It’s hard to believe Spring Break of 2018 has already come and gone…this school year is just flying by! We’re already at the 8-week mark until Summer Break, can you even believe it?
Last month we set out on another Griswold-style family vacation in our own backyard. Well, technically it was since we didn’t leave the state of Texas, but given the vastness of our state, and the unique terrain, we might as well have gone to Mars! And it was absolute perfection! We hiked, we laughed, we ate, we talked…we reconnected in a way that’s difficult to do at home, surrounded by life’s demands.
The trip was equal parts relaxing and adventure, and from the social media response I had during our travels, there’s a hefty number of you anxious to take a similar trip with your own families!
There is too much info to include everything in a single post, so I’ll break it into two parts, and then follow-up with a packing post (y’all seemed to like the packing part when I did that for Mexico!). This post will include the towns of Marathon, Alpine, Marfa and Fort Davis, and the second will include all things Big Bend National Park. We did a ton of research for our trip, and I’m happy to pass it along to you, in hopes that it’s helpful when planning your own family adventure!
So let’s get started, but I’m warning you, as with all posts that include my family, it’s photo overload!
Salut! t-shirt | White Jeans | Leopard Sweatshirt | Boots | Hat | Sunglasses | Earrings | Lipstick
His Sweatshirt | Her Hoodie | White Jeans | High-Tops
When it comes to the ultimate road trip, there’s no better terrain to explore than West Texas…with its wide-open roads, star-soaked skies, glowing mountain peaks, and rugged stretches of lonely desert. You could easily go hours without seeing another car, and certainly 90 miles between gas stations…which we learned the hard way! #oops
Turns out, that was just part of the adventure, and the kindness of Texas strangers had us back on our way in no time. The beauty of this region is best discovered by tossing out your agenda, and downloading an amazing playlist.
Salut! t-shirt | White Jeans | Leopard Sweatshirt | Boots | Hat | Sunglasses | Earrings | Lipstick
Tee | Embroidered Top | White Jeans | Sandals | Hoodie | Jogger Pants
Her Pullover (25% off) | His Pullover
“Friday” t-shirt | Field Jacket | Shorts | Sneakers | Hat | Bandana | Earrings
His Sweatshirt | Her Hoodie | White Jeans | High-Tops
Shirt | Jeans | Boots | Hat | Bandana | Watch | Earrings
Stripe Top | Jeans | Sneakers | Earrings | Watch | Sunglasses
{Where We Stayed}
Gage Hotel ~ Marathon
I catered our entire itinerary around this hotel’s availability, which unfortunately was only the first night of our week-long trip. It’s a world-famous mission-style hotel that’s equal parts rustic and elegant. Which is even cooler considering the town of Marathon has a population of 400 & you can walk the distance between city limit signs in 5 minutes. They have an on-site bar and restaurant, and a coffee-house & cafe next door. There’s full-size sand volleyball court & life-size checkers board the kids loved!
The rooms in the original, historic building are smaller (but very well-appointed & comfortable), while rooms in the Las Portales are larger with fireplaces & overlook courtyards.
Hotel Saint George ~ Marfa
Located in ‘downtown’ Marfa, this hotel is a great spot for exploring the tiny town on foot. It’s decked-out in hipster contemporary (my description, not theirs…but you know what I mean!), with large rooms, and excellent on-site bar and restaurant. And considering every restaurant in town seems to be closed 4 out of 7 days, that’s a huge bonus!
Sugarplum Travel Tip: This area may be remote and under-populated, but it’s a hot-spot! The Instagram-worthy hotels book a year in advance, especially during high seasons like Spring Break and early Summer. We loved both hotels, but if given the availability, I’d make Gage Hotel my home-base for the first half of the trip, and just day trip to the nearby towns.
{Where We Ate}
12 Gage // Marathon ~ The popular restaurant of The Gage Hotel, it’s rustic and cozy with fireplaces and friendly service. The menu changes seasonally and features lots of locally-grown foods and game. It’s on the pricey side, but anything goes with the dress code.
V6 Coffee Bar // Marathon ~ Features locally-grown coffee, fresh pastries and made-to-order sandwiches. The smoothies are especially good! Browse the darling shop next-door while you wait for your morning cappuccino!
