Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Lubbock Lake Landmark
HISTORIC SITE
( 806-742-1116;
www.museum.ttu.edu/lll
;
2401 Landmark Dr; 9am-5pm Tue-Sat, 1-5pm Sun)
Another Tech-run attraction, this site is a sort of time capsule for all the cultures that have
inhabited the South Plains for the last 12,000 years. Bones of critters such as wooly mam-
moths were first unearthed here when agricultural irrigation caused Lubbock Lake's water
table to decline in the 1930s, and excavations have gone on here since 1939.
Four miles of trails now wend through the site, where digs are ongoing. A visitor center
provides information on long-gone species such as the giant short-faced bear.
To get there, follow Loop 289 to Clovis Rd west of I-27 on the northwest side of town.
Mackenzie Park
(at US 87 & 4th St; dawn-dusk)
Located off I-27 at Broadway St and Ave A, 248-acre Mack-
enzie Park has two dynamite highlights amid what's otherwise a mundane urban park.
Prairie dogs are the stars of
Prairie Dog Town
, a hugely popular 7-acre habitat for the win-
some rodents who keep busy excavating their 'town' and watching for groundskeepers.
The irresistibly named
Joyland
( 806-763-2719;
www.joylandpark.com
; admission $6-19; varies
mid-Mar-Oct, until 10pm Jun-Aug)
has three roller coasters, 30 other rides and an array of carnival
arcades and games that are little changed from Holly's time.
PARK
American Wind Power Center
( 806-747-8734;
www.windmill.com
; 1701 Canyon Lake Dr; admission $5; 10am-5pm Tue-Sat year-round,
2-5pm Sun summer)
A squeaky windmill is part of the iconic opening to
Once Upon a Time in
the West,
and you can see more than 90 examples of these Western icons at the American
Wind Power Center, located on a 28-acre site at E Broadway St south of MacKenzie Park.
Seen together, the windmills form their own compelling sculpture garden.
MUSEUM
Festivals & Events
National Cowboy Symposium and Celebration
( 806-798-7825;
www.cowboy.org
)
September is a big time in Lubbock, with returning Tech
students and this huge gathering of cowboys, cowboy wannabes, cowboy scholars, cow-
boy musicians and cowboy cooks. Yee-haw!
FESTIVAL
