Located in West Texas is the vivacious City of Odessa. Odessa is filled with a wide variety of attractions, including several that are free or low cost to enter.
World’s Largest Jack Rabbit
At 8 feet tall Jack Ben is an impressive hare. Born in 1962, over the years he has moved around the City of Odessa and been the subject of much attention and intrigue. From talk of setting him up with a mate to being the subject of a failed 1997 hare-raising abduction, Jack Ben is one of the most photographed and popular icons of the West Texas landscape.
The creation of the world’s largest Jack Rabbit was an accumulation of efforts by former Attorney General John Ben Shepperd, former head of the Texas Highway Department Travel and Information Division Tom Taylor, the Odessa Chamber of Commerce and a California based plastics firm.
“Jack Ben” as he is most affectionately known, is made of fiberglass and is bolted to the sidewalk in front of the ECISD Administration Building to deter any other would be abductors.
As of 2010 “Jack Ben” remained outside so he can graciously receive visitors at all hours of the day and night. Travelers should note that there is no charge to view this humongous hare or have your photo taken with him. You do have to bring your own camera though.
World’s Largest Jack Rabbit
ECISD Administration Building
802 North Sam Houston
Odessa, TX 79761
432-333-7871
Odessa Meteor Crater and Thomas Rodman Museum
Scientists estimate that the “Odessa Meteor Crater” was created some 50,000 years ago. At over 100 feet deep, accounts vary as to whether it is the second or third largest meteor crater in the nation.
Regardless of whether it is the second or third largest, no one can deny the crater’s impressive depth and breadth.
The 550 feet wide crater seemingly went undiscovered until 1892 when an Odessa rancher by the name of Julius D. Henderson stumbled across it while taking care of his livestock.
At the time of its discovery it was not realized that the Odessa crater was the result of a meteor impact. That came later in the 1920’s,
The “Odessa Meteor Crater” and corresponding “Thomas Rodman Museum and Visitor’s Center” is open year round. Admission to the “Odessa Meteor Crater” and “Thomas Rodman Museum and Visitor’s Center” is free, though donations are warmly accepted.
The “Thomas Rodman Museum and Visitor’s Center” is dedicated to displaying materials from outer space such as tektites, meteorites and items affected by meteor impacts.
For the uninitiated, tektites are mineraloids that have the appearance of glass. They look similar to beach glass that tends to wash up on shore after a Hurricane, only they come from outer space and are primarily made up of silica glass, magnesium and iron.
Hours of operation for the “Thomas Rodman Museum” are Tuesday through Saturday from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm and on Sundays from 1:00 pm until 5:00 pm. The crater site however is open daily from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm.
There is also an on-site gift shop for those wishing to purchase a souvenir or two for the folks back home.
Odessa Meteor Crater
Thomas Rodman Museum and Visitors Site
Interstate 20, Exit 108
Odessa, TX 79761
432-381-0946
The above two attractions are not the only free to low cost ones available in the City of Odessa. There is also the “White-Pool House”, “The Parker House”, “Ellen Noel Art Museum”, “Vietnam Memorial”, “Pecos Depot”, “Henderson Drug Building”, “Globes of the Southwest” , “Stonehenge Replica” and the ever enjoyable “Historic Odessa Walking Tour” just to name a few more.
Those interested in learning more about what the City of Odessa has to offer should log onto the “Odessa Convention and Visitors Bureau” website.
