Or watch the video: Texas Snowmageden 2026 Day 2
The Gaylord Texan is owned by Ryman Hospitality Properties,
and operated by Marriott International. It is a sister hotel to the Gaylord
Opryland Resort & Convention Center, Gaylord National Resort &
Convention Center, and Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center.
Standing on the shores of Lake Grapevine, Gaylord Texan Resort
& Convention Center guests get a one-of-a-kind experience. There’s a 10-acre
Paradise Springs Water Park and lots of family-oriented activities for the
entire family. Guests can explore the four-and-a-half acres of indoor
garden atriums, four award-winning restaurants, bars, the world-class Spa and a
state-of-the-art fitness center.
We’re here
today to visit the hotel to see the annual ICE! holiday event. It changes every
year and this years theme is the movie ELF! the character Buddy the Elf, played
by Will Farrell in the 2003 movie.
But first we
had to check out the decorations within the Atrium with the Texas Star hovering
over us as we walked. And, of course, wander through all the shops surrounding
the Atrium.
ICE! traces its roots to the early 2000s, when the Gaylord Hotels sought
to create a signature Christmas attraction that would set its properties apart.
Inspired by the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival in China, the ice carving capitol
of the world. Gaylord began importing the artistry of Harbin’s master ice
sculptors to the United States.
We get to suit up in Eskimo gear and wander through iconic scenes from the film brought to life in 6,700 blocks of hand-carved ice. There’s even a two-story ice slide for the brave at heart.
We braved the cold to sample some beverages in the On-the-Blocks Ice Bar. We were served by a wonderful bundled up bartender who whipped up a “Banana Bread Pudding Old Fashioned” with a dash of flavored Whiskey that darned near tasted just like your Granma’s Bread Pudding. She even offered me a shot of Cinnamon flavored Whiskey in an ice shot glass. Definitely warmed us up. I asked how long she had to serve there. Thankfully, she said, they rotate out bartenders every hour. They had too; it was super cold and frostbite would be a real threat.
There’s another
giant slide for the kids and grownups and a food park to grab some munchies and
hot chocolate.
The story of Lubbock, the "Hub City" of the Texas South Plains, is a saga written in red dirt, marked by stubborn persistence, the whisper of the wind, and the transformative power of water and education. It begins not with a single stroke of genius, but with a competitive scramble on the open prairie.
In the late 1880s, the vast, semi-arid high plains of West Texas were home to powerful ranching operations. Civilization came tentatively, often driven by rivalry.
The settlement we know as Lubbock was born from the merger of two small, competing towns: Old Lubbock (named for Colonel Thomas Saltus Lubbock, a Confederate officer) and the nearby community of Monterey. In 1890, the two groups struck a deal, consolidating their resources and establishing the new county seat on a centrally agreed-upon tract of land.
Early Lubbock was a ranching service town. Cowmen drove their herds through, and businesses catered to the rugged life of the open range. The landscape was flat, the weather was unpredictable, and the future depended entirely on a single, crucial resource: the ability to tap the deep reserves of the Ogallala Aquifer (say THAT three times fast). The railroad finally arrived in 1909, linking Lubbock to the wider world.
The advent of the railroad and the revolutionary use of deep-well irrigation systems turned Lubbock from a cattle town into the undisputed capital of cotton. Farmers discovered that the region’s long, hot summers were perfect for the crop, and the sandy loam of the South Plains, when watered, yielded bountiful harvests.
Cotton quickly became King, driving massive population and economic growth. Lubbock became the primary shipping and processing point for one of the largest contiguous cotton-growing areas in the world.
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| Red Raider Mascot |
World War two brought aviation to Lubbock. Gliders were used extensively in the invasion of Europe and many pilots and crews were trained in Lubbock. The Silent Wings Museum showcases this little known but important element of the Allies invasion of Europe.
The post-war boom solidified Lubbock's status as a regional medical and retail center. It survived major setbacks, most notably the Lubbock Tornado of 1970, a disaster that tore through the heart of downtown.
May 11th,
1970 was devastating for Lubbock. An F-5 dual Tornado, which ravaged much of
downtown and wiped out the near-by Guadalupe neighborhood, killed 26 and injured over
1500. The path of the Lubbock tornado was the subject of a detailed mapping
carried out by Ted Fujita. It was described as the "most detailed
mapping ever done, up to that time, of the path of a single tornado,"
becoming a seminal work in understanding the relationship between tornado
subvortices and extreme damage. The degrees of damage wrought by the tornado
also became the basis for the six tiers of the Fujita tornado scale, which
served as the standard for classifying tornadoes until it was superseded by
the Enhanced Fujita Scale in 2007.
The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center has transformed the city into a medical destination for the South Plains. While cotton remains a vital part of Lubbocks identity, the economy has diversified into manufacturing, technology, and energy sectors, including the wind farms that dot the horizon.
