Choosin’ Texas, I Can Tell

Ten Unexpected Discoveries in Lubbock, Texas

Not just cowboys and tumbleweed – Lubbock, Texas is like a multifaceted diamond in the rough. There’s a lot going on in this city of 300,000. Located in the heart of West Texas – about a 45-minute flight from Dallas – this “Hub City” is home to ranching, winemaking, songwriting, Texas Tech University, and many unexpected surprises.

Lubbock’s pioneering spirit still thrives – in what was once a barren, unforgiving stretch of windy dry grassland. What continues to fuel the city’s growth is the very same force that drew its earliest settlers to stay: the genuine warmth and welcoming nature of the people who call Lubbock home.

Get to know the small-town heart of this West Texas town 

Texas is the fifth largest wine-producing state in the US. Close to 90% of wine grapes are grown in the High Plains in and around Lubbock.

Sip a wine flight at one of six award-winning wineries, like Adelphos Cellars, a family-owned winery crafting wines from 100% Texas-grown grapes. Try popular Primitivo or Sauvignon Blanc. White blends, like the 2025 Chenin Blanc Estate Reserve, excitedly tantalized our taste buds. With similar geographic characteristics that create Argentina’s hot days and cool nights, the conditions help grapes develop rich flavor while maintaining balanced acidity. 

Thirty-eight species of grapes are grown in Texas, and here in the High Plains, what you taste is more than fruit – it’s the landscape. Unexpected and evolving like the region itself, wines are far more complex than people imagine at first sip. Make yourself at home in Adelphos Cellars’ tasting room or outdoor patio with a customized tasting fight paired with charcuterie. 

A significant Southwest archeological site gives a rare view of 12,000 years of human life on the Southern Plains.

At Lubbock Lake Landmark, the bones of a giant short-faced bear were found, one of the largest Ice Age predators in the region. Since 1936, archeologists have been excavating this area after finding arrowheads, as this is one of few known sites that possess discrete deposits of evidence for all the defined cultural time periods in North America prehistory. Today, visitors can watch these digs in real time. 

This National Historic and State Archeological Landmark sits along an ancient river valley, once fed by natural springs, where generations of peoples – from Paleo-Indian mammoth hunters to early 20^th century ranchers – left behind a remarkably preserved record of life on the High Plains, etched in the earth, in distinct layers. Also, this is the site of one of the first stores in 1883 to serve the growing number of buffalo hunters, mustangers, and ranchers.

Explore and learn through outdoor interpretative trails, indoor interpretive center, excavation sites, AstroNights to view the dark skies, and night hikes with naturalists. 

Watch prairie dogs pop in and out of their burrows. 

At Prairie Dog Town, observe the chirping calls of the prairie dogs as they scuttle in and out of their mounds – scanning for danger, some perched upright, while a few munch on grasses and insects. The protected colony started as a small conservation effort and turned into a thriving community of prairie dogs. These playful West Texas creatures stand watch like tiny sentinels of the plains. 

Pay homage to Buddy Holly’s life and visit his bandmate’s home where they wrote music history.

A larger-than-life pair of 750-pound steel art glasses located at the entrance lets visitors know they have arrived at the Buddy Holly Center, where Lubbock’s native son began his brief life blazing a musical career that impacted the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and worldwide music scene. A documentary film chronicles his life as a teenager in the 1950s and his influences, with displays of his original guitars (Fender Stratocaster), handwritten lyrics, rare photographs, and iconic black horned rim glasses found in his life-ending plane crash. Nearby, the former historic home of Buddy Holly’s bandmate has been transplanted, so you can see the actual bedroom where songs like “Peggy Sue” and “That’ll Be the Day” were born. 

The new gorgeous Buddy Holly Hall offers an impressive array of shows, from ballet to live music.

Opened in January 2021, the Buddy Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences honors Buddy’s legacy – playing host to Ballet Lubbock, the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra, and professional touring music and theater productions like top comedians, Blue Man Group, and live rock concerts like Blue October. The dramatic light-filled interior lobby is anchored by a sweeping multi-story spiral staircase that feels sculptural. At Ballet Lubbock’s Snow White, Lubbock’s welcoming personality shined with stylishly attired attendees of all ages and an incredibly impressive youthful dance production.

Ride a trolley by 53 historic structures to learn about ranching history.

The National Ranching Heritage Center preserves and interprets ranching history, with 100-to-200-year-old structures where frontier settlers once lived. Hop aboard a trolley to learn their stories at this outdoor historical park, filled with authentic ranch structures relocated from across Texas and the Southwest – like homes, barns, bunkhouses, windmills, and even a one-room schoolhouse.

