Things To Do
See the Art, all the Art!
If you didn't know already, Marfa is an art town. Put on the map by minimalist artist Donald Judd, there is a wide variety of galleries, museums, and permanent installations throughout Marfa. Checkout the site for more details and get a sense for what's around. * Keep in mind, Marfa is small and marches to the beat of its own drum, some of these places may not be open when you roll into town.
Balmorhea State Park
Home to the largest spring-fed swimming pool in the world, Balmorhea State Park is a gorgeous place to swim and picnic for the day or stay overnight. The water temperature stays at 72 to 76 degrees year-round and makes for the perfect desert oasis. * Reservations recommended. * 55 min drive from Marfa.
McDonald Observatory
The stars at night are big and bright! The Big Bend region of Texas has some of the darkest night skies in the lower 48 states and McDonald Observatory offers nighttime "Star Parties" to take them all in. * Reservations required, check in advance for Star Party dates. * 45 min drive from Marfa.
Davis Mountains State Park
Hike, mountain bike, or birdwatch in the "Texas Alps"! * 25 min drive from Marfa.
Marfa Lights
Check out the night sky and the mysterious Marfa Lights. The 1st recorded mention of the lights was in 1883, when cowhand Robert Reed Ellison claimed to have seen flickering lights one evening while driving a herd of cattle near Mitchell Flat, he assumed the lights were from Apache campfires! To this day, no one knows what they are. See for yourself at the Marfa lights viewing area! * 10 min drive from the center of Marfa.
Big Bend National Park
More than a couple of people have asked about this, so a few things: First off, know it's a good two hour drive from Marfa so perhaps plan on visiting before or after the wedding. Second, know that it will be *hot* during the day and significantly cooler at night. How hot? not Houston where you're dripping sweat as soon as you step outside - it's a dry heat with afternoon highs between 80s-100s; definitely plan ahead for recreating early in the day and being out of the sun by noon. The iconic South Rim hike and anything in the Chisos Mountains will be shaded and significantly cooler than the desert floor or canyons areas. The Chisos Mountains Lodge will ACTUALLY be open during May 2025!!! There's two RV parks within the National Park that are open year round, also look for places to stay in Terlingua - https://rb.gy/ahzxte. For guided river trips or mtn bike rentals, reach out to Desert Sports in Terlingua: https://rb.gy/9jpz5g
Terlingua
No trip to the Big Bend region would be complete without a cold beer on The Porch in Terlingua. A quirkier place than Marfa, Terlingua was previously an abandoned ghost town but has turned into an eclectic little artsy town famous as the home of the Original Chili Cook Off.