odessa meteor crater and museum

Yes, it is a dent in the earth with not much to see as most of the people have reviewed on here, but honestly where else can you go to be able to experience a meteorite site? I found it interesting to stand in the same spot that was once hit by something from space. The gift shop had meteorites on display from around the world. Also I bought a piece of meteorite! I own something from outer space, that may not interest some folks but it does me. The site has a walking trail with informative signs explaining the grounds. It is free to do in an area where there aren't many tourist attractions. Sure, it isn't Disney World but for people with interests outside of that of a mouse, then it is a great place to say you have been.

This place is not much to look at just a hole in the ground. Signs are not that informative. Gift shop is over priced.

May 2014: My family and I stopped by while returning from a family trip; a spur of the moment deal. The lady everyone is talking about: We had the same problem. She jumped on my case about a safety barrier that was nothing more than a few cones. . When I went in to try to smooth things over she jumped on me again, this time rudely berating my parenting abilities and me in general. After much phone tag - no one with Odessa County (it's outside of the city of Odessa) seemed to know who was responsible for it - I talked to a County Commissioner (Comm. Rodriguez) that oversees that area. He seemed to take my concern seriously. I wasn't looking for her to get fired. I just wanted to give them an FYI so maybe she could get some training on public relations. I also included a link to the reviews on this website per his request. That was in late May. Based on reviews posted since then it appears they've done nothing. It also appears she has gotten worse. If you go there and have issues my advice is to let the Odessa County Commissioners Court hear from you. They're ultimately responsible for this attraction. Also, tell the Odessa Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Nice visitor center, but be sure to check the visitors hours. It is a long drive in the middle of no where and the site is gated after hours. I wouldn't recommend a special trip, but if you are out this way or heading to the Monahans sand hills it is worth a stop.

The crater is only about 5 to 6 feet deep and looks like an abandoned construction site. The little museum/visitor center is ok but you have to use a lot of imagination to envision a meteor creating a crater there. I have been to many interesting features all over the USA, but this one is not worth stopping to see in my opinion.

Museum and walking trail around and through the crater are free. Donations of course welcome and the gift shop has some unique items. Easy to get to off I-20.

Lady who ran it. Your rude ,insensitive, offensive. You scared my grandchildren. I wasn't even sure with all your yelling and craziness that you didn't have a gun in your big SUV you nearly ran us over with. RETIRE!! I will be looking for your boss. Have you read the reviews about you ruining people's adventures? If you go visit don't YOU DARE take a picture in front of the sign or step off trail one inch. She will yell at you ,LOUDLY and your children will skake in fear. I don't even give it a one. The husband defended her with "if you had to deal with the public you would behave that way too" What?

I can see after reading the reviews that other people ran into the same crazy lady that runs the place. We took our 9, 7, 5 grandchildren for a look. Got there at 8 the gate was closed do we drove down the road for our adventure treasure walk. About 9:45 we went back to the gate and it was open so we drove through. Stopped at the sign to get a picture. My husband drove the car up to building while we walked up to it. Out of no where this white SUV came barreling down the road nose to nose with our car. By the time we got there sn elderly lady was screaming at my him to leave that we were trespassing. Yelling our children were not being controlled, was calling the Sheriff Dept. These were just not words. But vile abusive screaming , crazy acting , scary actions. Abuse! We left and I said nope we are going we did nothing wrong. We had the Sheriff go talk to her. The LIES she told were unbelievable.The crater is all grown up sfter 63,000 years. Just a West Texas hole that doesn't look like anything. The crazy women locked the door to museum. Time for her to retire!

The crater occurred hundreds of years ago, so time has filled in the crater. There is however a noticeable hole in the ground and a walking area around the hole. There is a small visitor center here also.

Although this is not a huge attraction;it is worth stopping to check out. Having two sons 7,10 we jump at the chance to foster a love for science. They were amazed by the meteors on display. The staff was very friendly and helpful. This could be a bit on the dull side for adults,but my two sons loved learning all about the meteor. It is a donation only facility so the price is always fair.

While driving through west Texas, we saw the sign to the meteor crater and museum near Odessa, Texas. So we drove down to see it. We were pretty disappointed. Having seen the huge one in Arizona, this was just a shallow dent in the ground. About 150' in diameter and 6' deep. They have a small museum there too, it's interesting, but quite small. On the drive back to the interstate there are a series if signs to watch for. Back at the museum there is a "sun" in the concrete. As you drive north, you will see a sign for each planet and they are spaced out proportionally. It gives a good feel for how far apart they are.The good thing is that it's only a few miles south of the interstate and we are glad we went, but as I said, there is not much to see here.

The first time I visited the crater was over 30 years ago when there were only one or two signs explaining what happened here. You have to use your imagination to "see" the crater since it has long ago filled in most of the depression. The county obviously spends very little to maintain this as a tourist spot, but they have at least built a building with some displays.

Crater is only five or six feet deep due to being filled in over time. My ten year-old son is into astronomy so he enjoyed a walk through the crater. I would have given it a better rating just for that, but the behavior of the attendant was very unfriendly. When I first walked in with my two sons she commanded us to sign the guest book which I did. I was about to ask if the museum had any pieces of the meteorite when she yelled across the museum to ask where we were from. I said Connecticut. She then went into a diatribe about how here in Texas it's against the law to leave children unattended in a car! My seven year-old was cold and had opted to stay in the car while we walked around the crater, always within site of the car. We were the only people there. He did want to see the exhibits though so I and both my sons went in only to be yelled at. Usually attendants are excited to share about their subject, especially one as under-visited as this one. After acknowledging her point of view (I wasn't interested in a pointless argument.), we proceeded to look around the museum. She offered no information, just stood there at the counter reading a paperback novel while occasionally giving us an irritated glance. We didn't stay long. My older son who is used to discussing his astronomy interests with attendants just wanted to leave. So, visit the crater, but don't go inside unless you need a bathroom. That is one positive thing I can say. The bathrooms were clean.

Ok place to stretch your legs. Lady that worked there was rude. Stay in the middle of the path or you'll get yelled at!

We were run off by the fat lady who runs the place what a witch. She is the most rudest host ever. My wife and I are in our 50's and we're treated as we were vandals. Our crime was going past a cone and standing in the dirt.