Hereford, TX

 So I recently spent 3 1/2 months living in Hereford, TX which I read somewhere that it was voted the worst place in the US to visit.  So, I started thinking about it, and, really, there are plenty of things to do in Hereford.  At least, there are plenty of places within reach of Hereford that are well-worth visiting.


First of all, if nothing else, Amarillo is an easy half-hour or so drive, and Amarillo features one of the most touristy and cliched place in all of Texas: THE BIG TEXAN!  Eat a 72-ounce steak, plus some sides (potato, salad, bread) all in one sitting, and you get it for free.  They even post you up at this little table in the center of the restaurant so that all the other patrons can watch you suffer in horrible agony (or perhaps enjoy 72 one-ounce bites of delicious steak, depending on your viewpoint).  A must-see for any Texas tourist...(some advice - don't try it unless you are SURE you can eat it, otherwise you pay for it by the pound).

Amarillo also has the equestrian quarter-horse museum, which is pretty interesting if you already have some kind of an interest in horses or equestrianism in the first place.  If not, skip it.


Next stop on the tour of Hereford's neighbors is Canyon, TX - home of the Palo Duro canyon.  Cousin to the Grand Canyon, this beautiful and rugged canyon is the second-largest canyon in the nation, and home to Texas: the musical, an outdoor show put on in the heart of the canyon.  Comes with a decent steak dinner for about fifty bucks a ticket (as of 2008).  The drive to Palo Duro is great because the land is 100% flat all the way up to it, then suddenly there's a massive canyon yawning off into the distance.  It's an incredible natural experience and well-worth the short drive from Amarillo or Hereford.

As we continue on our journey, I bring you to Cisco, TX, home of the very first Hilton Hotel.  I won't spoil the surprise, but the hotel does have a pretty interesting back story.  It's definitely worth a stop, though I don't think you can actually stay there as a guest overnight.  Also, the town has...a Subway...so that's good...

Whew!  If you're going to be there for awhile, and aren't making any stops further west, then it's definitely worth it to see the Carlsbad Caverns.  I warn you, it is about an 8-hour drive, but if that's the closest you'll get, then it is DEFINITELY worth it.  You may go your whole life without ever seeing anything as amazing.  Picture yourself traveling into the enormous gaping maw of the earth, stepping down into absolutely still, ancient-feeling air, sliding between rock walls less than one foot apart from one another, then passing into an open cavern the size of a cathedral that's over a mile below the surface, seeing darkness so total that you literally cannot tell if your eyes are open or not...incredible.  Also there's some off-roading if you are either a) fortuitous enough to have actually brought a jeep or b) brave enough to try it in your rented Toyota.  You can guess which category I fell into...

Plus, on your drive out to the caverns, you go through Roswell, New Mexico.  I'll admit, the closest I got to aliens was the Space Alien's Cafe, but they did have some pretty good margaritas so what the hell.  Just kidding, actually the restaurant I went to was called Pepper's Grill and Bar and it was  similar to a Chili's if you can believe that.

So there you go.  Hereford is one of the many rural destinations I have ended up in, and even though supposedly it was voted the #1 worst place to visit, I have to admit there were a lot of cool attractions within striking distance.  I've learned that anywhere can be a great place to stay if just explore the world around you.