NBR: Can someone explain Marfa, TX to me?

paulrules

I know that it is super trendy and popular, but I'm just wondering why?  I went to Texas Tech so I know what west Texas is like and while my college experience was ok, I can't understand what the draw is to Marfa.  I haven't been and have thought of going just to check it out but that is a long way to drive and a lot of days to burn for something that doesn't seem like a good time. Please tell me what I'm missing!

Thank you!

molliedb

people have been going there for years to see the marfa lights.  in more recent years lots of artists and foodies have been moving there from bigger cities and the tourism has been booming.  my brother and sil went there a few months ago and had a blast.  a friend of mine and i were talking about taking a long weekend there just to get away sometime this fall

KittyFX

I've never been but always thought it would be cool to see the lights. Now with all of the artists, etc, it's probably even cooler to visit.

AustinMimi

The artist and art critic Donald Judd basically bought the town in the 1980s and installed a lot of cool minimalist art on his farm. It's become a hipster destination, especially after Judd died in 1996. There are several major art foundations based there now. It's a cool place to go if you are into contemporary art and film, but it's a crazy long drive (minimum 8 hours). Here are some places to start if you're looking for stuff to do:

https://chinati.org/

https://ballroommarfa.org/ 

Abrooks

Go Tech!

I know what you mean...the first time I started hearing about Marfa being "in" I was amazed.  But it's a cool little thing they've got going now and have really built a tourist industry around the art. Best to do while taking a longer trip to Big Bend. 

paulrules

Thanks all.  I am aware of what is there for the most part but it seems like a long way to drive for a small gathering of ok food and art (even though there are warhols and such) when we have a better selection here or places that are closer by plane.  Other than the lights there must be something else.  Everyone seems to love it but I just feel like I'm missing something here.  Weird.

bluestreet

If you're into space, the McDonald Observatory is near Marfa. My husband and I did Marfa and the Observatory, and it was a nice balance of artsy-fartsy and geeky good times.

jakbtx

We've been several times and i think there is something different about the landscape that draws people out there. The town sits on the marfa plateau, @ 4000 ft elevation. The Davis mtns are to the north and you can see the Chinati mtns in Mexico to the south. The air seems difft out there, the skies are amazing. I think it Is unique, for sure, and very different than Lubbock.A little secret is it is cooler out there in august than Austin. May and june are the hottest months out there.My dh does a lot of cycling when we go, we also head to balmorhea -- a large spring fed pool much like Barton springs -- outside of fort Davis. There is a lot difft stuff to do in the area. We love going and it usually takes us 6-6.5 hrs to get there. 

FeistyFille

I grew up not too far from there so it seems really weird to me too that suddenly it's apparently this fascinating place to go.  But my mom loves it so much that she just bought a small property about 20-30 miles up the road.  She goes because she loves the ecology of that area and does a lot of volunteer work out there.  In addition to all the stuff pp's posted, you can possibly meet some really interesting characters too.  Land in parts of W TX is dirt cheap so there are a lot of people who are embracing a super-hippy lifestyle and going out there to live completely off the grid.  I read an article in the NYT about a fashion photographer who did this recently.  He writes a blog about his endeavors.  It's interesting.  Crazy, but interesting.