For those of you flying in to Lubbock from Arkansas for the wedding, there are some cheap rates available right now from Southwest. Flights departing Thursday, Aug. 20 and Friday, Aug. 21 from Tulsa are $78 one-way, and flights leaving Lubbock Sunday morning, Aug. 23, are also $78. Grab those fares now before they go up.
Remember, there's a room block set up at the Arbor Inn & Suites here in Lubbock. When you call in to make your reservation, be sure to mention the "West/Kennedy Wedding" for the block rate.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Dates, Places & Links
No, this isn't another blog to dramatically overstate the fact that two people are getting married.
Rather, this is a blog to help bridge the gap in communication and link together the two states involved in this here wedding. We've got stuff going on all over the place that involves a lot of people who have never met each other. That can make things a little complicated.
The goal here is keep people in the know, reduce the confusion, and get dates on the calendar. We'll be having Texans traveling to the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, and Arkansans traveling to the flatlands of West Texas - two VERY different places. Since most people aren't familiar with both locations, check out the travel information below to help plan your trip.
Wedding Ceremony
Wedding day: August 22, 2009 (hence the blog title)
Time: 6:00 pm
Ceremony: First Baptist Church
Address: 2201 Broadway Ave.
City: Lubbock, Texas
Reception: The Watson Building
Time: 7:00 pm
Address: 1109 13th St.
City: Lubbock, Texas
Getting to Lubbock
Lubbock is surprisingly easy to get in and out of...by plane. If you're driving, it's easy to get to, it just takes a long time to get here.
By car: From Northwest Arkansas, I usually take Hwy 412 to Tulsa, the Cherokee Turnpike to Tulsa, then I-44 to Oklahoma City. From here, you have two options.
Option 1 is to take I-44 southwest to Wichita Falls. From Wichita Falls to Lubbock, you will get a good look at the diverse landscape of West Texas. Canyons, ranch land, flat cotton fields - you'll see it all...and just a few little towns spaced out along the way. This is my favorite route, because of the scenery. It feels adventurous. From Wichita Falls, you'll take Hwy. 82 through towns like Seymour, Guthrie (home of the famous 6666 Ranch, Dickens (home of Ponderosa BBQ), and Crosbyton until you get back up on the Caprock, then you're almost to Lubbock. The sky is big through this country, and if you're driving at night, you'll see the biggest deer you've ever seen. Just don't hit them. Hwy. 82 from Wichita Falls will take you all the way to Lubbock. This way is about 560 miles and 8.5 hours.
Option 2 is to take I-40 from OKC to Amarillo, then south on I-27 to Lubbock. This way is about 600 miles and 9 hours, straight and boring. The benefit is there are more places to stop along the major interstate, and less toll roads.
By plane: Lubbock is one of the easiest cities to fly in and out of that you will find. The Preston Smith Lubbock International Airport (LBB) is small enough to easily access, and big enough to get you where you're going. Southwest, American and Continental all fly to and from LBB regularly through the day. As I've mentioned, I fly Southwest all the time, and I love it. But there are some reasonable flights from XNA and TUL into LBB. The airport is located on I-27 on the north edge of Lubbock. It's easy to get anywhere from there.
Where to Stay: Arbor Inn & Suites
Direct: (806) 722-2726
Toll Free: 1-866-644-2319
Address: 5310 Englewood
City: Lubbock, Texas
Notes: Request "West/Kennedy Wedding" for room block rates
About the Area
Lubbock is situated on the South Plains of West Texas, also known as the Llano Estacado. It's a flat, windy place, but on it's best day, is one of the greatest places to be. (Don't ask about it's worst day). Lubbock is a great city, with about 201,000 people. It's probably bigger than you thought.
L-town is home to Texas Tech University. The church we're getting married in is just a few blocks down from campus, so I hope everyone will get a chance to take a drive through it. The Spanish architecture is something to see. Loop 289 goes completely around the city (hence the word "loop") and the streets all go north and south and east and west. The people are friendly, there are lots of places to eat, and we've got all the conveniences of a big city without the big city feel.
Pre-Wedding Party/Reception
Date: August 8, 2009
Location: The West Farm
Address: 14780 West Rd.
City: Prairie Grove, Arkansas
Entertainment: The Hogg Maulies
(If you're in Arkansas and haven't heard these boys from Rotan, Texas, you're in for a real nice surprise).
Getting to Arkansas
There are a few options when traveling to Fayetteville/Prairie Grove. Prairie Grove, my hometown, is located 10 miles west of Fayetteville. Fayetteville is in the northwest corner of the state. The site for the pre-wedding party/reception will be on the West Farm, just 2 miles north of Prairie Grove, in a little community I hold dear to my heart called Viney Grove. We like groves in Arkansas.Stay tuned for more specific directions.
