Glenrio

ghost town in Quay County, New Mexico and Deaf County, Texas in the United States

Glenrio is a ghost town that is partially in the Texas Panhandle and partially in New Mexico.

First/Last Motel in Texas

Understand

It was built a 1903 railroad town on the Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (the tracks were removed in the 1980s), Glenrio served travellers on the Ozark Trail and later Route 66. The highway was realigned onto a freeway bypassing the town in the 1970s. The last businesses closed in 1976.

The now-abandoned post office stands in New Mexico, the rail station was in Texas.

Get in

Glenrio is on a former alignment of US Route 66 which has been bypassed by what is now Interstate 40. The old road still exists slightly to the south of the newer freeway, but turns to gravel upon entering New Mexico. From Interstate 40 in Texas, look for "I-40 Business" or "Exit 0" to leave I-40 for US 66.

Get around

The village, listed as the Glenrio Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007, is abandoned. It is possible to tour on foot but no guides or services are provided.

See and do

Abandoned diner
  • First / Last Motel in Texas. Opened in 1953 as State Line Café and Gas Station; its 1955 Texas Longhorn Motel closed in 1976. A sign proclaimed "First Motel in Texas" to eastbound motorists and (on the other side of the same sign) "Last Motel in Texas" to westbound traffic. 
  • Brownlee Diner/Little Juarez Café. Constructed in 1952 in art moderne architectural style, this building becomes part of the abandoned "Glenn Rio Motel" complex and a museum site in Pixar's 2006 film "Cars". 
  • Joseph Brownlee House. Constructed in Amarillo in 1930 and moved to Glenrio in 1950, this was one of the last Glenrio buildings to be abandoned after the town was bypassed. 

Buy, eat, drink and sleep

As Glenrio is abandoned as a ghost town, there are no services in the town itself although a highway rest stop (the Glenrio Welcome Center) is provided on westbound I-40 when entering New Mexico. Head west to San Jon or Tucumcari, New Mexico or east to Adrian and Amarillo, Texas.

Connect

  • Glenrio Welcome Center, 37315C Interstate 40, ☏ +1 575 576-2424. 8,500-square-foot visitor center with media area, theater, wireless Internet access, tourist information kiosk, fenced area for pets and livestock corral. 

Go next

Routes through Glenrio
Tucumcari ← San Jon ←  W  E  → Adrian → Amarillo
Tucumcari ← San Jon ←  W  E  → Adrian → Amarillo


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