9 Great Lubbock Places That I Wish Were Still Around

I don't necessarily think all good things come to an end, but I'd certainly say that most good things come to an end.

A lot of places fail to keep up with the times or people begin to take them for granted, so they wither away.  I moved to the Lubbock area in 1979 and only left for 4-5 years, so I have a pretty good idea of what the landscape was and is. Get ready for a list of great Lubbock places I wish were still around.

Here you go. If I had a magic time machine, I'd certainly go back to these places just one more time.

The Brittany

I still can taste those Brittany barbecue burgers. Can you remember how fun it was to order your food over a phone? The mall location was good, but I really liked the one over by Texas Tech off 19th Street.

The Depot Warehouse

This venue was near perfect, holding between 600 and 1,000 people. I also liked the small raised area near the back. The only problem was that narrow hallway leading to the bathroom. South Beach picked up a lot of the slack, but I still liked the vibe of the Depot Warehouse better.

Grandy's

Why can't Lubbock keep a Grandy's location?  I guess the same could be said for Jack-in-the-box or Taco Bueno, but they have direct competitors, Grandy's is/was kind of its own thing.

Players

I hardly ever went to Players. I guess maybe 3 or 4 times. So why do I miss it? I think it's a complete cop-out and straight-up bullying to put the strip clubs outside of town. It's ridiculous that they have to put up with that. They exist. Some people like them. Get over it.

Circle Drive-In

I never went. I drove by many times. I just think it was a hilarious Lubbock landmark and a complete testament to the hypocrisy of people. There were no shortage of good Lubbock folk who would go check out the softcore movies at the Circle Drive-in. There were also a bunch that would purposely book a hotel room near it so they could watch through the window.

The Original Copper Caboose

I really liked the original location across from Texas Tech and spent may nights over there.  The one on Ave. Q is a little too bar oriented for me, and the one on 50th Street is kind of confusing. You've got kids, a bar and a restaurant? It's kind of hard for me to get in the mood for all three. They still have some really good food. It's just the original location allowed you to throw a munch (or drink beer) and just walk to Texas Tech ballgames and activities.

Putt Putt Golf & Games

I have no idea why Putt Putt closed and/or didn't make it. There seems to be a complete lack of things for people to do around here, so it seems this would be a natural to succeed. I guess upkeep got to be too much.

Chess King

Seriously, I think their clothes went out in the 80s, but thinking of the place brings back a lot of memories. The entire chain went belly up in 1995, presumably because they never could get rid of all of those parachute pants from the 80s.

The Main Street Saloon

The home of the original jam, "Drink Until Someone Pees" night. Grungy, funky and full of incredible talent. It was punk, blues, rock and country. It was that weird strange mix of styles that merged about the time that Joe Ely met The Clash. I don't know if words can ever really express what it meant and there is no place or scene even close to like it any more.