Museums
History BuffChinati Foundation
$25–$50Take a guided tour of large installations by Donald Judd, Dan Flavin and other artists on a former Army post in Marfa.
Photo: Allison Meier from Brooklyn, United States, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.
SightseeingQuirky FunFreeLocal Gem
Marfa Lights Viewing Area
Marfa Lights Viewing Area is a sightseeing stop in Marfa, TX. Cost: free.
U.S. 90, about 9 miles east of Marfa toward Alpine · Marfa, TX
Why you should go…
The official Marfa Lights Viewing Area sits on U.S. 90 about nine miles east of Marfa toward Alpine, on the grounds of the former Marfa Army Airfield. After dark you look across the desert for glowing orbs that observers describe as yellow-orange, red, blue, white or green. The earliest recorded sighting dates to 1883, when a cowhand reported a flickering light near Paisano Pass. Studies by university researchers have tied many sightings to distant car headlights.
- #marfa lights
- #mystery lights
- #stargazing
- #west texas
- #roadside attraction
What's around here?
The closest stops to Marfa Lights Viewing Area, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.
8.8 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
- SightseeingQuirky Fun
Prada Marfa
FreePull over on a lonely stretch of US-90 to see a sealed Prada storefront sculpture standing alone in the desert.
44 mi awayMore like this
- Sport & OutdoorOutdoor Adventure
Balmorhea State Park
Under $25A West Texas state park built around a huge spring-fed pool where you can swim, snorkel and scuba dive in clear desert water.
47 mi awaySwitch it up: Sport & Outdoor
