Amarillo has several distinct sides: wildlife at the Amarillo Zoo and Sanctuary, a self-guided garden tour, Art Deco architecture at the Potter County Courthouse, and art in the Historic Route 66 District. To choose a focus, consider whether you are especially interested in animals, plants, architectural styles, or shops and photography.
Wildlife and Gardens
The Amarillo Zoo and Sanctuary is home to more than 120 animals from 70 species from around the world. The numbers of animals and species offer two points of reference for its collection; their worldwide origins add a geographical perspective. This puts the emphasis on diverse wildlife rather than just one species. If you want to take an interest in animals into account when choosing things to do in Amarillo, this is a clear focus.
The Amarillo Botanical Gardens offer a different nature-focused experience. The self-guided tour covers more than four acres, and the gardens are wheelchair accessible. In contrast to the zoo, the focus here is on exploring the garden grounds independently and their size, while at the zoo, animals, species and their origins define the subject. When choosing between these nature themes, consider the type of discovery you prefer.
Art Deco Architecture at the Potter County Courthouse
The Potter County Courthouse is a notable local example of an institutional building in the Art Deco style. Its stepped massing extends from the entrance pavilion to the tower peak. It also features ornamental bas-reliefs with figurative and botanical motifs, symmetrical pilasters, and metal casement windows. Together, these features describe both the building’s overall form and details of its design.
The architectural terms bring the description to life: a pavilion projects from the facade, a bas-relief raises motifs only slightly from the background, and a pilaster is a flat, column-like element articulating a wall. This makes it possible to appreciate the courthouse through its various design elements, rather than leaving Art Deco as just a label. For travelers interested in institutional architecture, it offers a distinct Amarillo focus, with identifiable forms and ornamentation.
Shops and Public Art Along Route 66
Amarillo’s Historic Route 66 District is an approximately one-mile-long area with antique markets, vintage clothing and specialty shops. This mix gives the district a shopping profile that appeals to a range of interests: antiques, vintage-style clothing and specialty goods are distinct themes side by side. The approximate length also gives a sense of the area’s scale, without reducing it to just a shopping label.
The district also has an artistic side. Colorful murals and other public art can be found along 6th Street, and the area is well suited to casual exploring and photography. This brings together two different visitor interests: shops for a shopping-focused visit and public art for a visually oriented exploration. The murals are specifically associated with 6th Street.
For your choice, this means that if you are mainly interested in architecture and design, the courthouse offers a different experience from the murals and public art in the Historic Route 66 District. If you prefer nature, the zoo and botanical gardens differ in that one focuses on wildlife and the other on a self-guided garden tour. This lets you choose what to see in Amarillo based on specific interests, without reducing the different places to a single experience.
For the broader travel overview: Potter.
