National Ranching Heritage Center

Description:

• As some of the country's largest and most storied ranches originated in the Panhandle area in the early 1900s, Lubbock is a natural for the home of a museum dedicated to preserving the history of ranching in the United States. However, the history buff short on time might skip this in favor of the more comprehensive Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum in Canyon. The outdoor displays consist of nearly 40 relocated historic buildings; visitors can tour such structures as a vaquero corral (1783), a log cabin (1850), a "dugout" dwelling (1890), and the Victorian-style Barton House (1909). The center hosts several annual events, including a chuck wagon dinner and concert in the spring, fiddle dances in the summer, and "Candlelight at the Ranch" in December. Allow a half-hour to an hour.

• © Frommer's 2012