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Amarillo Natatorium (The Nat), Texas

Historic building
In Amarillo, Texas
On Route 66

The Amarillo Natatorium, The Nat to everyone in town, is a castle-fronted building on SW 6th Avenue, the Route 66 alignment through Amarillo, TX. It opened in 1922 as a public swimming pool, was roofed over the next year, and in 1926 a maple dance floor was laid over the pool. Big bands played here for decades. Today it is a marketplace of antiques and handmade goods from more than 100 dealers, so you can walk the old dance floor.

What is Amarillo Natatorium?

A two-story building with a crenellated castle façade that Harry Badger added in the early 1930s, when he gave it an entrance from Route 66, attached the Nat Café and gave it the name The Nat Dine and Dance Palace. Inside, a maple floor of some 10,000 square feet still lies over the 36-by-101-foot pool.

History of Amarillo Natatorium

Architect Guy Carlander designed the pool for the Amarillo Natatorium Company; J.D. Tucker bought it in 1926 and turned it into a dance hall. Duke Ellington, Harry James, Benny Goodman and Bob Wills played here, and in the 1950s so did Roy Orbison, Little Richard and Buddy Holly. Public dancing ended in the 1960s. It became a contributing building of the U.S. Route 66–Sixth Street Historic District in 1994.

Visiting Amarillo Natatorium: tips

It is on the road, in the San Jacinto Heights stretch of Sixth Avenue, so park once and walk the district's shops and cafés. Allow half an hour to browse, and look for the art deco trim upstairs and the old signs from its swimming-pool days.

Practical info

Address: 2705 SW 6th Ave (the National Register address is 604 S Georgia St), Amarillo, TX 79106
Website: thenatroute66.com
Hours: We have no opening hours for this stop yet — check the official site.
On site & nearby

Sources: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Wikidata · official site — may be outdated. Suggest a fix

Places to eat near Amarillo Natatorium

All diners →

Café
GoldenLight Cafe
Amarillo, TX · 0.1 mi from Amarillo Natatorium
A burger café on Amarillo's Sixth Avenue stretch of Route 66, serving since 1946, with a music room next door.
Steakhouse
The Big Texan Steak Ranch
Amarillo, TX · 6.5 mi from Amarillo Natatorium
An Amarillo steakhouse and motel from 1960, painted bright yellow and known for its 72-ounce steak challenge.