This Small Texas Town Is A Bucketlist Trip For The New Year & A Charming Wild West Escape
You can visit a saloon owned by a real cowboy! 🤠
A woman in a red jacket on a road in Marfa, TX. Right: Buildings in Marfa, TX.
Small towns are the perfect destination for a quick weekend getaway from the bustle of big-city life, and in Texas, you're sure to find many. However, one, specifically, was listed as the best to visit in the Lone Star State when traveling around America.
Thrillist recently added no-so-well-known vacation spots to go to across the U.S., and Marfa was the favored destination in Texas.
This unique area isn't known for being quaint or adorable like others on the list, but rather a rugged tiny town with all the "wild west" charm you could wish to find in the middle of nowhere.
As barren as the Southwestern area may seem, there are actually some lively things to do while in town:
Grab a beer at Lost Horse Saloon
It's only right to enjoy a cold beer from a saloon while visiting a city that looks straight out of a John Wayne film.
The Lost Horse Saloon is Anthony Bourdain-approved after he visited in 2018 and fell in love with the welcoming atmosphere full of neighborly residents, random pet dogs, and the local owner, Ty Mitchell, who is a real-life cowboy with a good story to tell.
See the Marfa Lights in the night sky
For the past decade, visitors and locals have seen a strange phenomenon of bright lights dancing in the sky just east of the town. They claim it's not just the stars twinkling in the surrounding dark skies, but an actual U.F.O.
It is popularly referred to as the Marfa Lights and people flock to West Texas for a glimpse of the unexplained spectacle that happens randomly.
Visit Prada Marfa in the middle of the desert
Perhaps the most well-known spot near the city is this iconic Prada store that looks like it was randomly plopped down in the middle of the desert.
The roadside attraction isn't even a functioning shop, but a unique art installation built in 2005.
Nevertheless, the sleek white building in front of the desolate desert backdrop makes for an aesthetically pleasing Instagram picture.
Shop the unique local boutiques
With a population of about 1,600, the small town is chock full of eclectic locally-owned businesses you can't find anywhere else in the world.
There's something for every kind of shopper, too. Whether you're on the hunt for a new cowboy outfit or perhaps you want memorabilia made specifically in Texas, you can visit stores like Marfa Brand Soap with goods created right in town.
Drive past the Giant Marfa Mural
When driving down Highway 90 into town, you'll see a few giant murals of stars James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor starring in the film Giant.
It's one of Marfa's famous roadside stops created by artist John Cerney to honor the town where the epic Western was actually filmed. Like Prada Marfa, this Texas spot is often found on tourists' bucket lists.
Before you get going, check out our Responsible Travel Guide so you can be informed, be safe, be smart, and most of all, be respectful on your adventure.
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