By car: If you're driving from West Texas, I would recommend heading up through Wichita Falls to Oklahoma City. Once in Oklahoma, you're going to hit a lot of toll roads, so bring your quarters. (That is Byron's least favorite part about traveling to Arkansas). Once in Oklahoma City, you can either take the Cherokee Turnpike to Tulsa and over to Arkansas, or take I-40 to Fort Smith and avoid the toll road. This way is a tad longer, though. From Fort Smith, you will head up the scenic I-540 to Fayetteville. The whole trip is about 600 miles and 9 hours.
By plane: I usually fly into Tulsa International Airport (TUL) via Southwest Airlines. I'm a Southwest fan because we fly them a lot with work. However, if you fly into Tulsa, you've still got a 2 hour drive to Prairie Grove.
If you decide to fly into Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport (XNA), it's about a 45 minute drive to Prairie Grove, and a 30 minute drive to the Hampton Inn in Fayetteville. (You will notice if you fly into XNA that it says it's in Fayetteville, but it's really closer to Bentonville and Rogers.) Flights into XNA have historically been more expensive, but I've found a few cheaper flights through American Airlines, surprisingly, and Expedia.com.
Where to Stay: Hampton Inn & Suites - Fayetteville
Address: 915 Krupa Drive
City: Fayetteville, Arkansas
Phone: (479) 587-8300
Notes: A room block has not been set up for this hotel, but rates are reasonable.
About the Area
The Northwest Arkansas area includes the larger towns (approx. 55,000 - 65,000 people each) of Fayetteville, Springdale, Bentonville, and Rogers. All of the larger towns kind of run into each other to make up the area. Fayetteville is home to the University of Arkansas. The campus is only about 2 miles from the Hampton Inn, so check it out if you have a chance.
Prairie Grove is a town of about 3,500 people, and is just a short drive from Fayetteville. Highway 62 will take you directly from the Hampton Inn into Prairie Grove. When arriving into town, you will pass the Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park. We southerners love our Civil War heritage. (And no, we don't still wave Rebel flags around...well, most of us anyway). Prairie Grove is a great little town that's just close enough to Fayetteville for city conveniences, but far enough away to hold the values of a small town.
West Texans, the roads here are a little different than the straight east to west, north to south roads. Their direction makes no sense, but they're good roads. Just a little curvy in places. But, I think you'll enjoy the rolling hills, rivers and trees. Oh, and it's going to be a little humid in August.
If you're in the wedding party, tune in occasionally for updates. If you're a guest, then check back for more information about each location.
If anyone has any questions, please feel free to contact us! We look forward to getting both of these worlds together!
Rather, this is a blog to help bridge the gap in communication and link together the two states involved in this here wedding. We've got stuff going on all over the place that involves a lot of people who have never met each other. That can make things a little complicated.
The goal here is keep people in the know, reduce the confusion, and get dates on the calendar. We'll be having Texans traveling to the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, and Arkansans traveling to the flatlands of West Texas - two VERY different places. Since most people aren't familiar with both locations, check out the travel information below to help plan your trip.
Wedding Ceremony
Wedding day: August 22, 2009 (hence the blog title)
Time: 6:00 pm
Ceremony: First Baptist Church
Address: 2201 Broadway Ave.
City: Lubbock, Texas
Reception: The Watson Building
Time: 7:00 pm
Address: 1109 13th St.
City: Lubbock, Texas
Getting to Lubbock
Lubbock is surprisingly easy to get in and out of...by plane. If you're driving, it's easy to get to, it just takes a long time to get here.
By car: From Northwest Arkansas, I usually take Hwy 412 to Tulsa, the Cherokee Turnpike to Tulsa, then I-44 to Oklahoma City. From here, you have two options.
Option 1 is to take I-44 southwest to Wichita Falls. From Wichita Falls to Lubbock, you will get a good look at the diverse landscape of West Texas. Canyons, ranch land, flat cotton fields - you'll see it all...and just a few little towns spaced out along the way. This is my favorite route, because of the scenery. It feels adventurous. From Wichita Falls, you'll take Hwy. 82 through towns like Seymour, Guthrie (home of the famous 6666 Ranch, Dickens (home of Ponderosa BBQ), and Crosbyton until you get back up on the Caprock, then you're almost to Lubbock. The sky is big through this country, and if you're driving at night, you'll see the biggest deer you've ever seen. Just don't hit them. Hwy. 82 from Wichita Falls will take you all the way to Lubbock. This way is about 560 miles and 8.5 hours.
Option 2 is to take I-40 from OKC to Amarillo, then south on I-27 to Lubbock. This way is about 600 miles and 9 hours, straight and boring. The benefit is there are more places to stop along the major interstate, and less toll roads.
