My senior year of high school, my parents moved us down to Odessa, Texas. We quickly gave this West Texas town a new nickname of “Odessa-lation.” This desolate land was an eye sore and lets be honest pretty creepy. So lets just say I was extremely happy when my husband and I moved up to Colorado. I thought my Odessa days were forever in my rear view mirror, but God had other plans.
I was devastated at the thought of moving back to this middle of no where town, but I made up my mind I was going to find the best in this desert oil town. So I strapped the kiddos in the mini van and drove around every inch of the town looking for an adventure….and we had an adventure indeed!
Discover Odessa:
If you are looking for fun things to do in Odessa, Texas; than discoverodessa.org is the place to start! This is the official website of Odessa and it has a list of everything you need in Odessa to enjoy your stay.
Check out the list of places to eat and if you are really into queso, try the Queso Trail. This trail has a list of some of the best chips in queso in Odessa, and coupons for you to get them for even cheaper!
Download the map and find the local Jackrabbits to get your stuffed bunny prize at the end. This website is your tourist guide to the best of Odessa’s museums, murals, BBQs, events, and attractions!
Some other great websites to help you find the best of Odessa, check out are the livingforthree.com and also odessaaf.com.
Things To Do In Odessa, Texas With Kids:
Stonehenge:
Who says you need to travel across the big water to see Stonehenge? Yep Odessa has the desert replica of this historic site. This is probably one of the most photographed places in Odessa, Texas.
This replica was built on the UTPB College campus and has been a must see sight in Odessa for years. So stop by let the kiddos climb on some rocks and puzzle out in your mind if the aliens really did help build the original.
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Jack Rabbit Hunt:
You know you are in Odessa, when you see a jackrabbit at the side of the road. Literally Odessa has 32 colorful giant jackrabbits all over town! If you are looking to go on a rabbit hunt, click here for more information.
Kids will love hunting around town for these colorful rabbits, but what they will love the most is if they visit 15 of these rabbits and check in through the jackrabbit jamboree app (for more about this app, click here) they can head over to the Odessa Chamber of Commerce and take their own little stuffed bunny home to remember the adventure!
Odessa Murals:
On the sides of some of Odessa’s favorite spots are gorgeous murals! There are 9 that discoverodessa.org suggests, but there are really so many murals all around town. This is a fun way to teach kiddos the history and culture of Odessa, plus help them appreciate some beautiful art.
Odessa Mural Locations:
- Purple Tulip- 816 Andrews Hwy
- Burgers- 3816 Andrews Hwy
- Life in Odessa- 1621 W 10th St
- Colorful Cultures- 10th & Golder
- Horizon- 2525 Andrews Hwy
- Ferdinand the Bull- 6th & Jackson
- Odessa’s Hollywood- 601 N Grant Ave
- Day of the Dead- 301 W 2nd St
- Cowboys of Texas- 5th & North Lee
Playgrounds:
You can never go wrong with kids when a playground is involved. Odessa may not have the greatest variety of playgrounds, actually it pretty much has the same playground all throughout the town. The majority of the playgrounds are mostly monkey bars and ropes, but there are a few playgrounds that your kids won’t want to miss out on.
Our Favorite Playgrounds:
Splash Pads and Aquatic Centers:
During those intense above 100 degree summers nothing sounds more fun than playing in the water. Luckily, Odessa has got you covered with splash pads and aquatic centers! These water centers are some of our favorite things to do in Odessa, Texas with kids!
Since my kids are in that toddler/baby stage still, we are huge fans of splash pads! Not having to worry about your kid drowning in deep water is pretty comforting and they still have tons of fun.
There are a couple aquatic centers too that have shallow areas for the little ones, and deeper pools for the older kids and adults. Plus who can ever get tired of waterslides! For more information on the aquatic centers click here.
Our Favorite Splash Pads:
Walk Comanche Trail:
Though Odessa isn’t the best spot to go hiking it does offer a slight nature trail right in town. The Comanche Trail is an easy 1.3 mile trail that connects West County Rd and South Service Road of 1-20. This asphalt trail is a great walk through trees, under a bridge, and passes by a pond and 2 playgrounds.
Odessa Meteor Crater:
Apparently there is a meteor crater in Odessa, Texas! We were super excited to go check it out, but lets just say it was not what we expected. Unless you are a geologist of astronomer, you probably won’t be able to tell the difference between crater and rock. Haha!
Oh well, it is still a nice little nature walk through the desert and a very small museum that teaches about planets and meteors. It is an educational sight with a short walking trail, and did I forget to mention that it is FREE!
