I’m sure Marfa has hit your insta feed at some point over the past few years. A media darling hangout, everyone from Beyoncé to Jake Gyllenhaal has been lured to this tiny town in the high Chihuahuan desert – 6.5 hours travel away from the nearest major city (Austin).
Luckily, once you make it there, you may never want to leave.
For more on the mythical West Texas, pick up our Boss Babe print volume out at the end of June 2019.
One: Prada, Marfa
Ok, let’s get this out of the way at the start. This art installation of a Prada store isn’t in Marfa, but 10 minutes drive out, in the adorably named Valentine. Sadly, this is one of those instances where – if you didn’t get a shot in front of the store, did you even go to Marfa? So tick this one off the list by going early in the day and off season, if you can, to avoid the hordes.
Two: Breakfast Tacos with a side of sass at Boyz2Men
Boyz2Men serve up great Mexican food and burgers, often with some sass and tourist tax for out-of-towners. They aren’t going to apologise and you’ll just have to get over it.
Three: Gem Shopping at Moonlight Gemstones
Just across the way from Food Shark (see below) is this unassuming gemstore. Look past the small shopfront into the jam packed front and back yards and discover a treasure trove of local gem stones (include Agate that only exists in the Marfa area) and Mexican silver bangles, sold by weight.
Four: Food Shark: Good enough for Queen Bey, good enough for you
One of the classics of the Marfa food truck scene, Food Shark is the shot for the ‘gram and also a great spot to enjoy their Mediterranean X West Texas fare.
Five: Toast James Dean & Elizabeth Taylor at Paisano Hotel
The stunning Paisano Hotel played home to James and Elizabeth when they were in town filming Giant with Rock Hudson. Grab a drink in the courtyard at Jett’s Grill or cosy down in a delightfully historic room for the night.
Six: See the Marfa Lights. Yes, Really.
This rather peculiar structure is set out of town, past the ‘Welcome to Marfa’ state sign. Even more peculiarly, it was built in 2003 expressively so people could marvel at one of the towns ‘must-sees’; the Marfa Lights. No-one knows exactly what they are. But I can tell you that all the video we took that night came out completely blank – audio of us getting a little hysterical was fine – but we have no record of the eerie sight we all saw with our own eyes….
Seven: View Donald Judd’s Work
Taking photos within the museums / studios preserved by the Judd foundation isn’t allowed so instead you can view us marching along to view ‘The Block’ behind the compound wall ahead., artist Donald Judd’s residence in Marfa.
Eight : Explore the Wes Anderson candy coloured Presidio County Courthouse
This building probably wasn’t what you had in mind, in the middle of the desert. Pass through the main entrance and climb the wooden staircases, to the top dome, for a unique vista of the town and the land surrounding it.
Nine : Get your souvenirs from a vending machine
One of the best things to do in town is to get lost. With the main part of the city only a few blocks in each direction, keep wandering until something takes your fancy. Se Vende is a unique concept of a 24h vending machine full of locally made products; the perfect spot for a souvenir.
Ten: Spend the night in a retro caravan at El Cosmico
El Cosmico is a unique spot brought to live by the Bunkhouse Group of boutique hotels. Chose between vintage caravans, teepees or safari tents for a stay to remember under Marfa’s open skies. Be sure to book a spot in their open air dutch hot tubs to really drink in those starry nights.
Eleven: Cocktails and small plates at Boss Babe run, Cochineal
Cochineal opened in 2003, run by a wife and husband team. Since then they have been bringing the town exquisitely curated seasonal menus with killer cocktails alongside. Full disclosure; we went to see the Marfa Lights after a few of those.
For information on Texas go to www.traveltexas.com
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