Ward County: Sand Dunes, Museums and History

Monahans Sandhills State Park offers an immediate experience of a unique desert landscape. The area also features museums and historic sites that bring different chapters of the region to life. Ward County therefore offers more than a single destination to plan your trip around: you can set aside time for the dunes and also explore industrial history, local culture and recreational activities.

Experience the Dunes and Nature

Large areas in northern Ward County consist of active sand dunes shaped by the wind. Monahans Sandhills State Park offers a direct look at this distinctive landscape and is the only publicly accessible place for this ecoregion in Texas. If you would like to explore the dunes yourself, you can roam freely through them in the park; there are no marked trails. The terrain is therefore not suited to navigating along designated routes, but invites you to experience the dune landscape firsthand.

Sand disks offer another way to enjoy the dunes: visitors can rent them and slide down the dunes. The park also has an 800-acre riding area, likewise without marked trails. These two activities offer different ways to spend time in the landscape; which one suits your stay depends on whether you want to explore the dunes on foot, slide down them or visit the riding area.

The Dunagan Visitor Center provides information about the region’s plants and animals, as well as its human history. It complements the experience of the landscape with nature and culture topics. For a longer stay in the park, 25 campsites with water and electricity hookups are available. This means the park’s described offerings include both exploring the dunes and a specific camping option.

Industrial History and Museums

The Million Barrel Tank tells the story of the area’s oil history. The Shell Oil Company built it in 1928 as an oil storage tank. As an oil storage tank, it covered eight acres and held more than one million barrels of oil. It was converted into a museum in 1986.

Other museums focus on different aspects of local history. The Coca-Cola Museum explores the history of the local Coca-Cola bottling plant and the Big Burger Restaurant. The Pyote Museum is located in a county park and features exhibits about Rattlesnake Bomber Base and local history. The Heritage Museum focuses on extensive antique collections and historical artifacts from everyday life in West Texas. Each offers a different perspective, from regional business history and memories of a military site to objects from daily life.

Historic buildings and vehicles add their own points of interest. The Original Monahans Jail has been largely preserved in the condition it was in during the late 1920s. Holman House, a restored early Monahans hotel and boardinghouse, is recognized as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark. At the Rail Car & Caboose Museum, visitors can go inside historic railroad cars. Monahans is also home to the Ward County Museum at the Million Barrel, along Interstate 20.

More Recreation Ideas

In addition to nature and cultural attractions, Monahans has the Ward County Golf Course, an 18-hole course. If you want to plan a round of golf, check current operating information in advance. Perch Pond offers bank fishing with a rod and reel. If fishing is an important part of your stay, it is also advisable to check the current information for this activity.

Ward County can therefore be viewed from several different angles when choosing activities: the dunes offer nature and movement, while the museums and historic sites showcase industrial, everyday and local history. You can divide your available time according to whether you mainly want to experience the landscape, visit exhibitions and historic sites, or include one of the recreational activities mentioned.

Discover more destinations: Monahans, Hale, Dawson County, Childress County, San Augustine County, Tom Green, Trinity, Young

For the main travel overview: Texas.