Location: The Cadillac Ranch is located by the just off of I-40 (Route 66) on the outskirts of Amarillo, Texas. It can be accessed via the frontage road.
Cost: Free
Time: Plan on spending about 30 minutes - the perfect amount of time to get out and stretch your legs for a bit before climbing back into the car and driving another couple of hours to your destination.
Description: Calling this place a "Ranch" is a misnomer. It is actually an urban sculpture, created in 1974 by Chip Lord, Hudson Marquez and Doug Michels. The sculpture is a line of ten Cadillacs with their front ends buried in the ground so that their rear wheels and tail fins are sticking up at approximately the same angle as the Great Pyramid of Giza. The cars represent several evolutions of the car line from 1949-1963, highlighting its most distinctive feature - the tail fin.
The site of the Ranch is owned by millionaire Stanley Marsh 3, the patron of the project. Although the land is privately owned, visiting it is tacitly encouraged. In addition, visitors are even allowed to leave their own mark by spray painting the vehicles - each of which have long since lost their original color, and are now a pallet of bright colors.
Of course, the cars provided the inspiration for the tail fin peaks, as seen in Pixar's Cars and Disney's Cars Land. They have also been featured in numerous music videos and album covers.
Rating: 3 1/2 stars (out of 5)
Things You Should Know: - The cars are occasionally repainted to commemorate special occasions.
- In 1997, the Ranch was moved from its original location to its present location to keep it on the outskirts of Amarillo.
- Since it is located in an old cow pasture, the ground around the cars is often muddy, so make sure you wear appropriate footwear.
- When we went, there were lots of spray cans just left on the ground around the cars. Littering is always tacky.
Nearby: Tyler's Barbeque, Amarillo Botanical Gardens, Jack Sisemore Traveland, Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument
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