Marfa, Texas Travel Guide & Trip Planner
Marfa is a city in the high desert of the Trans-Pecos in far West Texas, located between the Davis Mountains and Big Bend National Park.
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It is the county seat of Presidio County, and is located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 90, U.S. Highway 67 and Texas Highway 17.
Founded in the 1880s, Marfa is today a tourist destination and a major center for Minimalist art. Attractions include Building 98, the Chinati Foundation, artisan shops, historical architecture, a classic Texas town square, modern art installments, art galleries, and the Marfa lights.
The area around Marfa is known as a cultural center for contemporary artists and artisans. A not to be missed sight is Prada Marfa, about 26 miles from Marfa, considered to be pop architectural land art.
The Marfa Mystery Lights are visible on clear nights between Marfa and the Paisano Pass when one is facing southwest (toward the Chinati Mountains).
At times the lights appear colored as they twinkle in the distance. They move about, split apart, melt together, disappear, and reappear. Residents of the area have watched the lights for over a hundred years.
Presidio County has built a viewing station nine miles east of town on U.S. 90/67. Each year, enthusiasts gather for the annual Marfa Lights Festival. The lights have been featured and mentioned in various national media.
We always enjoy our stops in Marfa when visiting Bend Bend National Park, the Davis Mountains and Marathon.
| Marfa Texas Visitor Center 302 S. Highland Avenue Marfa, Texas 79843 Phone 432.729.4772 Website of the Marfa Visitor Center Website of Marfa Chamber of Commerce |
Welcome to Marfa ...Established 1883 |
| The Presidio County Courthouse in Marfa, Texas |
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Scenes Around Downtown Marfa
| The Palace Theater in Downtown Marfa. It was the Marfa Opera House before becoming a movie theater, but has been closed since the 1970s. It is now used as an art studio. |
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| The historic Texas Theater in Downtown Marfa on North Highland Avenue |
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| Scene in downtown Marfa, Texas |
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| The City of Marfa water tower |
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| Marfa Presidio County Museum, 110 W. San Antonio Street. Phone 432.729.4140 |
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The Marfa Mystery Lights
| The Marfa Lights Viewing Station, 9 miles east of Marfa on U.S. Highway 90 / 67 |
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| Plaque about the Marfa Mystery Lights at the Viewing Station "The Marfa Mystery Lights are visible on many clear nights between Marfa and Paisano Pass as one looks towards the Chinati Mountains. The lights may appear in various colors as they move about, split apart, melt together, disappear and reappear. Robert Reed Ellison, a young cowboy, reported sighting the lights in 1883. Many viewers have theories ranging from scientific to science fiction as they describe their ideas of aliens in UFOs, ranch house lights, St. Elmo's fire, or headlights from vehicles on US 67, the Presidio Highway. The mystery of these lights still remains unsolved." |
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| Looking into the distance in West Texas at the Marfa Lights Viewing Station |
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Lodging In and Around Marfa
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The Hotel Paisano at TripAdvisor |
| Entrance area to the The Hotel Paisano in Marfa, 207 N. Highland Avenue, opened in 1930 |
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| Night and neon ... at The Hotel Paisano in Marfa |
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| The Gage Hotel at 102 E. U.S. Highway 90, Marathon, Texas |
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Sights and Scenes Around the Marfa Area
The Don Judd Art Exhibit |
| Prada Marfa is a permanently installed sculpture by artists Elmgreen and Dragset, just off U.S. Highway 90 about 26 miles northwest of Marfa, near Valentine |
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| The well known Food Shark in Marfa |
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| The Beer Garden ... Marfa, Texas |
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| Planet Marfa Beergarden |
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