Odessa – Mommy Travels https://www.mommytravels.net a family travel blog covering destinations around the world Tue, 21 Nov 2023 00:15:00 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.2 https://www.mommytravels.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/cropped-Mommy-Travels-favicon-2-32x32.jpg Odessa – Mommy Travels https://www.mommytravels.net 32 32 Fun finds in Odessa, TX https://www.mommytravels.net/fun-finds-in-odessa-tx/ https://www.mommytravels.net/fun-finds-in-odessa-tx/#comments Wed, 13 Nov 2019 01:58:00 +0000 http://www.fabfunsisters.com/demo/?p=624 On our last trip to Odessa, I was shocked to make some new discoveries that I thought were awesome. The bars have gotten better, there are some newer restaurants that are fantastic, and there are more things to do with kids!

Better bars these days!

Shack in the Back

The first one is Shack in the Back. It is no longer what it was when I was in high school. If I recall correctly, it was a BBW joint back then. Nowadays during the warm months it opens every Wednesday night. They have live music, a couple of bars, outdoor fire pits, pool tables. It is just an all-around great hang. Probably the best hangout I have been to in Odessa ever. Located at  11610 W Hwy 80 E, Odessa, TX 79765.

The Beer Garden

Out on Highway 80 is The Beer Garden. They have a variety of draft beer available as well as wine in an open-air venue with picnic tables & live music.  Located at: 7112 W Hwy 80, Midland, TX 79706

Rolling 7 Ranch Saloon

Another place out off Highway 80, but set back a bit is Rolling 7 Ranch. I am not sure that they have specific hours, but if you can catch them open on a non-event night it’s an awesome place to hang out. They’ve got live music, horseshoes & beer! Located at: 11700 West County Road 122, Odessa, Texas.

Rolling 7 Ranch in Odessa, Texas

Hanging out with friends at Rolling 7 Ranch

Better restaurants too!

Well, a few new restaurants, because let’s face it, Odessa has always had great restaurants!

Mi PiaciMi Piaci

The second one is a great little restaurant near Grandview and University called Mi Piaci. It is a bring your own wine concept, but you can also bring your own beer if you like. The food was awesome. It is what I would call Tex – Italian. Meaning there were jalapenos in my entree! I always get the Chicken Murphy made with sauteed mushrooms, jalapenos, sherry wine cream and marinara. (pictured) They are a local, family-owned and operated Italian Restaurant serving pizza, pasta, calzones, sub sandwiches, steak, and all of the classic Italian food favorites.

Flipped

Flipped breakfast restaurant in Odessa, Texas

Flipped breakfast restaurant in Odessa, Texas

A great place for breakfast that’s also super cute is Flipped at Parks Legado. They do not take reservations but I went in on a super busy morning and I was sat right away. 

Garely’s Mexican RestaurantGarely's Mexican Restaurant

The food here was fantastic. I got the Mocajeta and it met expectations! I had high expectations after first having this in Cabo. 

Cafe at the Gardens

There is a restaurant now at Aldridge Gardens. Located at: 3300 N Fairgrounds Rd, Midland, TX 79705

More things to do in Midland and Odessa!

Big Sky Drive Inn 

Odessa has always had great weather, so it just makes sense that they would have a drive in theater and after all these years, they finally have one again. It is a pet-friendly drive-in cinema offering 3 double features nightly, plus a large concession menu.

Located at: 6200 W Hwy 80, Midland, TX 79706

Cinergy

Midland and Odessa both have Cinergy Movie complexes now. Both have an arcade. The one in Odessa has a bowling alley and the one in Midland has a ropes course. The Midland location also has Escape rooms.

Cinergy Odessa: 8250 TX-191, Odessa, TX 79765

Cinergy Midland: 1917 Liberty Dr, Midland, TX 79706

Altitude Trampoline Parkimg 2544

Odessa has a huge indoor trampoline park and it’s super fun. They have Olympic trampolines too! It’s about $10 per hour per person.

