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Marfa
This city’s thriving arts community and fabulous hotels have generated a lot of buzz-West Texas has never been so hip. The classic movie Giant was filmed here in 1955, and if you want to take part in this slice of movie history, arrange to stay in Elizabeth Taylor’s namesake suite at the Paisano Hotel. The newer Thunderbird Hotel is also a great place for a getaway. The Marfa Lights, first documented in 1883, remain a mesmerizing and unexplained phenomenon. This tiny town has become a mecca for artists, poets, designers, and musicians, who have congregated here since Donald Judd created the Chinati Foundation which opened to the public in the mid-1980s. Marfa has 25 economical, 90 moderate, 20 first-class, and 10 deluxe accommodations.
Slide show about Big Bend
Eat! Sleep! Terlingua!Chinati Foundation
One Cavalry Row, Marfa, 79843
432-729-4362
chinati.org
Created and founded by artist Donald Judd in 1986, Chinati exhibits permanent large-scale installations of contemporary art. Hailed by many as the last important art statement of the 20th century, this art exists in the context in which it was meant to be. The foundation, located on the former site of Fort D. A. Russell at the edge of town, includes works by Judd, Carl Andre, Dan Flavin, Claes Oldenburg, Coosje van Bruggen, and John Chamberlain, as well as temporary exhibitions of other works. Open daily 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Call for tours.
Marfa Lights Festival
432-729-4942, 800-650-9696
marfacc.com
Aug. 31–Sept. 2, 2007
Who knows why those mysterious desert lights shine? Shoot the breeze and get the lowdown with these friendly folks while enjoying local West Texas cuisine. Stick around and dance the night away on the lawn of one of the most magnificent courthouses in Texas for free. Don’t worry, they’ll leave the lights on for you.
Chinati Open House
432-729-4362
chinati.org
Oct. 6–7, 2007
During this annual festival Chinati opens its collections to the public, features concerts, and sponsors talks. This year’s event will feature the special exhibitions of David Rabinowitch. Work by a resident artist at Chinati will also be displayed. Don’t miss the Saturday downtown dinner and the Sunday-morning breakfast.
Travel Intinerary
Marfa, Alpine, Marathon - 4 Days
Marfa is perhaps best known for its odd Marfa Lights–ghostlike lights, with no clear source, that often appear in the night sky. The annual Marfa Festival celebrates this phenomenon over Labor Day weekend. It’s just one of the attractions in this quaint West Texas town where the movie Giant was filmed.
Explore the Marfa Courthouse, built in 1886–1887 and a wonderful example of the Second Empire style that was the architectural rage in mid-19th-century Europe. A fun lunch spot is FoodShark Marfa, a funky mobile café specializing in Mediterranean food (a Marfalafel, anyone?) that’s usually parked across from the Marfa Book Co. (on Highland Avenue).
Reserve a room at the Hotel Paisano and have dinner at its Jett Grill, which offers a selection of seafood, chicken, and pasta dishes. In the morning, enjoy coffee and the newspaper in the courtyard, with its stunning fountain.
Next it’s off to Alpine. Learn about your final destination in the region, Big Bend National Park, at the Museum of the Big Bend. Get lunch or dinner at Reata, the original location of the famous restaurant named after the ranch in Giant and notable for its “cowboy cuisine,” and check out the live music at Railroad Blues. Visit Alpine’s Apache Trading Post for books and souvenirs before heading to Marathon.
Marathon is known for the historic Gage Hotel, but don’t miss the opportunity to spend a night at Eve’s Garden Organic Bed and Breakfast and Ecology Resource Center, where you’ll find healthy meals made with local and organic ingredients and you’ll stay in a straw-bale adobe house that’s available for groups and families–a classic example of modern living in the Old West.
Before heading off to the park, create your own picnic-to-go at the French Company Grocer (206 N. Avenue D). Established in 1900 as Marathon’s first general store, this place has all sorts of goodies, as well as a covered eating area with wireless Internet access if you want to hang out for a while.
