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Fort Davis
McDonald Observatory, Fort Davis TXDOT
Take in the fresh air and admire the pristine skies on a trip to Fort Davis-Where the Stars Come Out to Play. Some residents ride horses around town, enhancing Fort Davis’s Old West charm. The city is an ideal “base camp” for visiting Davis Mountains State Park, the Fort Davis National Historic Site, and the McDonald Observatory. The Overland Trail, reputedly the nation’s longest unpaved road, runs right through town. Keep your eyes peeled for the area’s abundant wildlife such as badgers, javelinas, deer, antelopes, mountain lions, or even black bears. Fort Davis has 14 economical, 180 moderate, 12 first-class, and 12 deluxe accommodations.
Slide show about Big Bend
Eat! Sleep! Terlingua!Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center and Botanical Gardens
43869 TX Hwy. 118 S., Fort Davis, 79734
432-364-2499
cdri.org
Owned by the Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute, the center offers an intimate setting to experience the diversity of the desert region. Included are a cactus and succulent greenhouse, a 20-acre botanical garden, indoor and outdoor interpretive exhibits, easy to moderately strenuous hiking trails, and a gift shop. Allow 30 minutes to 4 hours. Open Mon.–Sat. 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Admission $5, 64 and over $4, 12 and under free. Programs for tour or school groups by reservation.
Davis Mountains State Park
One mile north of Fort Davis, TX Hwy. 17 to TX Hwy. 118 N.
432-426-3337
432-426-3254 (Indian Lodge reservations)
tpwd.state.tx.us/park/davis
At this park, with an elevation more than a mile high, desert plains grasslands coexist with piñon, juniper, and oak of the mountains, along with fauna from both habitats. Well-traveled trails cover several different terrains. Other facilities include an amphitheater, a picnic area, a campground, and Skyline Drive, a scenic loop. In the summer rangers present nightly programs. If you can plan far enough ahead, make reservations for a stay at the popular Indian Lodge, built in the style of Southwestern pueblos. Park open during daylight hours for hiking and 24 hours for camping. Park headquarters open daily 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Admission: $3, children under 12 free; bus rate $3 per person for day trip, $2 per person for camping. Admission free for lodge guests. Indian Lodge accessible to the mobility-impaired.
Fort Davis National Historic Site
101 Lt. Henry Flipper Dr., Fort Davis, 79734
432-426-3225
nps.gov/foda
In 1854 Fort Davis served as a refuge from raiding Comanche and Apache parties along the 600-mile route between San Antonio and El Paso. Abandoned in 1862, it was reestablished after the Civil War and remained an active post until 1891. Buffalo soldiers of the 9th and 10th U.S. Cavalries and the 24th and 25th U.S. Infantries served at the fort from 1867 to 1885. Today the site has 25 re-roofed buildings, 5 of which have been restored and refurnished as in the 1880s. A restored barracks houses a museum and visitors center. In the summer and in March during spring break, costumed interpreters conduct tours in the furnished buildings and present artillery demonstrations. Open daily 8 a.m.–5 p.m. (closed major holidays). Admission: $5, 15 and under free.
McDonald Observatory
16 miles north of Fort Davis on TX Hwy. 118
432-426-3640 (visitors center)
877-984-STAR
mcdonaldobservatory.org
From the observatory atop two mountain peaks-Mount Locke (6,791 feet) and Mount Fowlkes (6,659 feet)-stargazers can easily see forever. The observatory has the world’s fourth-largest telescope, made up of 91 mirrors that form a 433-inch primary mirror array. The user-friendly University of Texas research facility has eight more telescopes, ranging in size from 18 inches to 107 inches. The visitors center hosts special viewing nights each month (make your reservations a month in advance for this popular event), and visitors are also encouraged to attend public star parties on Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday nights. Various astronomical presentations take place in the multimedia theater as well.
Visitors center open daily 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m.; Tue., Fri., and Sat. reopens at dusk for star parties.
Solar viewing and guided tours at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Self-guided walking tours of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope daily.
Guided tours: $8, children $7, family $30.
Star party pass admission: $10, children $8, family $40.
Daytime and star party pass combo: $15, children $12, family $60.
Call in advance for special viewing times.
Events
Frontier Christmas
432-426-3015, 800-524-3015
fortdavis.com
Nov. 31–Dec. 1, 2007
Come and enjoy the lighting-of-the-square ceremony, as well as the lighted home tour with caroling and refreshments. A parade, a scavenger hunt, and a chamber music program add to the fun.
Fourth of July Celebration
432-426-3015, 800-524-3015
fortdavis.com
July 4–6, 2008
This Independence Day celebration includes all sorts of family fun. Visitors can enjoy a classic Fourth of July parade, a bank robbery reenactment, living-history activities, a pet contest, a fireworks display, shopping on the town square, arts and crafts, and a dance at sundown.
Travel Itinerary
El Paso, Van Horn, Balmorhea, Fort Davis - 4 Days
El Paso Lights
Just across the Rio Grande from Juárez, Mexico, El Paso is a heady mix of many cultures: Spanish, Indian, Mexican, and Anglo. It’s a city that celebrates its uniqueness with nods to all cultures in its attractions, shopping, and dining.
Start at the El Paso Museum of History, with its fabulous new building. Then take the museum tour at the El Paso Museum of Art, which features more than 5,000 diverse works from the Baroque, contemporary, Southwestern, and many other periods.
Stop for lunch at Carlos and Mickey’s (1310 Magruder), a family-owned restaurant that has been serving authentic Mexican dishes here for 20 years. Then head downtown to the recently restored Plaza Theatre, originally built in the 1930s and nearly destroyed in 1986 to create a parking lot. The community rallied, and the theater was saved.
Don’t miss the unique view of El Paso and the east side of the Franklin Mountains on the Wyler Aerial Tramway. It’ll give you a little taste of what to expect in Big Bend.
Make time for Hueco Tanks State Historic Site–natural rock basins (huecos) that hold water. Perhaps the most interesting feature of the park is the pictographs that greet visitors– more than 200 face designs, or “masks,” left by the prehistoric Jornada Mogollon Indian culture.
Next stop is Van Horn, just a hop, skip, and jump away. Explore the trails of cowboys past with guided hiking trips to the Guadalupe Mountains, Sierra Blanca, and Sierra Diablo. Classic car fans will enjoy the Smokehouse Auto Museum–the only such museum in far West Texas. The Smokehouse Restaurant (905 W. Business Loop 10), next door to the museum, is a good bet for some barbecue.
At Balmorhea, often referred to as the “Oasis of West Texas,” you’ll see the natural springs that are the highlight of Balmorhea State Park. The springs have created one of the country’s largest man-made pools–perfect for a cool respite in the middle of the Chihuahuan Desert.
In Fort Davis, the highest-altitude city in Texas, you’ll find yourself starstruck–the main attraction here is the McDonald Observatory, with one of the most powerful telescopes in the world. It’s wise to take a sweater, since temperatures can get cool. Shake off the chill with dinner at the historic Hotel Limpia (on the town square).
After dinner succumb to a treat at the Caboose (across from the Fort Davis Historic Site), a family-owned ice cream shop housed in–of course–an old caboose.
