Magical Marfa.

You may know Marfa because the Amazon series I Love Dick was filmed there. Or maybe you have heard or seen pictures of the Prada art installation.

I've always heard about Marfa but didn't really understand it. There always seemed to be sort of mystery about the town. 

These are the 4 things that I learned while visiting Marfa, Texas. 

1. It’s a long (and mostly secluded) drive - but the views make it oh-so worth it!

Imagine you are driving through small country roads filled with trees and small homes - to long highways filled with wind turbines perched up on the mountain tops in the distance, to a whole lot of nothingness - for hours and hours.

That was our experience driving to Marfa. But let me tell you, it was serene, tranquil, and breathtaking! (Despite the fact that I was trying not to freak out the amount of times we didn’t have cell phone service. It was actually nice to literally be disconnected).

The drive from Austin to Marfa was about 6 ½-7 hours, with a few stops in between. A good playlist and even better company can certainly make that time fly by!

Now don’t be fooled when you reach Alpine, Texas, you may be thinking, “We finally made it!”. Nope. There’s still more driving to do! But Alpine is a super cute town that’s also on my to-travel-to list!

So, what’s the big deal about Marfa, Texas?

2. Art is everywhere. Literally.

Marfa is a small town with a good amount of artists and creatives. Many have moved there from major cities and are living that artist’s small-town, free-spirit dream. Everywhere I turned, there was art. I literally couldn’t put my camera down! It was really quite beautiful.

Everything was so inspiring! I’m not sure if it was the fact that the town was very tiny and very desolate - but there was this cool, hippie vibe that filled the air. I really didn't know what I was going to stumble across next. 

We drove 30 miles west of Marfa to see the Prada installation and that was really cool. It’s literally in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nothing but dust and tumbleweeds.

We had to wait our turn to take pictures but it was so awesome to see in real life! 

Yes, it’s literally the only thing in a span of 30 miles each direction. There is nothing quite like it!

The locks were behind the art installation. It seemed very similar to the old Pont des Arts bridge in Paris. I wish I had known otherwise I would've brought a lock to put on there. :)

We drove back to Marfa to check out the town more.  Some of the popular places to check out are the Chinati Foundation, the Marfa lights, and Ballroom Marfa - to name a few. (We had yet to check out any of these - saving it for my trip back!) 

One thing that was so interesting to me was all of the randomness that I stumbled upon. I thought it was incredible! I just kept thinking, "what is this magical, creative place? and where are all of the people? ... and why is everything closed?!" 

3. Traveling to Marfa during the holidays is magical - but mostly closed. 

I traveled into Marfa on Christmas Eve and most businesses were closed for the holidays, which was a bummer! We managed to find some great places that were open, but that just means we have to go back again to check out more!

We went to a really cool coffee shop that was quaint and had good coffee (this is important). It was the perfect way to spend a chilly afternoon warming up with a cup of joe. We were very grateful this place was one of the few that was open! 

Another favorite spot that is a definite recommendation is Marfa Burrito. This place is so good that we went twice, and not just because it was one of the few places that was open! I wish I had photos of this place, but I was too busy eating!

The restaurant used to be someone’s house and is now turned into restaurant. I told the owner, Ramona, our burrito order in Spanish and I watched them get made on the spot. They were authentic and amazing. Oh man, that egg, bean and cheese burrito made my heart and stomach so happy. I talk about it to everyone. If I'm STILL talking about food months later, you know it was good! 

One thing to note, this place is cash only and worth every penny!

4. Camping out in a tepee is as cool as it sounds!

The last thing I’ll mention about Marfa is the amazing place we camped out at, El Cosmico. Now mind you, I am NOT a camping person. I'm not big on the outdoors (unless I'm at the beach) and I don't like bugs. Luckily for me, it was winter so it was cold (so no bugs), and there was a bed, so no sleeping on the ground (comfort!).

When we finally made it to Marfa it was about 5:30pm. When we check-in to get our safari tent, we were greeted with smiles (did they see the heavy exhaustion in our eyes?), and everyone was extremely welcoming and helpful with providing local recommendations. I was in awe though. Everything felt so magical! 

We checked out our cool tent, walked the grounds a bit, and headed down the street to their downtown area for dinner.  

When we got back it was freezing outside so we decided to hang out in the lounge, relaxing and drinking mulled wine.

It was super cozy and I remember feeling so peaceful and happy! It was such an experience to be secluded and so far from major civilization. It was truly relaxing.  

Little did I know that at night it would get to as low as 12 degrees, and all we had was a heated blanket and a thick comforter! It was definitely an experience to sleep in such cold temperatures, with our coats and hats on.... it was wild, but fun! The heated blanket was definitely enough. Also, there's outdoor AND indoor bathroom facilities, so being able to warm up in the lodge in the middle of the night definitely helped!

On night 2, we upgraded to the tepee and it was incredible! There was a fire pit inside of the tepee for extra warmth, and there was so much space. It felt like a little studio apartment! It was such a cool experience. Now that's what I call GLAMPING! :)

The campgrounds were extremely peaceful and there were so many random cool things around, not to mention the AMAZING western sunset.

Like I mentioned earlier, I could not put my camera down. This is hands-down one of the coolest places I've ever been to! 

Lastly, I created this video montage of our trip and it was so fun! I really need to make videos more often. I loved being able to reflect on my trip! All of it was filmed on my iPhone 8 Plus.

Have you ever gone glamping? What was your experience like? Where did you stay? Comment below and tell me all about it!

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