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Duck Ponds:
I know this sounds like a strange thing to put on a list of things to do, but you HAVE to try these duck ponds! I am telling you, stop by Academy and buy a bag of deer corn, fill up a bucket with the corn, head to one of these duck ponds! You won’t regret it! The ducks practically swarm to you and will eat right out of your hand if you let them.
Feeding the ducks is one of my kids favorite things to do in Odessa, Texas. Not only do we get our exercise walking around these ponds, but we also get a chance to interact with animals and have fun!
Our Favorite Duck Ponds:
Altitude Trampoline Park:
This trampoline park is one to the best places to take kids in Odessa, Texas! There are foam pits to jump and swing into, a dodgeball area, a climbing area, a basketball area, and much more.
Being that my kids are so little, we are big fans of toddler time! Monday- Friday 10am-1pm is toddler time for the little ones to jump without the danger of the older kids around! On the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month there are even characters that come to jump with the kids. We have seen a triceratops, Geeko (PJ Masks), and Elmo!
Price: socks $3 a pair, 60 min- $14, 90 min- $18, 120 min $22, Toddler Time: Adults $2, ages 6 and under $7
Hours: Sun-Thurs 10am-8pm, Fri-Sat 10am-10pm
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Cinergy:
I don’t think anyone could mention things to do in Odessa, Texas without mentioning Cinergy. Obviously Cinergy is a movie theater and can I just add a dang good movie theater. All of the chairs recline and are so comfortable. The chairs are spaced so you aren’t right on top of the person right next to you. Plus there are trays, so don’t forget to order you popcorn, or just order a whole meal and they will bring it to you during the movie!
Cinergy is way more that just a movie theater though! There is an arcade, a restaurant, a bowling alley, ropes course, laser tag, and VR games. Yeah this is the place to be! In Odessa, Texas with kids this is a must see!
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Walk around UTPB:
If you are wanting to really see the nature side of Odessa, than walking the UTPB Outer Loop is a great trail to hike! This trail is a 3.6 mile hike around the UTPB college.
On this hike we have seen prairie dogs, burrowing owls, and lots of lizards. There are beautiful cactus, bridges, and even a bit of history on the trail. On the south side of the trail you can stop and see George Bush’s childhood home. This is a super easy trail, but the closest you can come to a decent hike in Odessa, Texas.
Best Places To Eat With Kids In Odessa, Texas:
PopBar–
What better treat for a hot day than a fresh popsicle dipped in chocolate and covered in sprinkles!? This restaurant has a large assortment of all types of popsicles from fruit sorbet to frozen gelato! My favorite is the banana dipped in chocolate and the chocolate birthday cake.
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Curbside Bistro–
Instead of getting burgers, try getting sliders! These sliders are AMAZING and will fill you up quick. Here you are thinking you are getting a smaller burger, but golly these sliders are so filled with good stuff, you get full off of just one!
At the same time, you won’t be able to stop eating cause they are so good! These mini burgers are perfect for feeding those little kiddos! My favorite is definitely ‘The Homer Simpson,’ a slider filled with BBQ sauce and mac n’ cheese!
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Buffet King–
Buffets are always a great way to feed a family, and you can’t get a better buffet in Odessa than Buffet King. This is my daughter’s favorite place to go out and eat. She can pick whatever she wants, which means she can eat all the shrimp she can get! Also ice cream at the end is a giant plus! Seriously though this is the best Asian buffet I have ever eaten at!
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Flipped–
Breakfast isn’t just the most important meal of the day, it is my favorite meal of the day! If you are anything like me and love breakfast than this is the restaurant to go to! It is such an Instagram restaurant! It is decorated so cute and almost has a modern farmhouse feel to it.
Not only is it super cute, the food is amazing! You have to try their breakfast sandwiches! Your taste buds will never be the same!
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Delicias Bake Shop–
Prepare to have your sweet tooth satisfied, by these wonderful desserts! Cookies, cakes, puddings, cheesecakes, tarts, caramel apples, lemonades, pastries….shall I go on! They have it all here and they are so fancy!
My kids were in absolute heaven when I told them to pick whichever cupcake they wanted. I was the one who ended up in heaven though after tasting the cupcakes my kids picked! They were incredible!
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Final Thoughts On Odessa, Texas:
If I am being completely honest, this is not my favorite place on the planet. I would probably never choose to travel here just for fun, but if you happen to be driving through the town these items listed above are fun and your kids will love them!
There is beauty and adventure all around and sometimes it is harder to find it. Odessa is a place you have to search hard to find, but like I said if you give it a shot you will have so much fun and leave with good memories of this west Texas town!
If you are looking to hop over to Midland, Texas click here for a list of fun things to do in Midland, Texas with kids!
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