One Weird West Texas Town: MARFA
Marfa, Texas.
What the hell is there to say about Marfa, TX? This tiny southwestern Texas town is one of the most unusual places I’ve ever visited in my entire life. Marfa is weird. Not in the way that somewhere like Austin or Portland is weird. Marfa is real weird.
This tiny town has a population of about 1700 people, which balloons on weekends year-round as the town becomes flooded by artists, Instagram “influencers,” celebrities, backpackers, campers, or weekend retreaters alike.
Why has a rural desert town in the middle of nowhere become such a hot spot for tourists and celebrities alike? That’s the million dollar question.
Marfa has a very unusual history that makes it a fun destination for tourists far and wide, I’ll skim over it just for some context and dive right into why you should spend a weekend in Marfa and what you need to do there when you visit.
in a nut shell… why is Marfa an art oasis?
In the 70s, minimalist Donald Judd begin moving all of his artwork from New York to Marfa after falling in love with the area and making the transition from Marfa vacationer to Marfa resident. Judd opened his studios in the decommissioned Army fort, Fort D.A. Russell and after his death in the mid-90s, his work was carried on by the Judd and Chinati Foundations and the town has blossomed into an art haven with several small studios and fine dining restaurants and artisan coffeeshops to cater to the new visitors frequenting the town.
We spent three days in Marfa on our way to Big Bend and wanted to share some of the neat quirks of this odd town with you…
getting to Marfa
Odds are you’re driving to Marfa and it’s not exactly convenient to get to - the nearest major cities/airports are:
From Austin: 6.3 hours
From Dallas: 8 hours
where we stayed in Marfa
El Cosmico Campgrounds – without question the place to be for anyone with adventure in their bones is the El Cosmico Campground. Located only half a mile from “downtown” Marfa, we easily walked the 5-10 min stroll along the main road into town for meals, coffee, and a chance to explore.
The El Cosmico is comprised of multiple tents, tepees, yurts, small/medium/large trailers, and general camping space to set your own tents up. It also has a lovely common area with a cute store filled with locally crafted goods and shirts, etc.
Pro-tip: add the Dutch Tub to your El Cosmico experience and enjoy the night sky from waters heated straight from a wood stove for $85.
what we paid for our stay at the El Cosmico: $150/night
alternative places to stay…
If you’re feeling a little less rustic…
Hotel Paisano or Hotel Saint George
Both are almost directly across the street from one another and both have a great bar and restaurant inside. Personally, I favored the atmosphere in the Paisano to the Saint George but they were both very nice.
AirBnB scene…
We found a ton of create modern and rustic options for between $85-$200/night. Search for yourself, but definitely book your weekend trip in advance because this town doesn’t have unlimited accommodations.
Where to eat in Marfa
This is a tricky one. There are so many great places to eat in Marfa but 75% of them are only open Wed/Thurs-Sun. So if you’re in Marfa early in the week be prepared to have an even smaller selection than what already exists. That being said, the food is spectacular! Like seriously, all our meals in Marfa were damn good. The food scene is one of the best examples of the towns juxtaposition as you will walk in to multiple 5-star restaurants located next to rubble and condemned buildings.
Below is a list of some of the places we ate and a convenient schedule for you to use.
(PRO TIP - SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST FOR A PICTURE WE TOOK OF A FLYER WITH ALL RESTAURANTS AND THEIR HOURS)
Restaurant Cochineal $$$ oh man, this was delicious. We opted for the tasting menu, which was a little pricey but was plenty of food and well worth the price. Come here for a classy meal in a restaurant that one might confuse for being located in the Upper East Side.
LaVenture $$ another modern bar/restaurant located in the Hotel Saint George. Similar to Jett’s Grill (below), the food here didn’t blow us away but coming here is more for the ambiance. Enjoy a nice cocktail, order a plate of the shishito peppers, watch a game, or just enjoy the company.
The Get Go $$ very trendy little grocery story with organic foods and local products. It can get pricey but its got everything you need if you’re hiking or camping nearby (see: Big Bend National Park - bottom).
Jett’s Grill $$
A modern bar located in the Hotel Paisano. The food isn’t the best I’ve ever had but it’s certainly not the worst either. Come here for a nice cocktail and some solid bar food. The fried artichokes were a highlight for me. Great burger too. Portions were large for the price.
The Sentinel $ YES! A million times over “yes!” No freaking joke, one of the best coffee shops to work from and best coffee shops in general is located in…. Marfa? We actually laughed when we walked in because its so ridiculous. It has a large indoor space with picnic style seating in the middle, bench/tables to one side, and couch/lounge style in the back. Beyond the main area is some seating in toward the back and in the back is a very nice outdoor area. Remote workers unite!
Overall: Great food. Great coffee. Great cocktails. The only caveat I would offer is that since this is one of 3-4 coffee shops in town (the other looked like overall solid places too) it can actually get kind of crowded with some in-the-know digital nomads during the day and the wi-fi can get sluggish.
what to do in Marfa
Marfa is about art, food, and a fancy cocktail. Bring your camera. Grab a book. Open up your mind.
Here are some of the best things to do during your long weekend in Marfa, TX.
