Long an unavoidable stop, roughly halfway between Chicago and LA on old Route 66, Amarillo continues to figure in travel plans, simply by being the brightest light on the 543-mile stretch of I-40 between Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Albuquerque, New Mexico.
And though the town may seem as featureless as the surrounding landscape, there’s plenty here to sate even the most attention-challenged during a road respite. Beef, the big local industry, is at the heart of Amarillo and it features in many of its attractions, including a starring role at the Big Texan Steak Ranch.