The original Zimmerman
behind Jack ’ s RV sales and service at 4341 Canyon Drive . Step inside , and you ’ re back in the past . The jukebox , set in a recreation of a 1950s diner , plays Jerry Lee Lewis , Fats Domino or Elvis .
The Lampsteed Kampkar was sold as a kit to fit the Model T Ford chassis . Once assembled , the rear compartment folded like a Pullman train car and became two double beds . When folded upright , the bed frame ’ s center section formed a pair of bench seats . You could buy this RV for only $ 535 back in 1921 . Don ’ t even ask what it ’ s worth today . It was created by two of the least likely RV partners you can imagine , Anheuser-Busch ( the producer of one of the most dangerous things you can drink while cruising along in an RV ) and Samuel B . Lambert , whose father was part of the Listerine company . ( Maybe they figured you could gargle Listerine if you drank “ what made Milwaukee famous ” while driving the RV .)
Then , there ’ s the big 1948 Flxible . This one may look familiar to Robin Williams fans since it was the actual one used in the movie RV .
The nostalgia continues with a shiny , like new 1962 Airstream , the little aluminum 1946 Teardrop or the teensy red and white 1953 Fleetwood Travel trailer .
Since the horse was transporting Texans long before RVs , you can bet there ’ s a museum dedicated to that noble beast . It ’ s the Quarter Horse Hall of Fame and Museum . In spite of the cowboy getting top billing , it was really the American Quarter Horse that won the west .
Start with the film in the Ken & Laina Banks Theater to learn the history of this animal . You can get the “ inside story ” with the X-ray exhibit . Kids of all ages will fall in love with “ Doc ” the vet and “ Two Bits ” the horse there for his check-up .
Whether you ’ re a novice who wants to learn the difference between “ Western ” and “ English ” style or a serious scholar who wants to research the reason each inductee earned a place in this Hall of Fame , you ’ ll love this museum .
Panhandle Plains Historical Museum calls itself “ The Smithsonian with a Texas accent .” It is a fantastic museum located on the Texas A & M University campus in Canyon , Texas , so it definitely has a Texas accent .
This museum takes on the past 14,000 years and 26,000 miles of rugged Texas panhandle . It began as a bits-and-pieces museum during the Great Depression and continued to grow . Today , it ’ s the largest history museum in Texas , housing over two million artifacts .
From the prehistoric creatures that roamed the plains on to the indigenous people and the Comanche that called this land home , the museum moves on to the era of the stagecoach and the Wild West .
This is Texas , so there ’ s Samuel Colt ’ s Peacemaker , the gun that won the west , the Remington Revolver and many more . You can get a grip on one of Samuel Colt ’ s original Peacemakers or a Remington revolver . They ’ re replicas , but these interactive pieces have the feel of the real guns .
Panhandle Plains Historical Museum recently opened a new Pioneer Town that covers life in the Texas Panhandle from 1890 to 1910 . You can see the village church or visit a Chinese laundry .
The transportation section goes from stagecoach to classic cars . One of my favorites is the 1910 Zimmerman , the first Zimmerman brought into Texas . Zimmermans are among the rarest of American-made autos . They really were horseless carriages made from old buggy components . There are classic cars and classic Burma Shave Signs .
The People of the Plains represented here are as varied as the exhibits – European settler , native dweller , cowboy , oilman , farmer , rancher and more .
Even dining gets quirky in Amarillo . The Big Texan is fun and food wrapped in one gaudy package . If Miss Kitty had dinner with Marshal Dillon , they ’ d dine here . It resembles a western movie set . There ’ s a life-sized windmill , cowboy paraphernalia , and a huge plastic bull out front with a sign offering “ Free 72-Ounce Steak .”
Pretty much everyone is dressed as a Gunsmoke extra , either cowboys or bar girls , so to blend in wear jeans , a Stetson and , naturally , boots .
The dining room is classic Old West décor , wagon wheels , revolvers , mounted animal heads , imitation gas lights and a mural with an Indian teepee . The upstairs balcony tables are set behind red drapes .
Cowboy musicians roam around playing requests . The massive grills where two
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