By plane: Lubbock is one of the easiest cities to fly in and out of that you will find. The Preston Smith Lubbock International Airport (LBB) is small enough to easily access, and big enough to get you where you're going. Southwest, American and Continental all fly to and from LBB regularly through the day. As I've mentioned, I fly Southwest all the time, and I love it. But there are some reasonable flights from XNA and TUL into LBB. The airport is located on I-27 on the north edge of Lubbock. It's easy to get anywhere from there.
Where to Stay: Arbor Inn & Suites
Direct: (806) 722-2726
Toll Free: 1-866-644-2319
Address: 5310 Englewood
City: Lubbock, Texas
Notes: Request "West/Kennedy Wedding" for room block rates
About the Area
Lubbock is situated on the South Plains of West Texas, also known as the Llano Estacado. It's a flat, windy place, but on it's best day, is one of the greatest places to be. (Don't ask about it's worst day). Lubbock is a great city, with about 201,000 people. It's probably bigger than you thought.
L-town is home to Texas Tech University. The church we're getting married in is just a few blocks down from campus, so I hope everyone will get a chance to take a drive through it. The Spanish architecture is something to see. Loop 289 goes completely around the city (hence the word "loop") and the streets all go north and south and east and west. The people are friendly, there are lots of places to eat, and we've got all the conveniences of a big city without the big city feel.
Pre-Wedding Party/Reception
Date: August 8, 2009
Location: The West Farm
Address: 14780 West Rd.
City: Prairie Grove, Arkansas
Entertainment: The Hogg Maulies
(If you're in Arkansas and haven't heard these boys from Rotan, Texas, you're in for a real nice surprise).
Getting to Arkansas
There are a few options when traveling to Fayetteville/Prairie Grove. Prairie Grove, my hometown, is located 10 miles west of Fayetteville. Fayetteville is in the northwest corner of the state. The site for the pre-wedding party/reception will be on the West Farm, just 2 miles north of Prairie Grove, in a little community I hold dear to my heart called Viney Grove. We like groves in Arkansas.Stay tuned for more specific directions.
By car: If you're driving from West Texas, I would recommend heading up through Wichita Falls to Oklahoma City. Once in Oklahoma, you're going to hit a lot of toll roads, so bring your quarters. (That is Byron's least favorite part about traveling to Arkansas). Once in Oklahoma City, you can either take the Cherokee Turnpike to Tulsa and over to Arkansas, or take I-40 to Fort Smith and avoid the toll road. This way is a tad longer, though. From Fort Smith, you will head up the scenic I-540 to Fayetteville. The whole trip is about 600 miles and 9 hours.
By plane: I usually fly into Tulsa International Airport (TUL) via Southwest Airlines. I'm a Southwest fan because we fly them a lot with work. However, if you fly into Tulsa, you've still got a 2 hour drive to Prairie Grove.
If you decide to fly into Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport (XNA), it's about a 45 minute drive to Prairie Grove, and a 30 minute drive to the Hampton Inn in Fayetteville. (You will notice if you fly into XNA that it says it's in Fayetteville, but it's really closer to Bentonville and Rogers.) Flights into XNA have historically been more expensive, but I've found a few cheaper flights through American Airlines, surprisingly, and Expedia.com.
Where to Stay: Hampton Inn & Suites - Fayetteville
Address: 915 Krupa Drive
City: Fayetteville, Arkansas
Phone: (479) 587-8300
Notes: A room block has not been set up for this hotel, but rates are reasonable.
About the Area
The Northwest Arkansas area includes the larger towns (approx. 55,000 - 65,000 people each) of Fayetteville, Springdale, Bentonville, and Rogers. All of the larger towns kind of run into each other to make up the area. Fayetteville is home to the University of Arkansas. The campus is only about 2 miles from the Hampton Inn, so check it out if you have a chance.
Prairie Grove is a town of about 3,500 people, and is just a short drive from Fayetteville. Highway 62 will take you directly from the Hampton Inn into Prairie Grove. When arriving into town, you will pass the Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park. We southerners love our Civil War heritage. (And no, we don't still wave Rebel flags around...well, most of us anyway). Prairie Grove is a great little town that's just close enough to Fayetteville for city conveniences, but far enough away to hold the values of a small town.
West Texans, the roads here are a little different than the straight east to west, north to south roads. Their direction makes no sense, but they're good roads. Just a little curvy in places. But, I think you'll enjoy the rolling hills, rivers and trees. Oh, and it's going to be a little humid in August.
If you're in the wedding party, tune in occasionally for updates. If you're a guest, then check back for more information about each location.
If anyone has any questions, please feel free to contact us! We look forward to getting both of these worlds together!
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