Sherwood Park Pool

Odessa has a great community pool at Sherwood Park. They have special rates on family night.

Doug Russell Pool

Midland has a fantastic community pool that kids will love.

Jurassic Jungle Spraygroundimg 2757

This water playground located on UTPB is free! It offers a variety of spraying, dumping, sliding and cascading water features.

Wine and Canvas

Wine and Canvas is a painting class with wine or cocktails. A local artist helps customers step-by-step to create their finished masterpiece. They also have Cookies and Canvas for kids ages 5 and up.

Where to Stay in Odessa


Odessa, Texas is truly a unique place with something to experience for everyone. Whether it be catching the latest movie release at the theater, grabbing a bite to eat in one of its amazing restaurants, or relaxing in its many local parks, Odessa provides some entertainment. Those who live here know first-hand what a great city it is. We challenge you to explore all that the city has to offer and tell us your favorite spot in Odessa! Until next time friends, keep your eyes peeled for more Fun Finds from around town!

Read Next:

Kid’s eat free in Odessa and Midland, TX

Marfa, Texas

Things To Do With Kids In San Angelo

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]]> https://www.mommytravels.net/fun-finds-in-odessa-tx/feed/ 1 Doug Russell Pool https://www.mommytravels.net/doug-russell-pool/ Tue, 09 Aug 2016 21:02:41 +0000 http://www.mommytravels.net/?p=6940 Doug Russell pool is the perfect way to spend a hot day in Midland, Texas. For just $3 you can cool off and swim all day.

img 47301

Every now and then the kids and I stumble across an awesome local spot that visitors wouldn’t necessarily know about and that is exactly what happened the other day in Midland, Texas. I was chatting with a friend about taking the kids to a pool in Odessa and she casually mentioned that many of her friends take their kids over to Midland to the Doug Russell pool. Now she didn’t elaborate at all so imagine my surprise when I googled this pool and saw how awesome it was and that it only costs $3. I can’t believe in all our trips to West Texas that no one had mentioned this swimming pool to us before!

img 4733
While we were there I took some quick video so you can see exactly what to expect. You will notice that there is hardly any shade.

 

Unfortunately, they do not let you take in your own food. They do have a snack bar with $1.50 water & $4 nachos. They had lots of other options as well, but since this was all I bought they are the only items I can recall. I know there was ice cream.

img 4743
My kids love the rock climbing wall that they could jump off of into the water and the three water slides. I loved the chairs that you could sit on in the water. Probably because it was 106 degrees the day we went.

img 4735
Don’t forget that they are closed on Tuesdays!

Family Night is from 7-9 p.m. on Thursdays.

Lap Swim is Noon-1 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

Midland community pool

Doug Russell Aquatic Center is located at

900 N. Midland Drive
Midland, TX 79703

The entry fee is $3 per person; children under 2 are free. Punch cards are available at the Martin Luther King Community Center.

Mon 12:00 PM — 7:00 PM

TueClosed

Wed 12:00 PM — 7:00 PM

Thu 12:00 PM — 9:00 PM

Fri12:00 PM — 7:00 PM

Sat12:00 PM — 7:00 PM

Sun1:00 PM — 7:00 PM

17 Things to do in Midland, Texas

18 Fun Things to do in Odessa Texas

The post Doug Russell Pool appeared first on Mommy Travels.

]]> 19 Fun Things to do in Odessa Texas https://www.mommytravels.net/things-to-do-in-odessa-tx/ https://www.mommytravels.net/things-to-do-in-odessa-tx/#comments Tue, 26 May 2009 23:45:00 +0000 http://www.fabfunsisters.com/demo/?p=679 Here are 19 fun things to do in Odessa, Texas one of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S.

Soon my family and I will travel once again to Odessa Texas. We are from there and our parents and siblings still live there. We would probably live there too, but there are no military installations there! Growing up there I always heard people say that there is nothing to do there, but that isn’t true. Here are some things you can do in Odessa and Midland if you live there or find yourself visiting there.

