Explore // El Cosmico (Marfa, TX)

  

I don't even remember how or where I heard about El Cosmico...but I did. And I immediately knew I had to go there. So - yet another Christmas "gift of experience" we used Christmas money from my parents and planned our first "glamping" trip!

The vibe was perfect. Truly. Perfect. Maybe we just lucked out - but everyone was SO kind and helpful, especially considering the nearby town of Marfa gave off anything but kid-friendly vibes. So, we unpacked our little (biggish) family into our rather large teepee (I really think we could live in it - just need an outdoor kitchen!) and got settled. We were wowed by the teepee, and then had so much fun looking around at all the colorful, vintage trailers as well as the safari tents set up around the grounds. The kids found "hammock grove" and pretty much thought it was the best! They used the hammocks as swings, or else just hid inside. So fun! 

While we were searching for dinner in Marfa, they started a fire for us and had it all ready when we came back. We had mentioned we wanted to do s'mores that night, and there we had it - all ready for us. We had been gifted a fun "gourmet" s'mores kit and we were excited to try it out, it just seemed fitting to have gourmet s'mores while glamping - yes?

We slept so well in our teepee. Enjoyed the outdoor bathrooms - although I REALLY wanted to take an open-air bath, but the timing just didn't work out quite right (or the weather, it got rather windy and chilly). 

I understand now why people say you can't exactly EXPLAIN it, but El Cosmico has just GOT IT. And, it's true! We loved our time there. If we were to go again, I would probably opt to just pack a big cooler with good food we could cook ourselves at El Cosmico, rather than waste time searching for food in Marfa (where everything seems to be perpetually closed). 

Over all - El Cosmico WINS! We loved it and would highly recommend a visit!

Explore // Marfa, TX

Oh, Marfa. We just had to go. 

Marfa is a TINY little West Texas Town between Fort Davis, Alpine, and Big Bend. It has received a LOT of hype. We were curious if it would live up to it?

Here's what we found: It really is tiny. If you blink a few times, you might even miss it. There's not much there - but there are a few really good restaurants and cute shops - IF they happen to be open when you're around. Seriously, that is our biggest gripe about West Texas (which we half way expected, so really we had a pretty decent attitude about it, but still...) 

Our first stop was actually beyond Marfa. About 20 minutes from Marfa (or 30 from Fort Davis) is the even tinier town of Valentine, Texas. Just outside of Valentine, is the infamous PRADA Art Installation, very often associated with Marfa. Of course, we had to go. Our kids fell asleep in the car. Of course, Jacob had to take a few cool pictures of me while we were there. Of course ;) It really was strange, this replica of a Prada store out in the middle of NOWHERE. Strangely cool.

We went back to Marfa, and walked around. We found THE CUTEST little  pink fire station, and the prettiest country courthouse we had ever seen! Seriously, those colors! We had some fun walking around - but really, there wasn't much at all to see. We found a cute little coffee shop attached to a laundromat - Frama at Tumbleweed Laundry -  and they happened to have REALLY good ice cream cones, so we all got cones - of course!

We attempted lunch at Food Shark (CLOSED!) and dinner at Pizza Foundation (CLOSED!) - and then attempted a few other places for dinner before we literally had to give up because we were all starving...and go to...Dairy Queen (we are not fans to begin with...) So, what everyone told us was TRUE. Even if they have posted business hours - you can't always trust them! Definitely have some back up plans and bring some food along because you just can't really count on a lot in Marfa. (Of course!?!)

During the afternoon, we checked into our teepee (yes, teepee!) at El Cosmico. So after our *kind of gross* dinner at Dairy Queen we headed back and had some gourmet s'mores. SO GOOD!

The following morning, we hit the jackpot when we were able to eat the best breakfast tacos at Marfa Burrito. The sweet owner, Ramona, was a total gem. The food was good - it was a hole in the wall, but in the best way. We filled our tummies and then packed up for some real camping in Big Bend National Park. 

All in all...Marfa - you are overrated. Yes, you're cool. Yes, you're a little *snobby*. You are definitely not very kid or family friendly. (Excuse us and our FOUR kids!) You have potential, and there are some *cool* things about you - but really - we'll keep looking for our sweet spot. While we can't whole-heartedly endorse Marfa - it is worth a stop. But El Cosmico is the one who really WINS!!!