The Arcon Inn

Basaic Marfa Page

by Basaic

"Presidio County Courthouse"

The Presidio County Courthouse was built in 1886 using the Second Empire style of architecture. It was designed by the architect J.H. Britton. That is the goddess of Justice standing on top of the dome. This is one of the prettier courthouses in the area.

"Marfa Presidio County Museum"

The Marfa Presidio County Museum is located on US Highway 90 near the center of town. It is housed in the old Humphries House, which is a registered historical landmark. The museum contains a nice collection of artifacts that includes fossils, native American and early settler tools as well as information on the area's early ranching, rural life and military history. An extensive collection of photographs detailing the history of this region is also displayed. The day I was there they were having an open house which included free food and wine. It was packed. It seemed obvious the people of Marfa are very proud and very supportive of their museum. Admision is free, but donations are appreciated. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, year round from 2 PM to 5 PM.

"The Marfa Lights"

The Marfa Lights are a mysterious phenomena that has reportedly been around since at least 1883. There is also some indications of Native American Sightings of the lights well before that date. Exactly what the lights are is open for lively debate. Marfa has built a viewing area on US Highway 90, nine miles East of town, so you can see the lights in more comfort. There is a festival of the lights during Labor Day Weekend.

Tres bizarre!!!

by Gatopardo

"Prada - Marfa that is in Valentine, TX."

ESTABLISHED - OCT 2005
ART PROJECT ..

While you drive from El paso towards the towns to Alpine, we found two very strange things, one is this Prada Marfa near Valentine, TX, well somehow close to Marfa, TX - you never expect to see on this isolation, in the middle of the desert, the place is full of insects inside on the carpet and for real, it's very bizarre.

"Conflict of Interest."

The U.S., is a country which I enjoy traveling but also is a country I don't understand sometimes and gives me seriously, big headaches. This is one of them, I will let you judge yourself with the picture shown here.

This is as close as you approache the U.S. - Mexican border, a very big aerostatic balloon, as we were told, to search for heat on the border crossing.

Marfa- an "experience" between LA and Houston

by BlaineandPat

"Marfa: Tony Lama and.......Prada?"

We went to Marfa specifically because it was starting to get press as an "emerging" destination. "The next Santa Fe" was one comment we read. Well, maybe. Truth be told it's to Santa Fe what a birdbath is to a swimming pool - but there are still some similarities. And if you're in El Paso (3 monotonous hours away) or driving between Houston and LA, we can wholeheartedly recommend stopping by (if driving 2 hours off the interstate can be considered "stopping by"). But we're purposely avoiding words like "retreat" or "vacation" because the city is more of an experience than anything else.

Marfa joined the list of destinations for the Conde Nast crowd because it's home to an enormous modern art museum - the Chinati Foundation.
If you've ever been traveling through the wilds of West Texas and thought to yourself "Gosh, I wish there were somewhere nearby that could make me feel like an unsophisticated hick" then you're in luck! Because the Foundation provides a little bit of Soho attitude right in the middle of nowhere! And as a result of its existence Marfa, a little town of just over 2000, has gained some amenities that would be at home in the trendy districts of LA or New York. Or Minneapolis.

The primary attractions of Marfa (or at least the ones we saw and used) are:
The Prada Marfa and their patron: Ballroom Marfa
The Chinati Foundation
The Marfa Lights

The primary amenities of Marfa are:
The Marfa Book Company (Book Store/Coffee Shop)
The Thunderbird Marfa (Hip Hotel)
Hotel Paisano (Historic Hotel)
- The host hotel for the cast of the movie "Giant"
Maiya's Restaurant
Brown Recluse Coffee Shop

In listing these we've come close to exhausting the things to see and do in Marfa. which isn't bad. There's enough to keep you busy for a full day, whithout being over or underwhelmed. We really enjoyed visiting. Once.

Go to Marfa Texas!

by fleabitten

"Go to Marfa!"

Marfa is absolutely gorgeous. This remote west Texas town has a classic setup with a main street, train tracks, county courthouse... and believe it or not, a world class modern art museum. The town community is very active, learn more at http://www.marfa.org - art and ranching are the bookends that define life in Marfa. The town is so picturesque and remote that it feels as if you've stepped into another time. The only commercial branding that I recognized was the Dairy Queen!

Marfa, Texas

by KenMore

If you're out in west Texas, you've gotta see the Marfa Lights. Less than 20 miles from Fort Davis you may view one of the few 'Unsolved Mysteries' of our west Texas skies. National Geographic couldn't explain them, The University of Texas can't explain them, The TV series 'Unsolved Mysteries' could not explain them, but every year since the 19th century....plain ole Texas folks have been explaining them to thousands of onlookers. Are they UFO's? Mirages? Secret military tests? Magnetic energy? Static electricity? Who Knows? Come see 'em and see if you can explain them!