Buddy Holly, a restored military glider, and trails along Yellowhouse Draw reveal Lubbock’s many sides: music history and culture sit alongside aviation, agriculture, and nature. When planning your trip, it helps to start by choosing a focus. Museums, a monthly art evening, and hiking trails offer different ways to shape your stay.
Music History and Aviation
The Buddy Holly Center preserves, collects, and promotes the legacy of Buddy Holly, as well as the music of Lubbock and West Texas. In the Buddy Holly Galleries, you can see changing and permanent exhibitions about his life, music, and legacy. At the center, you can also explore the childhood home of J. I. Allison, which takes you back to the 1950s. Allison was the drummer for The Crickets and Buddy Holly’s best friend.
The Silent Wings Museum covers another chapter of history: it preserves and interprets the story of the military glider program during World War II. On display is a fully restored CG-4A glider. The permanent exhibitions also explore the training of glider pilots, the program’s significance to World War II operations, and the experiences of personnel in combat zones. A specific aircraft and its historical context are presented side by side.
Museums, Galleries, and Shows
Admission to the Museum of Texas Tech University is free every day. The museum has nine permanent galleries and ten changing galleries. The William C. and Evelyn M. Davies Gallery of Southwest Indian Art offers a distinct perspective, featuring historic and contemporary art and crafts by more than 20 Indigenous North American tribes from the broader Southwest. Works include ceramics, textiles, wood carvings, basketry, and mixed-media pieces.
The Moody Planetarium offers more than 40 shows on topics such as stars, constellations, dark matter, black holes, the Sun, the Moon, and solar systems. If a show might fit into your visit, check the specific showtimes as you plan. The American Windmill Museum adds restored windmills to the cultural offerings; these have played an important role in history. By 2001, the museum had the world’s largest public collection of restored windmills.
Ranching and Agriculture Through the Years
The Foy Proctor Historical Park at the National Ranching Heritage Center covers more than 200 years of ranching history across 19 acres. The FiberMax Center for Discovery shows how agricultural technology has evolved, from horse-drawn equipment to computer-controlled, GPS-based machinery. The exhibits also include machinery and artifacts from the pioneering years of agriculture on the South Plains. Outdoors, you’ll find a working center-pivot irrigation system and a historic 1930s farm.
The Slaton Harvey House also connects local and U.S. history. Built in 1912, the building served guests for more than 30 years. The museum in the Harvey House explores the impact of railroads, the role of women in U.S. society, and business innovations in the early 20th century. These topics make a visit especially interesting if you’d like to understand broader developments alongside local history.
Trails, Wildlife, and Events
At Lubbock Lake Landmark, 4.5 miles of trails follow a river loop along Yellowhouse Draw. The Nature Trail is 3.5 miles long and follows the draw through native habitat. Along the way, visitors can observe local plants, birds, and other wildlife. The information distinguishes the named Nature Trail from the trails that the landmark offers overall within the river loop.
For another wildlife-watching opportunity, visit Prairie Dog Town in Mackenzie Park, where visitors can see prairie dogs emerge from their burrows. The First Friday Art Trail in the Lubbock Cultural District brings together public art and market activity. The self-guided tour takes place on the first Friday of every month. If you’d like to time your trip around it, check the dates for your visit in advance.
Plan Your Base
Citibus offers fixed-route public transit in Lubbock as well as paratransit service. For your chosen destinations, check which transportation options work for your plans.
Discover more destinations: Lubbock, Wolfforth, Slaton, Jim Wells, Karnes, Culberson, Kendall County, El Paso.
For the main travel overview: Texas.