Lubbock is also famous as the birthplace of rock 'n' roll pioneer Buddy Holly. The Buddy Holly Center and a Walk of Fame honor his legacy and that of other West Texas musicians.
Early on February 3, 1959, his plane crashed shortly after takeoff, killing Holly, Ritchie Valens, J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, and the pilot, Roger Peterson. Buddy Holly was 22 years old. This event is known as "The Day the Music Died," as popularized by Don McLean's song "American Pie".
For nearly a century, Lubbock was the largest "dry" city in the United States prohibiting the sale of alcohol. This changed in 1972 when the city allowed the sale and consumption of alcohol.
Interestingly, the city has also become a center for Texas wine, with the region accounting for 90% of the state's wine grape production.
Let’s not forget a Lubbock
icon, the Prairie Dog. Lubbock saw fit to honor the Prairie Dog with their own
park and preserve. The cute little devils are everywhere around town and the
ones at the park look well fed. Our guests learned they love broccoli so we
scored some and fed them as we watched.
We stayed at the Hotel Elegante’ in Downtown Lubbock and steps away from the Tornado Memorial. Our hotel was nice but needed a remodel. You just can’t paint and expect it to brighten an old interior. The hotels sales pitch was that they had the “Comfiest Beds on the Planet”. I will say the beds were comfy.
And there were the meals we had. Dinner was at Bryan’s Steakhouse. Great steak and came with a baked potato and amazing salad bar. Reminded me of the old Pinnacle Peak in Santee, California without the hanging ties. Lunch was Triple J’s Chophouse. Huge menu and large portions. Breakfast was Lubbock’s Breakfast House and Grill. Old style restaurant feel with big portions and lots of coffee to fuel our trip home.
From its humble beginnings as a dusty crossroad, Lubbock has demonstrated a relentless ability to adapt, first by harnessing water, then by investing in education, and finally by rebuilding and diversifying. It remains a vital economic and cultural engine of West Texas, a testament to the pioneering spirit of its founders.
Harvest
Festival 2025
We live just a few blocks away so we mounted up and made the trek to the Common Area where our amenity center is located. Grandson Robert was being a good brother and held hands with his sister all the way.
We live in Aubrey, Texas a gem of enduring Texas pride just north of
Dallas. Once known as the “horse capital” of the state, the town still reflects
its equestrian roots, even as it grows into a thriving destination.
Fun fact: Originally called Onega, it was renamed Aubrey in 1881—its new
name drawn from a hat in true Lone Star style.
Sandbrock Ranch is an HOA development which was actually a part of a
working horse and cattle ranch. The developers still have land to the east of
us and still have their horses and cattle there.
The Festival was well on its way with a DJ pushing music and Food trucks
on the perimeter dishing up hot food and ice cream.
Many inflatable games were present for the kids from Axe throwing to
shoot'em ups to a Maze.
The grandson even tried his hand at Bronc riding. He did not make the full 8
seconds.
There was this guy on stilts juggling too.
There were some vendors on hand selling real estate, jewelry, roof repair
and some food and some beer and wine for the adults. We scored cake pops.
While waiting in the really long face paint line, we picked up our HOA
supplied resident pumpkin that the Grandson got to take home.
As darkness approached, it was taking way too long in the Face paint line
and with no relief in sight, as the sun set, we made our way back to our
hacienda.
That's it for us, thanks for catching up with Rocks in My Sandals. We'll be back
soon.
Sorry it took so long, YouTube held it back, they thought I had violated a Copyright...you'll know when you hear it.
On a return flight from San Diego to Dallas. A pretty good rain had fallen over the proceeding two days and I was surprised with a clear Pristine sky out my window where the bright blue sky touched the plains over West Texas. The view was amazing.
I realized I was seeing, what many probably had not seen or noticed as these preoccupied passengers flew between their destinations.
As we crossed into Texas at El Paso, the vast plains of west Texas rolled by beneath us. For miles we saw, like little points of light, what seemed like thousands of oil well sites as far as the eye could see.
Some working, some not working and many abandoned sites with perfectly straight strings of dirt roadways like ant tracks connecting them where the gas and oil was being pulled from the earth beneath us.
As we moved farther east, I could see many of these former sites were now being occupied by Wind Turbines lazily turning in the always persistent West Texas wind.
Then the tan scrub land melded into the more greener crop circles, farms and ranches stretching from horizon to horizon.
They then coalesced into small towns and farms some being pushed aside with the new home developments that were popping up all over Texas.
The land then became more populous giving way to the bustling highways, buildings and businesses of the Metroplex.
Then just as suddenly, we were back to Dallas and Love Field and my return home.
Thanks for watching Rocks in my Sandals.