Alicia’s Burrito Place // Alpine ~ Remarkably good considering the facade…and prices! There will likely be a wait at this tiny spot, regardless of the time of day, but it’s worth it! The homemade salsa is from my dreams, and the burritos bigger than your face. The hamburgers are delicious, as well. But bring cash, because they don’t accept credit cards.
La Venture // Marfa ~ Located inside the Hotel St. George, this swanky spot serves breakfast, lunch & dinner 7 days a week. Which in Marfa, is a God-send! We wanted to eat at Pizza Foundation, Food Shark, and Planet Marfa, but all were closed the 3 days we were here.
Bar St. George // Marfa ~ Located inside the Hotel St. George, it’s a lively, casual spot for quick bar food & amazing cocktails. You’ll see everyone from ranchers to hipsters to families!
Fort Davis Drugstore & Hotel // Fort Davis ~ This old-fashioned drugstore is a great stop in Ft. Davis. Sit at the counter and share a Blue Bell ice-cream sundae! #texastradition
{What We Did}
DAY 1:
*Monahans Sandhills State Park // Rent a sand toboggan or disk and go “surfing”on the soaring sand dunes—some of them as high as 70 feet.
*Explore Gage Hotel & Marathon
STAY: Gage Hotel // Marathon
DAY 2:
Marathon to Alpine to Marfa ~ The beauty of these little towns, is each is only about 30-minutes by car, but plan on stopping several times along the way to gawk.
*Big Bend Saddlery // Alpine ~ Making world-class saddles, cowboy hats & accessories since 1905. Check out the Taxidermy shop next door for a trippy field trip!
*Prada Marfa Art Exhibit // Valentine ~ Made famous by Gray Malin’s print, this tiny installation is literally in the middle of nowhere. But oddly enough, not actually in Marfa, but 45-minutes away in Valentine. The surrounding desert & sunsets make it worth the drive for the obligatory Instagram shot.
STAY: Hotel Saint George // Marfa
DAY 3:
*Explore Marfa’s downtown & square
*El Cosmico // A cluster of yurts, tents & airstream trailers converted into a commune-style hotel
*Skyline Drive // Fort Davis ~ Windy drive to the highest peak of Fort Davis National Park, with sweeping 360-degree view of the surrounding mountains
*McDonald Observatory // Fort Davis ~ Reserve a spot at the evening Star Party for views of stars like you’ve never seen. Bring blankets and lay in the grass while they point out all the constellations (with crazy lasers!), then see it all close-up through telescopes the size of passenger vans. It’s outside, so plan accordingly for the weather, and the viewing point is at 6700-feet elevation.
STAY: Hotel Saint George // Marfa
Sugarplum Travel Tip: The closest major airports are in Midland and El Paso. We flew into Midland, rented a car, and then started our road-trip journey. The entire loop from Midland to West Texas to Big Bend and back to Midland was about 10 hours.
Jean Jacket | Camo Cargo Pants | Sneakers | Hat | Earrings
On Day 4, we headed south along one of the most stunning drives in North America (so says National Geographic, not just me!), to Big Bend. But that’s another post for another day!
Have you explored West Texas? The peace, quiet and remote ruggedness is unlike any place I’ve ever experienced, and I’m so grateful we made the trip. Even if I was really happy to be back home in the suburbs! 😉
See more of our travels here, and last year’s Spring Break trip through Zion, Bryce Canyon and the Grand Canyon here.
*All photos taken with my iPhone 7 & edited on the ColorStory app.
[More National Parks Posts]
National Parks Road Trip | The Itinerary
Trip Report | The Grand Canyon
Trip Report | Bryce Canyon
Trip Report | Zion National Park
Trip Report | Antelope Canyon + Horseshoe Bend
Trip Report | Big Bend National Park
Trip Report | West Texas Road Trip
Our Favorite Hiking Spots in the United States
Road Trip Essentials
What an awesome family road trip! I love the picture of the abandoned Target on the road, haha. 🙂
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
What a great recap! Love all the pics and the play by play!
