Cadillac Ranch is an almost 50-year-old art installation just off the interstate (I-40/Route 66). I love finding stops along road trips that help to break up monotonous days of hard driving, but don’t always require a large chunk of time or cost much – free is even better! I’d seen pictures of this exhibit many, many times, and our recent trip to Utah last fall became the perfect time for us to finally visit Cadillac Ranch.
Cadillac Ranch Need to Know
LOCATION: Cadillac Ranch is located just west of Amarillo right off I-40. You’ll take exit 60 and find Cadillac Ranch just off of the frontage road, which just so happens to also be old Route 66.
ADMISSION: A visit to Cadillac Ranch is free, who doesn’t love that?!
HOURS: From what I can tell, daylight hours seem to be the hours of admission, so it obviously varies throughout the year. If it is open at night, there are no lights, so it wouldn’t be as fun of a visit.
CHECK FOR USED SPRAY PAINT CANS BEFORE PURCHASING: There is a trailer parked near the entrance of the field that sells paint cans for you to add your own mark on this art exhibit. However, if you walk to the Cadillacs, you’ll find that there are loads of cans that are partially full lined up. When we were there, there were 6 or 7 cans to choose from.
TIME REQUIRED TO VISIT: We took about 30 minutes total on our visit here. It was plenty and included grabbing a coffee!
Our Visit to Cadillac Ranch
Along Route 66 you’ll know that you’re almost to Cadillac Ranch because cars will be parked on either side of the road. Luckily, it’s very flat along the road, so it wasn’t difficult to park just off the road and it was an easy stroll to the entrance. We got Charleigh out and set off for this super unique art exhibit. Before visiting, I didn’t really know much about it, but since, I’ve learned a bit more about the exhibit itself (which I’ll talk more about in the section below) but saw it as more of just a funky piece of roadside kitsch, which is enough of a reason in itself, in my humble opinion, but the history is also interesting to learn more about.
It had rained the day before we arrived, so the mud around Cadillac Ranch was thick and concentrated right around the half-buried cars, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying the art and the experience. The 10 cars buried fins-up are slathered with graffiti. I mean layer after layer of spray paint just caked on from the inside out. We were able to find a half full can of a pale turquoise color off to the side of the cars. It was perfect since it’s one of my favorite colors! We sprayed on a few of the cars, but probably did the most “work” on the last car. It was fun to leave our mark, even knowing that it’s entirely temporary, but it’s still a piece of the puzzle
As I mentioned above, there’s a trailer parked there selling paint cans and other Cadillac Ranch Souvenirs. However, the show stealer for me was Caddy Shack Coffee Stop – shocker, I know! This adorable coffee trailer is parked at the entrance to the walk back to Cadillac Ranch. It’s a vintage trailer pulled by a vintage caddy. Seriously, it’s so adorable. Plus, the coffee is unreal! I got the “Cadillac Ranch” (appropriate, no?) which is espresso, milk, French vanilla hazelnut and English toffee. It was really tasty! I would highly recommend stopping there on any pass through Amarillo.
Cadillac Ranch is one of those places that has been seen in pop-culture, on social media and in Route 66 itineraries over and over. I love finding kitschy stops along road trips. (Like the Blue Whale of Catoosa we visited in 2017.) I’ve also recently fallen in love with finding stops to break up drives. Cadillac Ranch is perfect for both of these things. This would make a really lovely stop for anyone driving along actual Route 66 or I-40.
History of Cadillac Ranch
Okay, so now that I’ve told you about our experience at Cadillac Ranch, here’s a little info on why there are 10 Cadillacs half-buried in Texas. In 1974 three artists who are part of an art group based in San Francisco called “Ant Farm“. Ten Cadillacs were buried, fins up to show the evolution of the tail fin on these cars. It was originally erected in a wheat field about two miles from where it sits now. The Cadillacs were initially painted solid black, but they were vandalized many times. The surviving artists who created it actually encourage this addition to their art now. I love that this site truly changes all the time. In addition to the graffiti added by others, they’re sometimes completely repainted for different events. They were returned to black to mark the passing of one of the original artists. They were painted in a rainbow for for 2012 Gay Pride Day and even black with the words “Black Lives Matter” in 2020.
Each person who visits adds their own piece of personal history on this site. I love this concept so much, that you can visit the same thing a million times and it would truly never be the exact same work of art, even if nothing moves. This is why I would love to stop and visit as a leg-stretcher any time I travel West on I-40.
Did You Enjoy This Post? PIN IT So Others Can Too!
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a reservation with Booking.com, a travel insurance policy with World Nomads or a purchase with Amazon through For the Love of Wanderlust, you will help me stay on the road + keep my site running at no additional cost for you.
Be sure to read the terms + conditions of these sites when booking or purchasing!
No Comments