill and Draft House, 2412 Broadway, ☏ +1 806 744-4677. Great beer selection, close to Tech. (updated Apr 2016) 4 Jake's Sports Cafe, 5025 50th St, ☏ +1 806-687-5253. Live music and good drinks. (updated Apr 2016)

1 Best Western Lubbock Windsor Inn, 5410 Interstate 27, ☏ +1 806 762-8400, fax: +1 806 762-0303. 2 Courtyard Lubbock, 4011 South Loop 289, ☏ +1 806 795-1633, fax: +1 806 795-6006. 3 Embassy Suites, 5215 South Loop 289, ☏ +1 806 771-7000. 4 Fairfield Inn Lubbock, 4007 South Loop 289, ☏ +1 806 795-1288, fax: +1 806 795-1288. 5 La Quinta Inn Lubbock - Downtown Civic Center, 601 Avenue Q, ☏ +1 806-763-9441. (updated Apr 2016) 6 Motel 6, 909 66th St, ☏ +1 806 745-5541, fax: +1 806 748-0889. 7 TownePlace Suites Lubbock, 5310 West Loop 289, ☏ +1 806 799-6226, fax: +1 806 799-6256. Robin House, Near 17th and Chicago, ☏ +1 806-796-1753. 4 bedrooms, 2 bath, sleeps 7 easily. This home is well located for those attending football games or those needing a nice place to stay while working in Lubbock for a few days or weeks. It's in a quiet neighborhood and within walking distance of two parks. BBQ grill is provided along with all essentials in the kitchen, linens, etc. House has sprinkler system, weekly yard service, and security system. Laundry room with supplies.

1 Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport (LBB IATA) (5 mi (8.0 km) north of downtown). Southwest Airlines, United Express, and American Eagle serve the small airport. Air travel to Lubbock will most likely require a connecting flight in one of the airports with direct service to Lubbock. American flies to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, and United flies to Houston (Bush) and Denver. Southwest has nonstop flights to Las Vegas, Austin, and Dallas Love Field. Cab fare to the Downtown area or Texas Tech is $13 to $18. Fare to the hotels along the south and southwest beltway range from $20 to $25. Royal Coach offers posted rates from the airport into the city. The fare is based on a zoned map ranging from $6 to $24, depending on your destination. Lubbock is easily accessible by car. US 62/82, US 84, I-27, US 87 and TX 114 are well maintained roadways which allow for easy driving in and out of the city. A modern beltway, TX Loop 289, offers a quick shortcut around the city's notoriously absent congestion. TNM&O is the local Greyhound affiliate and offers connecting lines to all major U.S. cities. Arrivals occur most often in daylight, while a majority of the departures occur at dawn or dusk. The TNM&O terminal also serve as its corporate offices. The closed Bus Stop Diner, on the 13th St. side of the terminal, is rumored to be haunted by the city's transients. TNM&O administrators blame the dust.

Lubbock is developed along a large scale grid. North-south streets are labeled A-Z Downtown and progress to city and state names moving west. East-west streets are numbered from 1 to 150 or so. Streets north of Downtown follow the names of colleges and universities, while those east of Downtown are flowers and trees. Block ranges, house numbering and street names are consistent throughout the city and most follow alphabetical order. All major roadways are 1 mi (1.6 km) from each other in either direction and are uniformly straight. The intrastate I-27, which connects Amarillo and Lubbock, terminates south of the TX SR 289 interchange. The interchange of 66th St., US 84 and I-27 was once the site of a notorious intersection called The Circle. Avenues A, H, Q, Tahoka Rd. and Slaton Rd. converged in a three lane vaulted hub a half-mile in diameter. Avenues Q & A were not realigned after the I-27 project covered most of Avenue H. The remaining intersection is still very tricky at the northeast corner. TX SR 289, often called The Loop or 289 by locals, can be congested along its southwest portion during business hours. Construction of the Marsha Sharp Freeway will cause severe disruptions near Texas Tech University and Downtown. The city's public transit authority, Citibus, operates fixed bus routes throughout the city. The system relies on a pulse-based schedule which originates at the Downtown Transfer Plaza. A one-way trip is $1.75, and a day pass is $3.50. The drivers operate electronic fare boxes and do not carry change.

Crime in Lubbock is on par with other cities its size, and showcased attractions such as the Depot District are well policed. As with any unfamiliar place, vigilance and awareness are advised. Do not under any circumstances travel to Mackenzie Park or Canyon Lakes System after dark. During the spring months, weather in Lubbock can grow rather tumultuous in rapid fashion. Weather warnings are not to be ignored during severe weather season. The city is also subject to frequent dust storms during the spring; and while not exactly dangerous, these storms are often severe enough to limit visibility. Drive with care, and give yourself a few more car length's worth of reaction time.