On our way home from the mountains of Colorado, we made another adventure stop…
Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas. It was right at sunset, and y’all… what a perfect way to wrap up a road trip. The sky was glowing with those dreamy Texas colors that only God can paint, and the row of half-buried Cadillacs lit up like a dusty art gallery on the plains.
We didn’t come prepared with our own spray paint...but as they say, “Everything’s bigger in Texas,” including the generosity of strangers. There were several cans laying around that still had some life in them. Just enough for us to leave our mark. We wrote “Hall” across one of the cars, and Mason added his hockey number. Simple, but special.
We noticed something new this time…even the service road and retaining wall leading up to the display were covered in layers and layers of graffiti. We don’t remember that from our last visit! It’s like the artwork has grown beyond the Cadillacs themselves, spilling out into the land around it. Wild how a spot that never really changes still somehow feels different every time you see it.
A Bit of History
If you’ve never heard the story, Cadillac Ranch isn’t just roadside whimsy…it’s Texas-sized pop art with a purpose. It was created in 1974 by a San Francisco art group called Ant Farm, and it was funded by Amarillo millionaire and art supporter Stanley Marsh 3.
They buried ten Cadillacs nose-first into the ground, all from model years 1949 to 1963. Why those years? Because they represent the evolution of the tailfin in Cadillac design—a nod to the golden age of American cars.
At first, the cars were planted in a wheat field off I-40 just west of Amarillo. And they’re still there today. Over the years, it’s become a living art exhibit...graffiti encouraged. People from all over the world come to paint, layer after layer. No two visits are ever the same.
Know Before You Go
Location: Just off I-40 westbound, about 10 miles outside of Amarillo. If you plug in “Cadillac Ranch” on Google Maps, it’ll take you right there.
Parking: There’s a dirt pull-off area along the access road where you can park. Be careful if it’s rained...Texas mud doesn’t play.
Walk: It’s about a quarter-mile walk from the parking area to the cars. Flat and easy, but wear shoes you don’t mind getting dirty.
Spray Paint: Bring your own if you want a guaranteed chance to paint. But don’t worry if you forget...there’s usually leftover cans around.
Best Time to Visit: Early morning or right around sunset. That Amarillo sky makes everything look a little more magical.
Cadillac Ranch is one of those quirky, only-in-Texas places that somehow becomes a core memory. It’s weird, it’s bold, it’s full of color and creativity...and it’s free to visit. Whether you stop for five minutes or stay an hour, you’ll leave with a story.
And we left with a sunset, a painted name, a hockey number, and a heart full of gratitude.
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