Kids will love learning about ranch life through the Cowdog books and beloved book character, Hank the Cowdog, as the new learning center feels like stepping inside a children’s book – teaching everything from cattle care to cowboy life. 

Lubbock has a strong culinary scene. 

Known for chicken fried steak and the famous refreshing Chilton cocktail (vodka, lemon, soda water and salted rim), Lubbock offers a diverse and exciting food scene.

Nominated for a James Beard award in 2026 for Best Chef in Texas, Chef Finn Walter showcases ingredients native to the region at The Nicolett with surprising and inventive dishes like Apache fry bread with sweet honey butter, Agnolotti with cauliflower and sherry, Pozole, Hill Country Antelope smoked over juniper, and Fried Chicken in Half Mourning with lavender breading and black truffle mousse. Reserve the rustic Boho greenhouse for dinner in cool weather and don’t miss their Chilton with limoncello, doused with a lavender salt rim. 

Candle Bar dishes up light and fluffy focaccia-styled pizzas, pastas, and scratch-made soups – all perfectly consumed with a Chilton, made with a dash of cucumber syrup and a tajin rim. Shop before or after your meal at the adjoining boutique with curated West Texas lifestyle décor. 

At Dirk’s, sit under a wall of cartoons as Chef Cameron West’s grandfather was not only the former mayor of Lubbock, but a prolific cartoonist. Come hungry for fried chicken, chicken tenders, chicken fried steak, or rotisserie chicken with sides like fried okra and jalapeno bacon gravy mashed potatoes. Personalize the flavor profile with a plate of various dipping sauces. 

Located inside Cactus Alley, Puerto Rican owned brewery Mano Negra impresses with sangria flights in flavors like guava and passionfruit, along with a stellar selection of craft beer influenced by the owner’s culture, with flavors like coffee and orange cream. After making enough money selling craft soda at farmer’s markets, owner and brewer Daniel Badillo purchased equipment to start his dream of commercial brewing.

Pie for breakfast? Well, it’s possible at local staple Cast Iron Grill, a homey, from-scratch diner where home cooked Southern classics reign supreme, as their motto is “It’s all about boots, pie, and chicken fry.” Devour chicken fried steak with eggs, along with an impressive selection of pies made daily. Standouts include lemon blueberry, number one seller chocolate cream-based Texas Delight, and the Billionaire with a vanilla candy body, strawberries, pecans and whipping cream. 

West Table’s rotating dinner menu surprises with oysters from Massachusetts and Virginia, frog legs, crab hushpuppies, and uber fresh succulent steaks, chicken, fish, and local favorite chicken fried elk. Stay cool with a not-too-sweet Chilton made with dash of blueberry or strawberry, or a Fig Old Fashioned.

Local favorite Evie Mae’s is the best barbecue we’ve ever tasted.

Where can you get free beer with your barbecue order? Evie Mae’s! Open until they sell out, you better arrive early to score the succulent meats – brisket, pulled pork, sausage, chicken, and ribs – paired with sides like beans, elote, potato salad, and cornbread. They smoke over 700 pounds of meat a day. Surprisingly, everything is gluten free, as the owner’s husband suffered from celiac disease and they found it hard to find anywhere that he could dine. Since the owners grew up in New Mexico, Evie Mae’s uses green chilies in a lot of dishes, such as grits and sausage. Save room for their desserts – made in-house from family recipes from the owners and workers grandmothers – like strawberry pie, peanut butter chocolate pie, pecan pie, banana pudding, and cheesecake.

Lubbock is home to the first cultural arts district recognized by the state of Texas.

Get creative by making your very own cut glass mosaic at GlassAlley, a creative hub tucked into Lubbock’s Cultural District. The mosaic studio and gallery offer weekly classes in mosaic, carved concrete, welding, and sculpture, thanks to the vision of artist Pauline Mills. I designed a 2-foot palm tree decked in broken mirror and black glass, while friends created a mosaic dragonfly for their garden and a mosaic cupcake trivet.

The Cotton Court Hotel design is influenced by Lubbock’s cotton history.

In downtown Lubbock on Broadway located one mile from Texas Tech, the 165-room hotel opened in 2020, creating a social hub with communal energy – with a restaurant, relaxing courtyard with heated pool, firepits, yard games, and live music on weekends. Guests can check out a complimentary loaner guitar, as a variety hang behind the check-in desk, even signed by former guests like Wayne Rodgers and Willie Nelson. Based on a cotton warehouse, look up in the lobby to find the face of Buddy Holly displayed in numbers, as the cotton exchange was like the stock market. Modern design-forward rooms have retro touches like large Smeg fridges, balconies with rocking chairs, and cotton-influenced décor. Plus, suites offer soaking tubs for those who really want to unwind. 

This article was first published in LA Travel Magazine print, summer 2026.