Far from cosmopolitan Dallas and Houston, far from the lapping waters of the Texas Gulf Coast, far from the wildflowers of Hill Country and the Piney Woods of East Texas, the Lone Star State’s western expanse has its own unique stature in the state that bills itself as “like a whole other country.”
During the day, it is easy to picture the Native Americans, conquistadors and cowboys that once roamed this ancient land. Nighttime, however, conjures an entirely different impression. As the song goes, “The stars at night are big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas,” and when the stars are out above Big Bend Country in the south, Permian Basin in the middle and the Panhandle Plains in the north, the sense of being on another planet is profound.
Such is the stirring backdrop for group excursions to the following quintessential West Texas locales, where the distant past remains ever-present.
Frontier Texas!, Abilene
Located in historic downtown Abilene, this Western heritage center vividly reanimates the past via state-of-the-art holographic exhibits of the people and events that defined frontier Texas from 1780 to 1880.
Also serving as Abilene’s official visitor center and gateway to the 700-mile Texas Forts Trail, the venue welcomes visitors at Buffalo Plaza, featuring iconic reminders of the region’s heritage. Stone chimneys are the sole survivors of wooden frontier forts once burned to the ground, while Testing the Texas Wind is a dramatic nine-foot-tall bronze sculpture of the buffalo that sustained the region for centuries. Symbolically, the hollow bull includes a bronze heart inside.
Event options include a lobby for receptions of up to 150 people, a small meeting room for 40 or entire facility rentals for up to 1,500 attendees. Along with the plaza, the covered pavilion and fenced-in parade grounds are available for large-scale outdoor events. PageBreak
Oil Baron’s Tour, Wichita Falls
First, there were the cattle barons who commanded the grass-rich prairies surrounding Wichita Falls in the 1860s. Then came the oil barons, drawn by the 1912 discovery of black gold in nearby Burkburnett. Today, tours of their opulent 1920s mansions are a popular option for groups.
“We always enjoy taking delegates and spouses on vintage trolley tours of the Oil Baron’s neighborhood,” says Lindsay Greer, director of the Wichita Falls CVB. “Highlights include the Cline-Bridwell Home, built to replicate the White House, and the Cooper Mansion, which the lady of the house had built back-to-front so her oil-tycoon husband would not enter covered in oil and dirt.”
The tour includes a stop at the Wee-Chi-Tah Native American sculpture along the Wichita River, which depicts how Wichita Falls got its name.
American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame and Museum, Amarillo
Considered a true American original, the Quarter horse was bred to compete in quarter (mile) racing, an early contest from the 1600s. When pioneers ventured west, they put this powerful, intelligent animal to new uses—herding cattle and rodeo—with Texas becoming an active breeding ground. Hollywood also fell in love with the Quarter horse, which appears in the majority of Western features.
With AQHA formed in 1940 to protect and register the breed, its striking museum and hall of fame, attracting more than 30,000 visitors each year, is a memorable choice for tours.
“Offering many interactive and educational exhibits showcasing the American Quarter Horse and the Western lifestyle, our remarkable facility can accommodate groups of all sizes,” says Chris Sitz, senior director of the American Quarter Horse Foundation.
Membership in the Friends of the Museum Program is required for evening-only events at the venue.
Buddy Holly Center, Lubbock
Before perishing in a 1959 plane crash, Lubbock-born Charles Hardin Holley, better known as Buddy Holly, laid down the foundations for rock ’n’ roll and the future of popular music. Featuring a comprehensive permanent exhibition on his life and music, this engaging facility also features a contemporary fine arts gallery and the Texas Musicians Hall of Fame.
Anchoring the Depot District, a collection of historical buildings along and near Buddy Holly Avenue now serving as Lubbock’s entertainment campus, the center is housed in the former Fort Worth and Denver South Plains Railway Depot. Designated Lubbock’s first Historical Landmark in 1979 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this historic cotton-shipping facility offers flexible gallery and outdoor space for meetings and events.
“We are proud to honor the musical legacy of Lubbock’s native son, Buddy Holly,” says Jacqueline Bober, the center’s assistant manager and curator. PageBreak
CAF Airpower Museum, Midland
After purchasing a legendary P-51 Mustang fighter plane in 1957, a group of ex-service pilots from Texas devoted themselves to collecting and preserving American combat planes. Chartered in 1961 as the Confederate Air Force, the Commemorative Air Force (CAF), so renamed in 2002, today has a fleet of nearly 160 warbirds from World War II and later conflicts. Displayed at the CAF Airpower Museum on the campus of its Midland headquarters, these heroic craft are a stirring draw for groups.
“Our collection of historic airplanes creates a unique atmosphere for your guests, while our campus offers a variety of rental spaces, including meeting rooms, banquet halls and even a chapel and garden,” says Keith Lawrence, CAF’s vice president of administration.
The main hangar can accommodate up to 1,200 guests, while the hangar at the recently opened George H.W. & Barbara Bush Commemorative Center, with room for 500 people, is ideal for banquets and weddings.
Ellen Noel Art Museum of the Permian Basin, Odessa
Just 20 minutes apart, Odessa and Midland are the main cities of the oil-rich Permian Basin. With Midland’s event-capable Petroleum Museum showcasing this natural wealth, Odessa’s Smithsonian-affiliated Ellen Noel Museum celebrates local and regional artistic riches from across the Southwest.
Concentrated on American art from 1860 to the present, the museum’s permanent collection comprises nearly 800 works in media, including painting, sculpture, ceramics, glass and photography.
Opened in 1985, Ellen Noel is one of five area cultural institutions forming the West Texas Triangle. Established in 2006, the consortium reflects West Texas as the Space for Art, defined as “open lands, big skies, small city ease, rural charm and surprising cultural sophistication.”
Rental spaces include the Rodman Auditorium and the George and Milly Rhodus Sculpture and Sensory Garden, a private, walled and shaded patio garden.
Magoffin Home, El Paso
Located in downtown El Paso’s Magoffin Historic District, this 1875 heritage gem is one of the oldest-surviving adobe structures in the area.
Once the home of a prominent early El Paso family, the Magoffin, a Texas Historic Landmark that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, exemplifies Territorial-style architecture. Through authentic artifacts and period pieces, the house museum reveals the experiences of a multicultural family that lived through U.S. expansion and settlement, trade on the Santa Fe-Chihuahua Trail, Civil War turmoil and other events.
Guided tours are provided Tuesday through Sunday on the hour (reservations are required for groups of 10 or more). The courtyard and grounds are available for meetings, banquets and other events, including special tours of the home’s interior.
Regular Meetings Focus contributor Jeff Heilman returns to Texas this summer for his sixth annual Meetings Focus Texas supplement.