19 Fun Things to do in Odessa Texas

Jurassic Jungle

img 2757The Jurassic Jungle is a new splash pad/splash park on the UTPB campus near the baseball fields and regular playground. It’s free thanks to the Odessa Junior League. Be sure to check the hours they are running, because both times we went it was closed.

Sherwood Park Pool

Odessa has a great community pool at Sherwood Park. It’s affordable too, they have a family night that is super cheap. My kids always like coming here to cool off during hotter months. There’s a playground next door that is fun for kids as well. It’s been re-done recently, but the octopus is still there!

Rimrock Raceway

Rimrock Raceway is a hidden gem off of highway 80 where you and your family can go race go-carts. You have to be at least 8 years old to use their go-karts. There’s also a bar on site, Victory Lane Bar. Located at 12412 W Hwy 80 E Odessa, TX 79765. 

Altitude Trampoline Park

Odessa finally has an indoor trampoline park and it’s a good one! It’s a little expensive, but your kids are sure to love it. They have an Olympic trampoline. Altitude Trampoline Park in Odessa Texas

The Globe of the Great Southwest

The globe theater is a replica of Shakespeare’s globe theatre. They put on many plays here and they also host a Shakespeare festival every year.

The Permian Playhouse

The Permian Playhouse put on a variety of plays and musicals throughout the year. Many years ago I saw Fiddler on the Roof here and it was very good.

The Commemorative Air Force Museum

The commemorative Air Force Museum includes planes from several foreign countries and other military conflicts since World War II. They host an air show every year.

Midland Rockhounds

They are the Permian Basin’s minor league baseball team. The games are very fun and kid-friendly. They have a very nice playground for the kids. They do a great fireworks show for the 4th of July.

Odessa Jackalopes

They are the area’s minor league hockey team and are based in Odessa. The games are kid friendly and fun.

Ratliff Ranch Golf Links

With little to no rain you can golf almost year-round in Odessa.

Eat Donuts!

You have to go to Southern Maid and try their cherry donuts. Their other donuts are good too, but we go for the cherry donuts. Donuts!

Permian Basin Stonehenge

Odessa has its very own Stonehenge replica on the UTPB campus. This version of Stonehenge is made of limestone slabs up to 19 feet tall and 20 tons apiece. The Permian Basin Stonehenge is slightly shorter than the original, but it’s exact in horizontal size and astronomically accurate. For some reason this was the best photo I have of it.2017 Kia Soul Turbo

Odessa Meteor Crater

The 62,000-year-old Odessa Meteor Crater is a meteorite crater in the southwestern part of Ector County, southwest of the city of Odessa of West Texas, United States. It is accessible approximately 3 miles south of Interstate 20 at Exit 108. It is the second largest meteor crater in the U.S., a hole 550 feet wide and 100 feet deep formed when a thousand-ton mass of space iron slammed into the earth. I have not been out here in over two decades, but I’ve heard from some that it isn’t really a crater anymore.
Doug Russell Pool

Midland has a fantastic community pool that kids will love. I think Doug Russell pool is the best community pool in the area. It has bigger slides than the other community pools, a dedicated area for younger children, a rock climbing wall, and more.

Museum of the Southwest

The Museum of the Southwest over in Midland has a fun kid’s area. The kids area is known as the Durham Children’s Museum. Here kids will find a variety of interactive spaces that create an exciting learning experience for children of all ages. Ponder marine life by visiting our living coral reef. They can experience hands-on learning and life while playing in the child-sized grocery store, kitchen and vet clinic. The museum also offers community events.

Sibley Nature Center

The Sibley Nature Center encompasses 49 acres in Hogan Park in Midland and highlights the southern Llano Estacado, Edwards Plateau, and Transpecos Regions. Inside they have taxidermy exhibits of animals found in our region, which can be highly entertaining for kids. For kids, they offer guided tours, toddler times with gardening and story time, and they have a nature club for grade schoolers. The Sibley Nature Center is open to the public Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the Sibley Nature Trails are open daily from nsunrise to sunset.

