BIG BEND COUNTRY: ODESSA TEXAS

ODESSA TEXAS

Map of Odessa Area & Additional Odessa Information

Odessa started out like many West Texas towns, as a water stop for the Texas and Pacific Railroad in the late 1800s. Farming and ranching were the main occupations until the discovery of oil in the 1920s turned Odessa into the headquarters for the vast petroleum industry of the Permian Basin.

Odessa is home to the World's Largest Jackrabbit. Jack Ben Rabbit has become an Odessa landmark. You will find Jack at 802 N. Sam Houston.

Odessa is also home to a couple presidents with the last name of Bush. And a couple First Ladies with the last name of Bush.

In the Presidential Museum you will find the only museum in the U.S. dedicated solely to the office of the President. You can visit the Bush home, which is located on the grounds of the Presidential Museum, and see the little two bedroom, one bath home where George H.W. Bush, Barbara and son, George W. lived in their early days in West Texas.

On the campus of the University of Texas of the Permian Basin you will find a replica of Stonehenge.

A short distance Southwest of Odessa you can look at the Odessa Meteor Crater. The crater is around 550 feet across and 6 feet deep. It used to be deeper, but the 20 or 30 thousand years since the meteor desert winds have blown sand into the original 100 feet deep crater. The Odessa Meteor Crater is the 2nd largest in the U.S. and the 6th largest in the world.

If you like your critters more lively than the World's Largest Jackrabbit you can go to Prairie Pete Park and watch the residents of a prairie dog town.

The White-Pool House in Odessa Texas

Globe of the Great Southwest is a theater on the Odessa College campus modeled after the original Shakespearean Globe Theatre. Shakespeare plays run throughout the year, along with other plays and comedies.

White-Pool House is Odessa's oldest structure. It is a 2 story brick house built in 1887. Picture of the White-Pool House were used to lure settlers to Odessa. Now it serves as a museum.

WHERE TO STAY IN ODESSA

K-Bar Ranch Hunting Lodge where guests stay in a 12-bed bunkhouse. Mellie Van Horn's Place used to be a boarding house for school teachers. Now it is a 16 room inn with a dining room that can seat 55. The MCM Grande Odessa, known as "The Grande," is also referred to as the "Fundome." You can also stay at the MCM Elegante Odessa, which is the only 4-star hotel in West Texas.

WHERE TO EAT IN ODESSA

Barn Door Steakhouse and Pecos Depot specialize in steak, with seafood and Tex-Mex also on the menu. The Peco Depot Lounge, which is attached to the restaurant, is Pecos' original Santa Fe Railroad depot, built in 1892. Even if you are not a teacher you can eat at Mellie Van Horn's Place, voted best new Odessa restaurant when it opened. Jack Jordan Bar-B-Q is known for its spicy barbecue. Both Odessa and Midland have a La Bodega Mexican restaurant with its chile relleno being its claim to local fame. Dos Amigos Cantina is in an old horse stable. Along with Tex-Mex with a New Mexico style twist you will find live music and bull riding.