The Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center was a fantastic stop for my daughters, our dog, and me on…read more2.15.2025. I knew from scrutinizing their website that I would love this place. I love their video tour by David Politzer from 2022. In fact, the only things I didn't love were their map and outdoor displays that needed maintenance or repair. The map lacked key details and was a bit confusing. There were several uprooted signs, at least one overturned bench, and exterior paint wearing. Otherwise, it's a very cool place. Clean women's restrooms. Bottle refill station inside the visitor's center. In 2023, the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center celebrated its 50th year anniversary, so it definitely deserves constant maintenance. Open: Mon. - Sat. 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Closed on Sunday. Very nice lady at the front desk. She only charged me half price since we got there at 4 p.m. My kids and dog were free. Admission Fees ADULTS $6.50 CHILDREN 12 & UNDER FREE MEMBERS FREE SRSU STUDENTS $3.25 DOGS ARE WELCOME FREE My dog loved it here. A little rocky, but not many issues with stickers and weeds as long as you adhere to the trails. No dogs allowed in the Cactus Museum Collection. They're having their succulent sale on March 10, 2025 from 9 am - 5 pm. For more information, go to https://www.cdri.org/

I did not do any hiking here so I can't speak to the trails available. I arrived in the early…read moreafternoon and it was to hot for a long hike. The botanical gardens is very nice with a significant collection of native desert plants. All are very well labeled. Out back of the garden is a "Cactus Museum," a small greenhouse with a great collection of different Cactus. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable. Admission is only $7. Definitely worth stopping by.

I truly enjoy this University with small town charm at it's finest! A cultural shock to many that…read moremay find everything's at their feet. This town and school will really benefit you and the environment you learn in and Big Bend in your back yard make it spectacular! Go for a small town feel but capturing the beauty is a. Lifetime experience you will never forget!! Clean fresh air and mountain's. It is a experience you will look back on and never regret!

This college offers really low tuition rates for student seeking four year degrees. Although the…read morecity is small, there are many attraction in the area ranging from state parks to good eats. It's a great campus for nature lovers and those wanting to escape the city life. Class sizes are small and the community is friendly.

If you have some time, I would definitely recommend paying $10 a person for a tour of the…read moretelescopes. The tour was about an hour and a half long. My husband and I learned so much about Big Bend, its dark skies, and the history of the McDonald Observatory! Our tour guide, Ryan, was very informative and engaging! He was very passionate about his work and you can tell through the tours he gives! Loved seeing the science happening behind the scenes in the dark skies of Big Bend when the country is asleep!

We went to a Star Party during a new moon, and it was amazing! Definitely dress warmly for the…read moreevening conditions, and be prepared to stay for about 2 hours. You will be sitting for the first part on stone benches, but chairs are available by the visitors center (not in the Star party space). The location is gorgeous, and I recommend bringing a flashlight (red lens if possible to prevent light pollution) because the parking lot is pitch black at night. Fill your gas tank before you head out there because fueling options are limited, and dont plan on eating after the party unless you want to drive an hour. The location is necessarily remote to maximize the sky view, which makes it gorgeous at night. I'll upgrade my photo-gear before going back, because the opportunities for Star pics are endless!