I-20 Wildlife Preserve

This is an 87-acre park with a little marsh, walking trail, and butterfly garden in Midland. It’s an oasis in the middle of the desert. Wildlife tends to make an appearance later in the evening or early in the morning. They have an easy, partially shaded 1.2-mile loop trail that encircles the wetland marsh. The trail surface is asphalt, hard-packed dirt, and a wooden boardwalk. The Texas sunsets here are beautiful. Admission is free. The nature preserve is open from 8:00 A.M. -6:00 P.M. Tuesday-Saturday. The I-20 Wildlife Presrve is located at 2201 S. Midland Drive,

Mall Playground

There is a playground inside the Music City Mall aka the mall in Odessa. It’s not huge, but it’s a decent size for being inside a mall.

Ice Skating

The mall in Odessa also has an ice skating rink. (I worked there in high school.) You can bring your own skates or rent some of theirs. Sessions are for two hours. (I heard this was closing but unsure if that is true. I hope not! I used to work here.)

George W. Bush Childhood Home

For $5 you can tour the George W. Bush Childhood Home. Home to two Presidents, two Governors, and a First Lady, this remarkable 1950s restoration gives visitors a unique perspective of the Bush family and their legacy, insight into the restoration of this modest home, and provides an interesting view of life in 1950s Midland. The home is located at 1412 West Ohio Avenue, Midland, Texas 79701.

For more things to do in Odessa check out our list of fun finds. This is also where you will find some seriously tasty restaurant recommendations and unique bars to visit.

Where to Stay in Odessa


 

19 Things to do in Midland, Texas

Best Things to Do in Fort Davis, Texas

18 Things to do in Odessa, Texas

6 Fun Day Trips from Odessa, Texas

There are some interesting things to see around the area that are worth venturing out to.

Balmorhea State Park Balmorhea State Park

One of the best day trips is Balmorhea State Park, home to the world’s largest spring-fed swimming pool built back in the 1930s. Here you can swim, scuba, or skin dive, camp, geocache, and bird watching. The park has picnic sites, an outdoor sports area, and a playground. More than 15 million gallons of water flow through the pool each day, gushing from the San Solomon Springs. The pool is up to 25 feet deep, covers 1.3 acres, and holds 3.5 million gallons of water. The water temperature stays at 72 to 76 degrees year-round. It’s deep, so I recommend putting kids in a life jacket.

Monahans Sandhills

The Monahans Sandhills State Park is a 3,840-acre state park just 31 miles west of Odessa. You can rent sand disks at the park headquarters and slide down the dunes for $2 for 2 hours. The park is open daily, but the gate may be locked after 10 p.m. on some holidays. My kids LOVE doing this.

  • Adult: $4 Daily and Child 12 Years and under are free

Carlsbad Caverns

3 hours from Odessa is Carlsbad Caverns National Park. It is located within the Chihuahuan Desert of southern New Mexico. It features more than 100 caves. The Natural Entrance is a path into the namesake Carlsbad Cavern. Stalactites cling to the roof of the Big Room, a huge underground chamber in the cavern.

Adults (16 and older): $12 per person, Children (15 and under): Free

Guadalupe Mountains

The Guadalupe Mountains are a great place to go hiking with 80 miles of hiking trails. Within this National Park is the world’s most extensive Permian fossil reef, the four highest peaks in Texas, an environmentally diverse collection of flora and fauna, and the stories of lives shaped through conflict, cooperation, and survival. Come experience mountains and canyons, desert and dunes, night skies, and spectacular vistas.

McDonald’s Observatory

McDonald Observatory is located in the Davis Mountains of West Texas 2 hours and 20 minutes from Odessa, under some of the darkest skies in the continental United States.

