Attractions

Odessa offers a wide variety of tastes when it comes to attractions. From historical to festive and cultural to educational we have it all. Begin your tour of Odessa's exciting attractions by clicking on the tabs below.

Vietnam Memorial

The Vietnam Memorial is an outdoor monument located at Midland International Airport less than a quarter-mile from the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) Museum and Headquarters. The memorial serves to honor the brave men and women who fought for the freedom that we and many others enjoy today. This monument includes a 10 foot wall with a large outline of Texas. Listed within are each of the Permian Basin counties and those who were listed as killed or missing in action from Vietnam service. To complete the monument a five-sided pentagon graces the entry which holds plaques of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard. Hidden spotlights illuminate four flags (United States, Texas, and two- POW/MIA) 24 hours a day. Visitors are welcomed and encouraged to visit this touching monument. Free admission.

The Pecos Depot

This landmark was purchased from the Panhandle- Santa Fe Railway in 1972. Built in 1892 it served as a railway terminal until 1950. It was then moved to Odessa and next to the historical Barn Door Restaurant in 1972. 2140 North Grant (432) 337-4142.

The White-Pool House

Built in 1887, the White-Pool House Museum is the oldest structure of importance in Odessa , Texas . Built by Charles and Lucy White, it resembled the house they left behind in Indiana . Exhibits give the public an opportunity to view and learn about different periods in Odessa 's history. The barn replica gives a view of early ranching life. Wednesday- Saturday: 10 AM-3 PM. 112 East Murphy (432) 333-4072. Free admission.

The Parker House

The Parker House Museum is Odessa's newest addition to the historical records of Odessa. In 1935, the Parker family moved into this modest house located on 1,290 acres. It represents the lifestyle of a prominent ranching family, who served the communities of Andrews and Ector counties since 1907. Wednesday- Saturday: 10 AM- 3PM. 1118 Maple Avenue (432) 335-9918. Donations accepted.

Henderson Drug Building

The Henderson Drug Building, renamed the Thomas Price Womack Scout Service Center, houses the Buffalo Trail Council of Boy Scouts. This is the oldest commercial property still standing in Odessa. Corner of Second Street and Grant Avenue.

Historic Odessa Walking Tour

The downtown tour begins where Odessa began - close to the railroad. Main Street Odessa (432) 335-4682

Jack Ben Rabbit

Who wouldn't want their picture made with the World's Largest Jack Rabbit? Erected in 1962, this impressive 8-foot statue is located at 802 North Sam Houston. (432) 333-7871

The Odessa Council for the Arts & Humanities, a 501(c)(3) organization, represents all the member museums, theatres, musical groups, ethnic organizations and individual artists in Odessa and Ector County. The Council grants funds to various groups that hold arts-related events in Odessa and meet certain other criteria, co-sponsors a series of musical concerts during the summer and promotes individual artists through either an arts festival or some other means.

Phone: (432) 337-1492
119 W. 4th St.
Odessa, Texas 79761

The Permian Playhouse

The Permian Playhouse has been enriching the lives of West Texas residents with music, dance, drama, suspense, tears and laughter for over 40 years. The Playhouse offers an opportunity for young people to explore the fascinating aspects of theater through the Kaleidoscope Company. 310 West 42nd Street (432) 362-2329.

Ector Theater

The Ector Theater is one of Odessa's classic downtown movie theaters. The renovated 700-seat theater built in 1951 shows classic movies, accommodates live theatrical productions and concerts. Located at 5th and Texas in downtown Odessa. (432) 337-9595 Theater, (432) 332-9835 Office.

Midland Odessa Symphony & Choral

Formed in 1962, The Midland Odessa Symphony and Choral is the premier orchestra in the Permian Basin . The symphony, chorale and its various ensembles perform with world renowned guest artists and conductors in concerts featuring classical, pops and educational programming throughout the year. Resident ensembles include the Lone Star Brass, the strings of the West and the West Texas Winds. Concert goers favorites shows include the biennial Pops On Ice performed at the Ector County Coliseum, Holiday Pops featuring Christmas favorites and the Masterworks series highlighting the best of the classics. Call for performance times and ticket information (432) 563-0921.