I’ve never thought about heading to West Texas but this post has me wanting to book a trip STAT!
Oops!!!! SlaughteR!
I love that your blog has beauty tips, style tips and road trip tips! Great photos! Looks like it was a fun trip,
Oh yay, I’m thrilled you like the mix of content!
What a cool, fun trip! The planning and research is half the fun.
What’s the big announcement? Tell us! Are you going to have another baby? : )
LOL — um, NOooooooo! 😉
Love the target picture! We need to explore Texas more! It’s a huge state and so much to see and do. Looks like y’all had a great family trip. And I love your white top with the buttons down the back!
We did that trip as our first camping trip as a family years ago and camped in the Davis Mountains. We routinely camp for two weeks in tents in various national parks in the summer. The Davis Mountains are stunning and the stars are amazing. We enjoyed the nightly pass through of the javelinas and the skunks winding through your legs like cats while we were cooking dinner. 😳 Not! But, it’s all part of it. That part of the country is rugged and untamed- beautiful in a different way. It’s so easy to day trip through all of those small towns as well. Looks like you had a great trip!
We talked about how amazing it would be to camp down there…so many stars, and so peacefully quiet!
I LOVE West Texas! I my husband and I went to college at Sul Ross. It was an amazing experience for this Texas Panhandle girl. We always said that the drive to Alpine was the ugliest one we’ve ever been on, but when you get over the hill and see the lights of town, it’s the most beautiful sight. Thanks for the memory trip!
We ran out of gas about 30 miles from Alpine, so we’ll never forget that town! 😉
I can’t wait for the BIG ANNOUNCEMENT. Thursday seems so far away (patience, right?). I hope it’s something fabulous like all your readers get to spend a day with you! I’m inspired by your blogs every time I read them! Congrats ahead of time . . .
LOL, you’re so sweet!! Actually, there’s an opportunity to win a trip to Dallas…where we’d meet!! xo
Ahhhh…makes me homesick! We used to live in El Paso and I LOVED it! There is nothing like the beauty of the the desert and the West Texas sunsets!
Ahhhh, the sunsets!! Like no other! xo
Me again. This is one of the coolest, funnest (that a word??) travel posts ever! Great shots/ideas.
Yay, I’m thrilled you liked it!
Great post. Love all the tips (even though highly unlikely I will ever get there it is nice to see other parts of the world through your blog). Lovely family & you are ALWAYS so stylish. I can’t get over your figure (jealous), also can’t believe the size of Australia to USA). Ten hours here & you haven’t covered much area. We think we are going on another road trip for Christmas this year (it was that or Bali again).
Ha — I realized many people would never venture to such a remote spot, but hoped it would be entertaining! 😉 But for those who will travel here, I always strive to make these posts as helpful and comprehensive as possible!!
Looks like a fabulous trip! I love the Prada shots – I’d seen those on Instagram and didn’t make the Gray Malin connection. Looking forward to the big announcement!
I might just blow up my own photo and save a few thousand dollars! 😉
My family and I just moved to West Texas in December. We are in a tiny town called Big Spring, but I definitely want to check out the places that you visited! Your photos make everything look so charming!
We did your Zion, Bryce and Grand Canyon trip this Spring Break with my 7 and 9 year old. I kept referring to you saying, “Cassie said to do this…” and by the end of the trip, he was asking where we should go next, now we know! Thanks for always taking us along on your family adventures!
I love your blog! You are so adorable and I love your style….I was wondering if you could show your mother more often as I am nearer her age and I love to see how you dress her. You’re the best!
Will you be posting the Big Bend portion soon? We are thinking of making this trip, an edited version, around Memorial Day and I am curious to see what you post!
Thanks!
Yes! I’ve got it on the calendar for early May…but if you have specific questions before then, feel free to email me!
We are thinking about doing this soon, and I was wondering if you would do anything differently next time. Like spend more or less time at any of the towns, spots, hotels, etc.
I am from Alpine and started following your blog a couple of months back….so excited to see your posts on West Texas! I mean you seriously have to see it to get the vastness of it all! The beauty is amazing! Thank you for making the trip out to visit our West Texas!!