The Depot District, Lubbock, TX

Resurgence of downtown areas has been happening for quite some time now and Lubbock, Texas is no different. The Depot District is the entertainment area of downtown Lubbock. One of the oldest buildings in the district used to house the Fort Worth Denver and South Plains Railway Depot. It was built in 1928 and became a very popular restaurant in 1976. The Depot Restaurant and Bar closed its doors in 1996, but helped to start the resurgence of the downtown area. Today the Buddy Holly Center is housed in the renovated and expanded railway depot. Other places that were descendants of the Depot Restaurant were The 19th Street Warehouse, The Depot Beer Garden, Red Door, Stubbs BBQ, Liquid 2000 and Palladian.

The Cactus Theater became part of downtown Lubbock in 1938 and continued to show first and second run movies until the end of 1958. It would take until 1993 before investors with a vision reopened this site as a live entertainment venue. Today the Cactus Theater is a cornerstone of the district area. Other businesses that have reaped the benefits of the revitalization of The Cactus Theater include: Kyle's 88 Key Cafy, Bleachers, Tom's Daiquiri Place, The Blue Light Live, Clousseau's, Triple J's, Frank `n' Steins and a new Cactus Courtyard.

One business has been in operation since it opened its doors in 1928 and that is Brown's Barber Shop. Service businesses that complement the barber shop are All About Looks, The Bijou, Tony Toni's and Hulla b'lu.

A landmark building remained in the Greer Family for sixty two years at the corner of 19th Street and Buddy Holly Ave. It is still know by locals as Greer's Iron Works. A father and son began the iron works in 1946 and it remained in business until 2003. One of the founder's grandsons opened Tornado Gallery in 2007 as an art gallery. Several other galleries now call The Depot District home. They include: Klusoz, Melt and La Diosa. Because people are visiting the district it has brought more restaurants to the downtown area such as O'Reilly's Irish Pub, The Library, Shooters, The Thirsty Turtle and The Depot Cotton Club.

The Coco-Cola bottling plant in the Depot District is undergoing a transformation into McPherson Cellars. This unique establishment will be the first of its kind in the district with its own winery. The inside will house a tasting room, bottling area and several multi- purpose areas.

There are many other attractions in the Lubbock area that visitors can see while they are there. Besides the Buddy Holly Center downtown consider taking in the National Ranching Heritage Center, American Wind Power Center, Science Spectrum Museum and Joyland Amusement Park. All of these attractions are family friendly. The National Ranching Heritage Center and American Wind Power Center pay homage to life as it used to be in the panhandle of Texas as well as some of the latest technology that is being used from the wind. The Science Spectrum and Joyland provide excellent learning opportunities and good old family fun.