Cadillac Ranch

By: jwilder

texas roadside attractions Cadillac Ranch
Cadillac Ranch. Photo by Richie Diesterheft from Chicago, IL, USA, CC BY 2.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

No Texas automobile enthusiast travel website would be complete without including Cadillac Ranch. Well, here it is. Ten Caddys ranging from a 1949 Club Coupe to a '63 Sedan.

Cadillac Ranch was created in 1974 by a three men out of California who were members of an art group called Ant Farm. They connected with Stanley Marsh 3, an eccentric millionaire in Amarillo. He agreed to fund the project.

"It's fun to go out there and see it. I'm continually drawn to it," he said. "I've never seen a politician going there to shake hands. And that means it must be blessed." -Stanley Marsh 3

The movie "Cars", created by Pixar, pays tribute to Cadillac Ranch by including a mountain range called Cadillac Range. The artists did an exceptional job of depicting the Cadillacs as individual mountains.

After over 40 years of weather, spray paint and vandalism, the 10 Cadillacs still stand.

Stanley Marsh 3, passed away on June 17, 2014.

Probably the best time to visit this attraction is early in the morning. When we were there before sunset it was a crowd of about 25 people and more than half of them had spray cans. That much paint being sprayed can really offend the nasal passages so be warned.

What were the years and models of Cadillacs at Cadillac Ranch?

I haven't found an authoritative source for this. All I know is there are ten Cadillacs ranging from a 1949 Club Coupe to a 1963/1964 Sedan.

The "Anti" Cadillac Ranch

Listen, I tell you a mystery...

The Cadillac Ranch seems to have an opposite, balancing force. A yin yang thing. An "anti" Cadillac Ranch. It's the Bug Ranch, and you can read about the mystery I observed while pondering the two Texas roadside attractions.