13 Best Family Friendly Attractions in Lubbock, TX. I’ve been publishing posts for a series, Discovering Texas. Part One was Family Road Trips West of Dallas. During our West Texas exploration, we also traveled through Lubbock, Texas. This is Part Two of Discovering Texas: 13 Best Family Friendly Attractions in Lubbock, TX.
13 Best Family-Friendly Attractions in Lubbock, Texas:
#1 J.B. Buchanan American Windmill Park:
J.B. Buchanan American Windmill Park: (1701 Canyon Lake Dr. Lubbock, TX) This is the largest windmill museum in the world. This Windmill Park is open daily during daylight hours.
#2 Huge Mammoth Statues:
Huge Mammoth Statues: (2401 Landmark Drive, Lubbock, TX, 79415, Lubbock Lake National Historic Landmark) This landmark is an archaeological site. “The only one in North America with a complete record of nearly 12,000 years of human history located in one place.” In addition to seeing this huge Mammoth statue there are hiking trails, ongoing excavations to view, children’s classes, public programs and a few other statues.
#3 Safety City
Safety City, Tiny Streets for Young Drivers:(46th and Avenue U, Inside Clapp Park) 
This kid-sized town is a 2 1/2 acre mini-city with real traffic signals, crosswalks, and small automobiles specially created for children. Kids can learn hands-on the rules of traffic safety, the rules for pedestrian and bicycle safety, and seat belt education.
The staff at Safety City will help a child learn how to ride a bike, plus teach all the safety issues that go along with riding your bike! 5-30 minute lessons, plus helmets (which kids get to keep) are provided. $40/child Call (806) 767-2712 to schedule. I’m really sad that we missed this when we went through Lubbock. I would love to have my kids attend a bicycle riding and safety class. Open: Monday thru Friday ~ 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM; No Open Rec Hours when Summer Camps and Scheduled Classes are taking place; Call ahead for availability (806) 767-2712.
#4 Three Story Castle
Three Story Castle: This playground reminds me of the playgrounds found in Germany.
It’s amazing and huge covering 30,000-square-feet!! Legacy Play Village: (6401 Marsha Sharp Fwy, Lubbock, TX. 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Monday-Friday) Inside Legacy Play Village there is a three-story castle, constructed of wood, and it is a winding maze to get to the top or back down to the bottom. There are also picnic pavilions.
#5 Steel House
Robert Bruno Steel House: (85 E Canyon View Dr, Ransom Canyon, TX 79366, about 15-minute east of Lubbock) A well-known sculptor, Robert Bruno, was creating and building a huge steel home. He passed away before completion. The outside is blackened steel, the inside is wooden and many of the windows are made of stained glass. The house is open for tours and the inside is just as amazing as the outside. Must see!
Across the street from The Steel House is The Stone House.
This was another house project that Bruno was working on with others. The minute I saw it, I felt transported back to some of the buildings in Barcelona built by the architect Gaudí. Bruno was inspired by the works of Antoni Gaudí when creating The Stone House.
#6 Prairie Dog Town
Prairie Dog Town: (inside Mackenzie Park off of 4th Street and Interstate 27 overlooking Meadowbrook Golf Course) It’s free and open to the public from dawn to dusk year round! Inside the popular Mackenzie Park, these cute little prairie dogs reside. Visitors can watch the prairie dogs play, burrow in and out of their tunnels, and you can feed carrots to them (don’t forget to bring carrots).
#7 Blarney Stone
If you haven’t made it to Ireland yet to kiss the Blarney Stone, you can kiss a chunk of it here in Lubbock,TX. This post,Kissing the Blarney Stone & St. Patrick’s Day Crafts, is a fun Blarney Stone craft idea to make with kids and more information about the Blarney Stone in Ireland.
Blarney Stone: (Texas Tech University, on the campus, Canton Ave past the baseball and track fields, end of the parking lot, park and walk to the Electrical Engineering Building and you’ll walk past it)
#8 Outdoor Gyms
Outdoor Gyms: Gym One: (North of University, on Cesar Chavez Drive, in the Buddy Holly Recreation Area) Gym Two: The other gym is located at Maxey Park, 4020 30th Street surrounding Conquistador Lake.
#9 The Day the Music Died: Tribute to Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly’s hometown: Statue of Buddy Holly, Grave of Buddy Holly, Buddy Holly Mural and a Buddy Holly Museum & Statue of Buddy Holly: (1801 Crickets Ave, Lubbock, TX, 79401) Buddy Holly’s Burial Site (2011 E 31st, Lubbock, TX, 79457-0001) Mural of Buddy Holly ( corner of 19th St. and Buddy Holly Ave, on the wall of Texas Discount Furniture)
#10 FINA/ALON USA Crossroads
FINA/ALON USA Crossroads in Time Sculpture Garden: (400 Block of East Broadway, West of Mackenzie Park and East of the South Plains Fairgrounds) The sculptures in this garden represent the history and heritage of the Llano Estacado.
#11 Stubb’s Bar-B-Que Memorial
Stubb’s Bar-B-Que Memorial: (108 E Broadway, Lubbock, Tx, 79403) Every time we grill chicken, Stubb’s is the well-known Texas brand of BBQ sauce that we always use for marinating. Before moving to Austin, TX, Stubb’s first bar-b-q joint was in Lubbock, TX. Click here to read Stubb’s Story.
#12 Joyland Amusement Park
#13 National Ranching Heritage Center
The National Ranching Heritage Center, located on the Texas Tech University Campus, (3121 4th St. Lubbock, TX 79409-3200) is said to be “a historic gem and opportunity to step back in time walking through this phenomenal preservation of history.” The outdoor Proctor Historical Park shows the evolution of ranching as one walks through 48 authentic historical buildings arranged chronologically from the late 1700s to the mid-1900s. Structures include dugouts, homesteads, a bunkhouse, corrals, a depot, train and more.
13 Family Friendly Attractions Lubbock, Texas and here are a few attractions just outside of Lubbock:
Probably one of the best attractions south of Lubbock, Tx, and west of Dallas, Tx:
Texas’ Biggest Sandbox,
Attractions north of Lubbock, Tx:
Cristo De Mi Paso also referred to as Jesus in a Box:
This is a 15-foot statue of Jesus in a glass box. (in the parking lot of St. Isidore Catholic Church, 17183 North Interstate 27, Abernathy, Texas, 79311)
Happy Texas:
Not far from Lubbock, you could also visit Happy, Texas. The name of the town is literally “Happy.” Read more about this town, what to expect and view a couple of pictures on my friend’s post, Eric Explores The World, Howdy From Hub City – Lubbock.
Littlefield, TX (Around 30 minutes northwest of Lubbock):
#1 Waylon Jennings Hometown with photo opportunities all over town: There is a Watertower “Waylon Jennings Hometown,” murals around town and the welcome to Littlefield City Sign. 
#2 G’s Drive-In (912 Hall Ave, Littlefield, TX 79339)
Stop and eat at G’s Drive-In also known as HumDinger Drive-In.
Have you been to Lubbock, Texas?
If so, what have you visited from this list that you enjoyed or what else would you recommend?
Stayed tuned for my next post in my series of Discovering Texas as we travel to The Palo Duro Canyon after leaving Lubbock, Texas.
