Last October Amarillo and the Texas Panhandle hosted the annual study tour for the Texas Travel Industry Association. Thirteen travel counselors from Travel Information Centers across the state visited Amarillo, Canyon, Plainview, Lubbock and many small towns in between.

Each trip votes on various highlights, such as best tour guide or best attraction or best breakfast. Amarillo enjoyed three winners from that study tour.

Best Dinner went to River Breaks Ranch of Amarillo.

Best Breakfast went to the Big Texan Steak Ranch.

Best Attraction/Museum Guide was awarded to Danyel Parkhurst of Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch.

The awards were announced last week at the annual TTIA Texas Travel Counselors meeting, held in Beaumont, TX. Curt Cornett, owner of River Breaks Ranch, was at the meeting to receive the award.

“The Amarillo Convention and Visitors Bureau congratulates all three winners. They represents some of our best partners throughout the year,” Jutta Matalka, Director of Tourism at the Amarillo CVC, said.

“We owe so much to the state travel counselors. Having them remember a meal, such as dinner at River Breaks Ranch and breakfast at the Big Texan, as well as the tour of Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch is invaluable as they help millions of visitors to Texas all year round,” Matalka said.

River Breaks is located on the far NW side of Amarillo, just a couple of miles past the intersection of Loop 335 and Boys Ranch Rd. It offers both chuck wagon breakfasts and dinners by reservation and features a wagon ride to the meal campsite and cowboy entertainment.

The Big Texan Steak Ranch is an Amarillo institution and is world-renowned for the free 72 oz. steak dinner, if it is eaten in an hour.

Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch is located northwest of Amarillo on US 385. While designed to give boys and girls a helping hand, they welcome visitors to campus throughout the year.

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Visit the Amarillo CVC website at www.visitamarillotx.com

Visit the Rivers Breaks Ranch website at www.riverbreaks.com

Visit the Big Texan web site at www.bigtexan.com

Visit the Cal Farley’s web site at www.calfarley.org