Lubbock grew up around the railway, and its old depot quarter just north of downtown is now the city’s entertainment district. The Depot District, centred on Buddy Holly Avenue and 19th Street, mixes the Buddy Holly Center, the restored Cactus Theater, winery tasting rooms, breweries, restaurants and some of West Texas’s best live-music bars.
West Texas has produced a remarkable number of musicians for such a sparsely populated place — Buddy Holly, Waylon Jennings, Mac Davis, Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Butch Hancock, Natalie Maines — and this is where you still hear the Lubbock sound, from Red Dirt and Texas country to rock and songwriter nights.
Top things to do: Depot District
A show at the Cactus Theater
The 1938 Cactus Theater on Buddy Holly Avenue, once a neighbourhood cinema, was restored as an intimate live-music and theatre venue. Check the calendar for concerts, tribute shows and musicals.
Live music bar-hop
Several bars and venues in and around the district host Texas country, rock and singer-songwriter acts most weekends. Line-ups change weekly — check local listings.
Wine and beer tasting
Tasting rooms for High Plains wineries and local craft breweries make the district an easy place to sample West Texas drinks — see our wine country guide.
First Friday Art Trail
On the first Friday of each month, galleries and art spaces in the Lubbock Cultural District nearby open their doors in the evening, with free events, food trucks and music.
How to get there
- Location: between downtown Lubbock and Texas Tech, roughly along Buddy Holly Avenue (formerly Avenue H) around 17th–19th Streets.
- Getting home: use rideshare or taxis in the evening; street parking is generally easy early on.
Insider tips
- Thursday to Saturday nights are liveliest; some venues are quiet early in the week.
- Combine the Buddy Holly Center in the late afternoon with a tasting, dinner and a show.
- Bring ID — US venues check age (21+) for alcohol, whatever your age looks like.
Pair it with a tour
GetYourGuide has no bookable tours in Lubbock itself yet, so these are the best-rated experiences that fit naturally into a trip that includes Depot District:
Walking tour from $45 Fort Worth: Stockyards History Tour Pub Crawl
Most international visitors reach the South Plains through Dallas/Fort Worth, and the Stockyards are the perfect prelude: this is where the cattle trails ended. A local historian leads you between old saloons on Exchange Avenue, mixing cattle-drive history, outlaws and cowboy culture with cold drinks — the same ranching story you will meet again at Lubbock’s National Ranching Heritage Center.
- Hidden history of the cattle drives and cowtown saloons
- Several classic Stockyards bars with an expert guide
- Top-rated by guests (4.9/5)
Food tour from $115 Fort Worth: Stockyards Saloons and Foodie Crawl Tour
Eat your way through Texas cowboy country before you head out to the real thing. This guided walking tour of the Fort Worth Stockyards pairs three savoury tastings and a sweet finish with the history of cattle drives and outlaws — a fun first taste of the Texas food you will find all across the South Plains.
- Three food stops plus a dessert treat
- Stories of cowboys, cattle drives and outlaws
- A walk through the historic Stockyards district