The hotel staff is wonderful BUT the owner needs to do better…read more This is a very unique and serene place. But you have to understand what you are getting into when you stay here. They do have a small menu for breakfast. But lunch and dinner is a meal the chef chooses and that is all there is. You will be sitting at a group table with other guests. We never had the lunch so I can't speak on that. The dinners we did. Now the dinner were good BUT after the cost, service fee and tip that automatically get charged, each dinner for each person is $95, both nights the severed a stater soup, main plate and a dessert. $95 seemed high to me. I strongly recommend bring your own snack and a small ice chest. There are no refrigerators in the room. I think the owners suite does have a refrigerator but that is over 2k a night and is the owners suite when he wants to be there. So he makes sure he has comforts. There are NO TVs in any room. There is a media room that has a TV and then again the owners suite has a TV. Again the owner has these small comforts. There was not enough hot water for a whole shower. We booked an ATV tour which on the website they say they have side by side and single rider ATV for this tour. I personally didn't want to drive an ATV I wanted my husband to drive and their site said they had a side by side. Well they do have a side by side but they said no to taking it out for the ATV tour. We also booked the mountain tour, which is in there open air Humvee. BUT their hunters vehicles down so the hunting group got the mountain tour Humvee and we were stuck in the side by side for our mountain tour. We had the driver, us and another couple, so 5 people. The side by side had no business and was uncomfortable having 5 people in this side by side for the tour. But then going down the mountains in the side by side the brakes went out and we had to wait for a ride back. Now the Marfa sky's are amazing and Cibolo has a big telescope but apparently has not work for many many months. I feel the owner needs to pony up some funds, make sure the vehicles are in working order. Have a side by side that can be used for ATV tours like there website states. Fix the telescope. Make sure what ever the hot water problem was is fixed. But some small refrigerators in the rooms at the least. But overall the property was amazing and we will stay at again but the owner needs to do better.

Cibolo Creek Ranch is neither a hotel nor a resort. This is…read morea B&B where all the bad news is hidden until you arrive. We made reservations for one night - to check it out for a subsequent week stay with 4 adults. We went to Paws Up and Orvis Lodges in the past - thus our expectations. Cibolo send a text asking our arrival time - which was 5:30 to 6:30 as we were driving from Tucson. We called around 5 and said arrival would be around 7:00. The response was "OK then, we will cancel your dinner." First hidden clue - no food after 6:30 PM. So - with NO DINNER, we stopped at the St. George in Marfa - and had a dinner and texted and said we would be there around 9:00. The return text said the front desk closes at 6:00 PM. Second clue this is a B&B. When we arrived, finally, there are no lights anywhere. We could barely find the turn off - then up a dirt road for several miles in total blackness. Then the outline of a building - again no lights, not signage, nothing. We walked to what appeared to be a front door and found someone who said "welcome." They took our luggage to our room. In the room, a notice that everything has a 15% service fee - just because. More hidden info. Third clue. In the morning, we skipped the shower and left as fast as we could. But the pain was not over. We had to lug our heavy wheeled bags through a long parking lot - gravel - like pulling your luggage on a beach. Nobody to help. As we were loading the car, an employee, in almost total darkness, drove past the rear of our car so fast she almost hit us. Fourth clue. This place is NOT a resort. It is NOT a hotel. This is a B&B and a crappy one at that. If you want resort outdoor experiences, check out Paws Up or Orvis Lodges in Montana. And they have no hidden messages.

Fantastic opportunity to view art and environment on a large scale. You must book in advance as…read moretime slots sell out fast.

I love living relatively closer to Marfa, Texas. Previously, Marfa was a flight away; now, it's a…read moredrive away. The peak of Maria's hipster frothiness seems to have passed. It appears to have settled into a more predictable groove. Of course, the reason for this town's fame is Donald Judd's Chinati Foundation. I do my infrequent pilgrimage to Chinati for one reason: to see his '100 untitled works in mill aluminum.' I like choosing the open viewing versus the guided tour option because it gives me time to walk among the aluminum blocks undisturbed in relative silence with no time limit. The sun's angle hit different pieces producing different angles of contrast and shimmer. Being in these two buildings is like standing in a mash up of a cathedral and an after-hours machine shop. So many get frustrated with Donald Judd's work. They place demands on what it all means and they walk out dismissively when enlightenment doesn't happen. I toss out my brain and my thoughts. I don't come here to figure anything out. I walk the aisles and just breathe it all in. It's soothing and gratifying; part of the spiritual reset that Chinati and Marfa can do. P.S. Chinati still doesn't allow photography inside their buildings or galleries. I visited once when a rare exception was made. Almost every other art institution in North America allows non-flash photography. It's time for Chinati to allow for the same.