Visit the chinati foundation
We got screwed out of this one. A private group came in and rented the whole place out on the day we had worked into the itinerary so the best advice I can give you is to check in ahead of time to be sure that it will be open on the day that you want to go. Otherwise, visit the website, linked above, to learn more about Donald Judds sculptures and the rest of the exhibits here.
book a tour at the judd foundation
The Judd Foundation is located on Highland St (the main street in town, there is a common theme in Marfa, you’ll find what you’re looking for if you walk around for 30 minutes) and you can actually book a walking tour of several galleries in town through them. I highly recommend getting the verbal history as you explore the various exhibits throughout Marfa.
go for a jog
One brisk morning I decided to throw on some sweats and a warm hat to jog around the outskirts of Marfa. Oh boy, I’ll tell you what, as I ran through the dust and the old, run-down neighborhoods, with condensation coming out of my mouth on every exhale and Tupac in my ears, I felt like I was training to fight Clubber Lang in Rocky III. Serious machismo moment.
Running around the whole of Marfa will put you around 6-8 miles. Definitely worth it. Pass by train tracks, rustic cars, collapsing buildings, the water tower, and Highland Street as you make your way around, stopping for an occasional artsy photo along the way. Here are a few of mine.
“shop” at Prada
For many (like myself), you may have never heard of Marfa but you’ve seen the Marfa Prada all over Instagram not know where or what the hell it was. This permanent installation does have actual Prada merchandise from the Fall 2005 collection inside, however, the doors do not open and the merchandise is forever part of this unusually minimalist exhibit. Fun fact: only one shoe from each pair is displayed inside and each bag has been cut in half to prevent any sort of looting.
Prada Marfa is about 37 miles northwest of Marfa proper. On the route you’ll pass the old Stardust Motel sign as well as some interesting billboards honoring the old James Dean/Elizabeth Taylor movie, “Giant,” which was shot in Marfa.
bar nadar pool + grill
If you’re in Marfa during the day (starting in March) you absolutely must throw on your swim gear and head to the Bar Nadar Pool + Grill. It’s got the perfect celebrity vibe so if you want to ball out, head to the Saint George and go to Bar Nadar.
Marfa Lights
Aside from Donald Judd, the Marfa Lights are what put Marfa on the map. This mysterious phenomenon occurs in southeast Marfa and is a bit of a hike to get to but is apparently a very neat sight. What is it? That’s still widely debated and there is no guarantee you’ll see them but, from what we gather, it’s almost like going to see the northern lights - you drive out to the middle of nowhere, hopefully it’s a clear night, and, if you’re lucky, you’ll see orbs of light that are sometimes stationary and sometimes flying across the sky at crazy fast speeds. Call Mulder and Scully.
Stargazing
You’ve probably picked up on the fact that Marfa is in the middle of nowhere. This is true west Texas. We are talking rural AF. Which means no light pollution. So if you enjoy night photography or general stargazing bring your gear and set up shop.
Bougie artsy perfection. Located in the Saint George, this neat little bookstore has some unique titles to check out and has a neat Wes Anderson vibe.
Food Shark
is where you go is you want to be Beyonce. I have no idea what that means. But that’s what one of our friends told us before arriving in Marfa.
Marfa Ballroom
One of the main art galleries in Marfa. After the Chinati Foundation this is the gallery to check out.
Cobra Rock Boot Company
For really beautiful stuff that’s well out of our price range.
Marfa Brand Soap
The best fu*king soap PERIOD. (yes, double period. I know.)
Marfa Coffeeshops
The Sentinel - I wrote about it enough in the section above. If you work remotely or need a little time to edit/upload photos this is the spot to be.
Do Your Thing - great coffee, low price.
Frama - a neat little coffee shop/laundromat combo. Don’t let the laundromat part throw you off, it’s as trendy as the rest of this odd town.
Big Bend National Park
One of the main reasons to stop by Marfa is because it’s one of the only places to stay with actual things to do on your way to Big Bend National Park. Fun fact, Big Bend is the most remote national park in the nation. Marfa is about 90 minutes away from Big Bend HOWEVER, for an extra hour I wholeheartedly recommend taking the long way and driving along the super scenic Route 170 along the US/Mexico border - at times literally crossing into Mexico as you weave along the Rio Grande. It’s on many lists as being one of the prettiest roads in the country.
Pro tips:
Leave Marfa early so you can take your time along the route.
If you’re renting a vehicle, grab 4-wheel drive. We ran into some trouble in our 2004 Chevy Venture because many of the trails in Big Bend are not paved roads.
Get gas at every opportunity!!! Stations are few and far between on the route from Marfa to Big Bend. Keep your tank full as often as possible.
advice from blogs better than ours…
- Visit Marfa – Attractions
- Local Adventurer – 25 Coolest Things to do in Marfa Texas
- MyDomaine – Our Definitive List of Things to do in Marfa in Just 48 Hours
advice from a local…
We didn’t get much crazy advice from the locals we met, Marfa is very unique but in many ways it just sort of is what it is - a small town. So we will just post an image of the recommendations we got from the El Cosmico staff.
