After spending all of October 2025 in New Mexico, we spent a short week in Amarillo, Texas as we worked our way back towards home base for winter. We didn’t do a ton here, especially because we knew we’d back in Spring 2026 since we planned on doing a Route 66 roadtrip then. Regardless, here’s everything we did during this week- we did find some gems!
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Saturday: Travel Day and a Broken Sink
We spent all of October in New Mexico across 5 different campgrounds, and then on November 1st we started the drive to Texas! We had a 3 and a half hour drive today, so it was pretty much an all day thing. Once we got in we got set up and then started working on fixing our sink that had broken just before move day. It took multiple trips to the hardware store and an online order to get it replaced, so tonight we washed dishes in the bathtub.
Sunday: Palo Duro Canyon
Sunday was our only full day for adventuring, so we decided to spend the day exploring Palo Duro Canyon State Park. It’s nicknamed the “Grand Canyon of Texas” and is the 2nd largest canyon in the country. We had just been to the real Grand Canyon in September, so it wasn’t quite as impressive as it could have been- but it was still a great way to spend the day. We did a couple small hikes to get a variety of sightseeing and drove the whole park road. There’s a small museum in the Visitor Center’s and we got a pretty lunch from the Canteen too! We would highly recommend visiting this park! There is a lot to see and do and it’s easy to fill a whole day (or more!)
Monday: Campground Day
On Monday Josh worked late, so we didn’t go out adventuring at all. Instead, we spent the evening doing chores and using the campground gym. We stay at a lot of state parks, so when we are at a private campground with more amenities it’s fun to take advantage of them. This park had a really nice clubhouse with laundry, showers, a kitchen, kids room, and a surprisingly nice gym- so just using the facilities felt like a fun activity still.
Tuesday: Antiquing in Amarillo
On Tuesday we decided to check out a couple of antique stores in the old downtown of Amarillo. We went to Bluebonnet Hill and Sixth Street Antique Mall, and honestly when we first pulled up Josh questioned if this was the right place because the area looked super sketchy. There’s a handful of antique stores in this area, and it’s right on Route 66, so we were not expecting that. We still went to the stores anyways, but even I felt uncomfortable walking around and I used to live in a town with a lot of sketchy areas. Bluebonnet is definitely the nicer of the two stores- it’s a lot cleaner and better organized, but Sixth Street was still interesting. Part of it is an old house and there were booths set up in the kitchen, bedrooms, etc.
How to Visit Amarillo Antique Stores
Sixth Street Antique Mall: 2715 SW 6th Ave, Amarillo, TX 79106
Bluebonnet Hill Furniture & Antiques: 2700 SW 6th Ave, Amarillo, TX 79106
Wednesday: Amarillo Botanical Gardens & Big Texan Steak Ranch
Wednesday after work we visited the Amarillo Botanical Gardens. We have an AHS reciprocal membership, so we were able to get in free. It’s a pretty small garden, but very nice. I especially loved their conservatory. I always love conservatories, but this one had plants that felt especially lush and everything seemed like it had giant leaves. They also had an area with some birds living there, which was fun. Another fun bonus was that the staff was working on putting up their Christmas lights that night, so it was a fun sneak peek.
How to Visit Amarillo Botanical Gardens
1400 Streit Dr, Amarillo, TX 79106…