McDonald Observatory welcomes the public at the Frank N. Bash Visitors Center for star parties and exhibits. Weather permitting, guided star parties are held weekly at the Rebecca Gale Telescope Park, which now features, among a wide variety of 8-24 in telescopes, the Wren-Marcario Accessible Telescope (WMAT) with wheelchair access, available to all guests.

MarfaPrada store in Marfa

Marfa, a small desert city in west Texas, is known as an arts hub and a 2 hour and 40-minute drive from Odessa.  The town was established in 1883 as a water stop and freight headquarters for the Galveston, Harrisburg, and San Antonio Railway. Nowadays it’s back in the public eye for having this random Prada store! But they are best known for the Marfa lights, near U.S. Route 67 on Mitchell Flat east of Marfa. They have gained some fame as onlookers have ascribed them to paranormal phenomena such as ghosts and UFOs.

You should consider making this an overnight trip and staying in a teepee at El Cosmico.

Read Next:

Kid’s eat free in Odessa and Midland, TX

Things To Do With Kids In San Angelo

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]]> https://www.mommytravels.net/things-to-do-in-odessa-tx/feed/ 3 Kid’s eat free in Odessa and Midland, TX https://www.mommytravels.net/kids-eat-free-in-odessa-and-midland-tx/ Wed, 29 Apr 2009 20:40:00 +0000 http://www.fabfunsisters.com/demo/?p=689 Want to go out to eat without spending a fortune? One of the easiest ways to save money when eating out is to find places with free kids meals or at least heavily discounted meals. I highly recommend calling beforehand to make sure they are still offering these deals. I would hate for someone to end up having to pay more. You can also save money when eating out by using Restaurant.comimage 3447064 10890588 (affiliate link)

Kid’s eat free in Odessa and Midland

Monday

Buffalo Wild Wings

4241 N. Grandview Ave.
Odessa, TX 79762-5843

$1.99 kid meals

IHOP

2973 John Ben Shepperd Pkwy
Odessa, TX 79762-8157

4 PM until close kids eat free

Tuesday

Casa Ole

2727 John Ben Sheppard Parkway
Odessa, TX 79762

0.99 cent kid meals all day

Denny’s

105 W 42Nd St
Odessa, TX 79764

4 – close kids eat free

Fazoli’s
4241 John Ben Shepperd PkwyOdessa, TX
5 to 8pm we reserve an area of our restaurant just for you! And kids eat for only .99

Fazoli’s
4505 West Loop 250 North Midland, TX
5 to 8pm we reserve an area of our restaurant just for you! And kids eat for only .99

IHOP

2973 John Ben Shepperd Pkwy
Odessa, TX 79762-8157

4 PM until close kids eat free

Wednesday

IHOP

2973 John Ben Shepperd Pkwy
Odessa, TX 79762-8157

4 PM until close kids eat free

Luby’s Cafateria
2510 West Louisiana Avenue

Midland, Texas 79701
After 4:30 pm free kid’s meal with purchase of adult meal. Dine-in only. Breakfast not included

Thursday

IHOP

2973 John Ben Shepperd Pkwy
Odessa, TX 79762-8157

4 PM until close kids eat free

Saturday

Denny’s

105 W 42Nd St
Odessa, TX 79764

4 – close kids eat free
Luby’s Cafateria
2510 West Louisiana Avenue Midland, Texas 79701
All day free kid’s meal with purchase of adult meal. Dine-in only. Breakfast not included

 

It can be tough to find good deals when you’re on a budget, but thankfully there are plenty of places where kids can eat free in Odessa and Midland, TX. With so many options available, there’s no excuse not to take advantage of this great deal! So if you’re looking for a place to eat with your family that won’t break the bank, be sure to check out one of these businesses. And if you know of any other places where kids eat free, let us know in the comments!

Read Next:

19 Fun Things to do in Odessa, Texas

Fun finds in Odessa, TX

The post Kid’s eat free in Odessa and Midland, TX appeared first on Mommy Travels.

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