As a historic site, this frontier fort is very well packed with information…read more Hidden outside the small West Texas town of Fort Davis you can find the old fort grounds with remnants and renovated parts of the original fort It speaks to the experience of settlers of the area and their skirmishes with bands of native Americans for the little resources that the land had to offer. The 10th Cavalry - Buffalo Soldiers were posted here and made their mark in West Texas. The first bAfrican American to graduate West Point LT Henry Flipper was also posted here. They have a museum in the visitor center, but the entire site is the museum. There are exhibits, interactive activities. Hey, the Junior Ranger program is for everyone, not just kids . For the outdoorsy, the historic site also has some hiking. We took the short hike up the hills to the top to view the down upon the site. It's not a big place, but we spent a good two hours there, and didn't see all of it. There was much more hiking to do, so if I were in the area again I'd be interested in how an undressed (for Xmas) Fort Davis NHS would look Recommended.

My father and I stopped by here for about an hour during our road trip to the Big Bend area. It was…read moreoutstanding! First, Dad is elderly and walks quite slowly (without picking up his feet much). Because of this, we didn't walk the perimeter to check out the officer quarters. But we checked out the main visitor center, including the replica barracks for enlisted soldiers. At the time of our visit, a resident expert volunteer was there to answer questions. We also stopped by the small theater to watch a short documentary on the history of Fort Davis. It was quite informative and entertaining, especially since it was narrated by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Finally, the dude running the place (he's from New Jersey and I think his name is Michael) was phenomenal -- not only when I called to inquire about whether my elderly father could get around, but also while we were there. In fact, I also witnessed him assist several other visitors with the utmost professionalism. If you're within 100 miles of this place, you owe it to yourself to visit. As a bonus, you'll find a jillion historical markers along the way, not to mention a scenic drive.

I don't understand the high reviews here and on google. 5 stars is a resort scoring perfect. This…read moreplace is run down and unkept. Did not expect just a gravel parking lot with electric posts. We couldn't level facing the correct direction so we had to pull in the wrong direction. This made using the electric and water with what we carry not possible. $30 charge to change your site even though only four sites out of 33 sites in our section were being used. WiFi is on the porch of the store and laundry behind it quite the walk from our site. Would not recommend and would not go back ourselves.

the old ladirs there are rude and let a grown man into women's restroom while a little girl was in…read morethe correct restroom. the best experience was dealing with the young lady about our camp spot

We drove nine hours to visit the only Prada shop in all of Texas and it wasn't even open!…read more All jokes aside it is a ways to get to, especially in an EV. For EV owners, charge up in Alpine, drive one hour to the Prada store, and then spend the rest of the day in Marfa. Then head back to alpine for a charge up.

We go to Marfa every couple of years because it's one of my favorite places on the planet…read more Each time we go, we hit up the Prada installation. Technically, it's not in Marfa at all but rather in Valentine, Texas about an hour from Marfa. Artists Ingar Dragset and Michael Elmgreen created it in 2005 and the items inside the store are from the 2005 Prada collection. It's meant to be a stab at art and the all-consuming need to spend. You cannot enter the building. This landmark is considered a museum. Fencing around the museum contains locks left by visitors. This iconic installation is a must-see. Literal roadside attraction in the middle of the desert.

This is a review of the Block Tour…read more The tour itself was fine, but charging $20 for a 45-minute tour (the website says 90, but that's just not the case) is ridiculous. You see a few neat spaces, but about half of the spaces within the block are off-limits, including the more interesting library, and both sets of living quarters. (You can only peer into them through windows, hurriedly.) There wasn't as much background or explication as I expected -- nothing at all about Judd's working style or how he used the galleries, for example. Disappointing.

I enjoyed The Block, the Donald Judd studio in Marfa, TX. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and…read morefriendly, but like the place she was a little fragile. Strangely, they do not allow children under 12. This was not clear from their mobile site. We were told, they do not want children running around the property. Langton would have done exactly that. After driving for hours I was going to go anyway. This meant Keri, Langton and Jack Wuest had to occupy themselves for an hour and a half while I went on the tour. I would like to return to Marfa again and spend more time there, but there is a precious vibe - no kids under 12, and my guide was rattled when I was conferring more about the artist when she was giving her introduction.