The Globe Theatre

A bit of Elizabethan England comes to life during the Odessa Shakespeare Festival at The Globe Theatre of the Great Southwest, Shakespearean Library & Anne Hathaway Cottage, modeled after Shakespeare's original Globe. The Globe also produces everything from Broadway musicals to country and Gospel revues. In addition to the Globe Theatre is the Anne Hathaway Cottage, which is a replica of the home Shakespeare built for his true love, Anne Hathaway. There is also a Barter Booth offering everything from souvenirs to refreshments. Grounds of Odessa College , 2308 Shakespeare Road (432) 332-1586.

Odessa Meteor Crater

The Meteor Crater is approximately 550 feet in diameter, is the second largest in the nation. The crater is the result of a barrage of meteors crashing to the earth some 20,000 to 50,000 years ago. It is approximately ten miles west of Odessa; via Interstate 20, exit 108. Enjoy a self-guided tour and visit the Thomas Rodman Museum and Visitor Center on site. Museum hours Tuesday- Saturday: 9 AM- 5PM; Sunday, 1 PM-5 PM. Crater Trail is open for self guided tours everyday from 9 AM-5 PM. (432) 381-0946. Free admission. Gift shop.

From the Handbook of Texas Online www.tshaonline.org
Julia Cauble Smith:

The Meteor Crater at Odessa (also known as Odessa Meteor Crater), the third largest meteor crater in the United States, is located ten miles southwest of Odessa and three miles south of Interstate Highway 20 in south central Ector County. Three craters make up the depression, which was formed in prehistoric time when thousands of iron meteorites known as octahedrites fell on the site. The largest crater covers ten acres. Two smaller and now-filled craters flank it. The rim of the largest crater rises from five to seven feet above the general level of the surrounding plain. The largest crater is filled by wash and wind-blown material to within nine to fourteen feet of the rim. The roughly circular depression is 500 to 650 feet wide from rim to rim. The impact of the meteorites displaced Cretaceous limestone, lifting it forty-five to fifty feet above its original position, folding it into a vertical position, and faulting it. The principal meteorite mass has been determined by bore holes to be near the center of the largest crater at a depth of 164 feet.

In 1892 Julius D. Henderson, a local rancher, discovered the depression while searching for a lost calf. He only noted that the depression was different from the surrounding terrain. In 1920 Virgil Graham, an Ector County resident, found a volcanic-like rock near the depression. He gave the rock to Samuel R. McKinney, who used it for a paperweight until A. C. Bibbins, a Baltimore geologist, saw it in McKinney's office. Bibbins recognized it as a meteorite fragment and sent it for analysis. Although several people realized that the depression and its fragments were unusual, no one recognized the site as a meteor crater until Elias H. Sellardsqv went to Ector County in 1922. As director of the Bureau of Economic Geology, Sellards was looking for potash when he came upon the crater in the field. After his discovery scientists from many places came to study the crater. In September 1939 an excavation project was funded by the University of Texas, Ector County, and several businesses and individuals. Machinery and lumber were bought for construction and operation of a shaft and a road. The Work Projects Administrationqv provided workers. Several unsuccessful attempts were made before and after World War IIqv to build a park at the site.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Ronald Dewayne Godard, "The Odessa Meteor Crater," in Odessa, Texas, U.S.A.: Diamond Jubilee, 1886-1961 (Odessa: Permian Historical Society, 1961). E. H. Sellards and C. L. Baker, Economic Geology of Texas (University of Texas Bulletin 3401, Austin: Bureau of Economic Geology, 1934). E. H. Sellards and V. E. Barnes, "Meteor Crater of Ector County, Excursion 9," in The Geological Society of America and Affiliated Societies' Excursions, December 26-28, 1940 (N.p.: Geological Society of America, 1940). E. H. Sellards, "Odessa Meteor Crater," Bulletin of the Geological Society of America 51 (1940). E. H. Sellards, "Odessa Meteor Craters," Bulletin of the Geological Society of America 52 (1941).