Go to the heart of Texas with a trip to Amarillo — the people love God, meat, their horses and Humvees. In contrast, oddball art is all over the city that’s in a state better known for oil and gas.
See
The Signs
Amarillo, Texas, is on oddball place, but perhaps it’s King Oddball is Stanley Marsh III — heir to an oil and gas fortune and madcap artist. He has erected scores of mock traffic signs with slogans like “Road Does Not End.” Funny and strangely affecting.
Hear
The Humvees of Repent Amarillo
Repent Amarillo is the scarily militarised faction of the Army of God and their camouflaged Humvees seem to be everywhere.
List of hates includes rock ’n’ roll, gays, students, environmentalism, planned parenting … be afraid, be very, very afraid.
Eat
Sharky’s
Sharky’s Burrito Co, in 1612 S Georgia St., is fast becoming legendary. It serves simply huge, delicious burritos for a few dollars. Whatever your budget this is not to be missed.
Drink
The blood of Christ
Only half joking — this place is very religious. There are chapels everywhere, traditional and modern — one of them has a “blood” pouring down the frontage and the slogan “His blood was spilled for you.” Thanks but I’ve just eaten.
Wear
A cowboy hat
They love horses in Amarillo and there are many ranches you can visit to see, well, real ranchers. A cowboy hat, check shirt and denim is de rigeur.
Do
Cadillac Ranch
Iconic piece of ’70s pop-art courtesy of that man Stanley Marsh again. Essentially 10 Cadillacs buried nose down in the dirt in a field just outside of town. It’s very, very surreal. You can play on them too!
Don’t
Bad mouth the Lord
Seriously. This is the buckle end of Bible Belt America and you mouth-off at your peril.
Say
Anything
So long is it is infused with Christian decency and southern good manners. They both very seriously around here.
Don’t say
Do you have a vegan option?
Meatpacking is Amarillo’s main employer and the region supplies more than 25 per cent of the nation’s meat. It is also home to the Amarillo Gun Club, one of the USA’s leading trap-shooting organisations.
