So Amarillo Doesn't Trick Or Treat? Sure Seemed That Way.

Moving to a new city is always interesting. You find out new quirks and things that you may not have realized.

This particular one threw me for a loop though.

Get our free mobile app

See, my kids spent the weekend playing in a local baseball tournament. My oldest made it to the championship game (yes, they won) but we didn't get away from the fields until around 5pm. Everyone was a bit beat down for the cooler weather and wind that was blowing around and hungry for a real meal.

We stopped, had dinner then ran home. The kids were looking forward to getting their costumes on and heading out to get some candy.

That's when the confusion...and panic set in. We stepped outside once they were all ready, went down the walkway of our house and stopped dead in our tracks.

No outdoor lights on at any house. You know, the universal sign for "come on over, I've got candy"? We didn't see ONE house with a light on. We literally just stood there, wondering what do we do?

Ultimately we decided to hop in the car and drive around. You know, see if we can find a spot that has some kid activity. After about 5 minutes of cruising, we happened upon a spot that had a fair amount of dressed up kiddos with bags in their hands. Those outdoor porch lights turned on.

We park the car and hop out. The kids began their adventure. We walked for about 10 minutes...and managed to find 5-7 houses handing out candy. This in an area where there were a plethora of houses. We packed the kids back up in the car and continue our search.

Another 5 minutes of driving up and down streets. Nothing. These streets were so dark we had to turn the brights on just to see where we were. Alas, we find a spot with a few kids wandering around. We decide to park and hop out.

Another 3-4 houses with candy, and that's it. There had to have been a good 20+ houses on this street. What is going on here?

The wife and I start discussing how we're going to handle this. I mean, they just played their butts off all weekend. All they wanted to do was fill up some bags with candy. I mention I'll just stop at a store the next day, grab a few bags of candy at 50% off and fill their bags for them. We decide to start working our way home.

We all hop back in the car, tell the kids the plan. Bummed expressions on their face, dejected tone in their voice. We tell them we'll stop at every house we see a light on at as we drive home. They perk up a bit.

Last house that we see with a light on before we turn back on to our street. We stop, let the kids out. Ring the doorbell, no answer. They start to walk away and the door opens. A lady ends up dumping handfuls of candy in their bags. Why? "I was wondering where all the trick or treaters were. We haven't had really anyone stop here this year."

So is trick or treating canceled in Amarillo? Was it too cold? School night? COVID? I'm just trying to game plan for next year, because I don't want to run into this situation again!

The Abandoned St. Anthony's Hospital on Amarillo Boulevard

The 119-year-old abandoned hospital is a fascinating place for any who are lucky enough to be granted the chance to explore.

The sprawling building saw thousands of Amarillo's citizens inside its halls daily, all the the way until it was shuttered in 2001. But there are still incredible artifacts of the all-too-recent past tucked away in the nooks and crannies of the old St. Anthony.

The explorer who took these photographs gave the following information:

"Many rooms were left untouched, we found patient files, old prescriptions, a blood transfusion machine from the 60s, and microscopic slides of breast cancer from the 70s and 80s. I put one picture in here of some heart scans so you can see the dates and diagnosis of the patient, but marked out the patient’s names of course. During a time when mental illness was not understood, 76 exorcisms were documented to have been performed between 1909 and 1931."

Take a look inside the halls of the legendary abandoned St. Anthony's hospital

Ranchotel: The Forgotten Landmark of Old Route 66 in Amarillo, Texas

The Ranchotel, located at 2501 W. 6th St., is a product of Route 66's heyday.

When Americans first began long-distance automotive travel, they typically stayed in hotels or camped beside the road. In response, clever entrepreneurs began to build what were called tourist courts. The Ranchotel is one of these.

It was built in 1940 and until recently, it was considered one of the best preserved examples of Route 66's tourist facilities. It was placed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1995 and was well maintained until 2020.

Even now, in spite of the building's fading beauty, there is still the nostalgic air held by many a historic landmark.